5 Trends Shaping the Building Industry in 2023

It's a new year and the construction industry is rising to the challenge of meeting higher consumer expectations with a shrinking workforce and increased costs.

We predict utilizing technology and focusing on eco-conscious design will reign supreme in 2023.

Here are our top 5 predictions for the year.

1. GREEN BUILDING

Building operations and construction create nearly 40 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. With increasing awareness of the severity of climate change's impact on the environment, people's health, safety, and assets, corporate investors, building owners, homeowners and renters alike are showing a growing demand for greener, healthier, sustainable real estate.

Year over year, green buildings are consistently delivering higher returns on investment compared their non-green counterparts.

Green building certifications demonstrate a building’s green attributes. We believe there will be an increased demand for the following certificates in 2023:

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEM)
• ENERGY STAR for buildings

2. MODULAR DESIGN

As we predicted for 2022, the modular design and prefabricated materials market is continuing to grow in 2023 and beyond. Industry experts forecast the market to?balloon in value to $120 billion by 2027 . General contractors and owners are leaning towards prefabricated methods of design because it provides flexibility in the structure.

Unlike traditional materials and building sites where waste goes directly to a landfill, prefabricated materials are recyclable. Demountable partitions allow offices to enhance daylight and insulation for improved energy efficiencies, while reducing the volatile organic compounds (VOC) and air quality concerns associated with traditional drywall and finishing.

3. BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that seeks to connect building occupants closely with nature. It mimics outdoor environments’ shapes, textures and colors to make occupants feel more in tune with nature. This style continues to gain more relevancy with designers and architects incorporating it into the places we live and work.

Green infrastructure has the potential to attenuate CO2 emissions, increase the biodiversity of plants and wildlife, help regulate the temperature of buildings, all while enhancing the occupant's experience in the space.?

4. DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

The most popular tech utilized by the industry today,?Building Information Modeling ?(BIM) enables project teams to optimize design. Using BIM, project members can create virtual building models and perform virtual walk throughs to pinpoint issues before contractors even break ground.

As a whole, this design technology offers a more safe, efficient, and accurate approach to the design process, so we expect to see more project teams leveraging it this year and in the future.

5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Another form of technology we expect to see on?the rise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) . The construction industry has much to benefit from AI to improve profitability, performance, and project safety.

One of the six subsets of AI, Machine Learning, can make predictions on the best layout and recommend cuts to unnecessary material.?Another subset, like Optimization could provide enhanced work schedules, cut materials costs, and/or improve energy efficiencies.

With AI technology becoming more accessible and project teams seeing the benefits, we expect it to be leveraged more this year.

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Above Green offers full-service support to help project teams achieve high performance sustainable buildings across the U.S. and Canada.

Since 2007, we've partnered with architects, developers, contractors, and end-users to reduce the building industry's environmental footprint.

Follow our page for more industry perspectives and resources to build your knowledge on sustainable design and architecture.