The construction industry is constantly evolving because technology changes over time, as do customer demands. Staying on top of emerging trends on construction will help you stay competitive. Here are five of the biggest construction trends for 2019.
Modular Construction
Modular construction is going to be a huge trend this year. The market right now is at $112.4 billion, but it is expected grow to $157 billion by 2023. Not only is spending on modular construction going to go up, construction heights are also going to increase. Modular construction costs less to build, which is why it is so appealing. However, the public doesn’t necessarily find it attractive. You can expect more effort to sway public opinion in favor of modular housing.
Decreases in Labor, Increases in Costs
Right now, there are almost 250,000 construction jobs that need to be filled. This number could rise even higher in the coming months. This creates a big problem. There are tons of construction projects going on right now, and most of them are taking longer than expected to finish because of labor shortages. Meanwhile, materials are becoming increasingly expensive. Iron, lumber, and steel, in particular, have risen in cost. Together, these two factors will make staying competitive a bigger challenge for construction companies.
Drones
The commercial drone market is one of the fastest growing construction-related markets right now. Originally, drones were a cheap alternative to planes for taking aerial photos. Now drones are also used for mapping, thermal imaging, volumetrics analysis, and more. The use of drones will allow construction companies to collect more data, which can be used to improve security and maintain budget and timeline goals.
Technology Integration
The construction industry has avoided technology integration longer than most other industries, but this is going to change. Many emerging technologies are well-suited to construction, such as 3D printing, self-driving vehicles, and building information modeling. More companies will start to embrace these technologies. You can expect technology to supplement human workers, rather than replacing them, as there is already a labor shortage.
Sustainability
Last year, construction companies started to pay more attention to sustainable. In 2019, there will be much more focus on sustainability in construction. Sustainable designs and materials are not only better for the environment, but they appeal to consumers and can even save money. The sustainability movement isn’t going away any time soon.
While the labor shortage and rising cost of materials threatens to slow the growth of the construction market, the outlook still looks positive, overall. Technology integration will help make construction work more efficient and the new focus on sustainability will help motivate customers.
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