Climate change and new technology continue to shape today’s construction industry trends. According to PR Newswire, market predictions expect the construction industry to grow at least fifteen percent in 2021. Here are four of the most prominent trends in the construction industry that are defining its future:
Green Building
You can expect to see more green building in the construction industry as businesses and organizations start to prioritize environmental sustainability. Green building occurs when construction companies use sustainable materials and resources to complete a construction project. These materials include using renewable resources, such as wood and bamboo, to build buildings.
Green building resources last for the building’s entire life-cycle, from design to deconstruction. The benefits of green building include minimizing waste, reducing indoor pollutants, and conserving resources. Although the green building movement in the U.S. started in the early 1990s, this movement continues today with more research on how to reduce environmental waste.
Innovative Construction Technology
Construction technology continues to improve and demonstrate how it can increase efficiency on and off-site. According to WIRED, robotics have already made significant contributions to the construction industry, including building foundational components of buildings and speeding up the pre-fabrication process. Soon, you can expect to see innovative construction technologies on all types of construction sites, including drones, robotics, and more.
Automation offers important benefits to construction sites that can create a better working environment. Research shows that automated technologies can lower costs for construction products and increase safety on construction sites. For example, you can use robotics to work at heights to prevent construction workers from working in high risk scenarios. Although automated technologies are not a new trend in the construction field, they are one of the fastest growing and most prevalent in the country.
Remote Construction Software
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has been the default for many people across the world, including the construction industry. Some people may decide to work from home permanently, which means that remote software and virtual collaboration are essential. Therefore, more construction companies will seek out software that enables remote collaboration so that projects can continue and avoid potential delays.
One of the primary benefits of remote construction software is virtual monitoring. Instead of requiring project managers and construction workers to visit the site to monitor the project, remote construction software allows people to use drones and laser scanning to monitor the progress. Remote construction software can also increase efficiency by potentially reducing on-site time and limiting the amount of people required to be on-site. This new technology can also save money on operations.
Safety Improvements
Due to global warming, states across the country experience hotter temperatures each year, which impacts construction site working conditions. To address this issue, Washington state is passing a new regulation that requires construction companies to provide mandatory breaks in construction work. Also, the regulation encourages construction companies to provide cool water and shade so that construction workers can deal with heat exposure.
The goal of this new regulation is to improve safety for construction workers across the state. You can expect to see more states and construction companies adopt these policies to prioritize their workers’ safety.
Keep Up With the Trends with Northern Construction
At Northern Construction, we remain vigilant about industry news to keep up with the latest construction standards and guidelines. We always prioritize safety and have a MOD rating that’s higher than thirty percent of our competitors. Contact us about your project today and see how we can help you build something that’s innovative and sustainable.