What will 2021 bring for the Construction World? A guide for the Trends to watch out for.

Around the world, the Construction Industry has always been one of the top income-generating industries, countries are not just looking to house an ever-growing population, but they are also looking to compete on a global scale to grow as nations. A few countries are fueled by sheer speed of growth, while others are anchored by a strong economic force. Previously, the United States construction market has been the dominant figure, but with an ever-innovative technology, the China Construction industry has overtaken that of the Americans.

As the industry becomes more competitive and the market shifts, harnessing these construction industry trends will prove worthwhile for any construction company going forward. Here is a list of the construction trends of 2021 to help you can stay in the game and gain an edge in the industry.

1. Improved Innovative Technology

The differentiating factor for builders and developers this year is likely to be technology in construction — especially, the innovations that can enhance efficiency. Despite the construction industry's traditional resistance to technological advancement, some are making significant strides in rounds. Notable examples include, but are not limited to;

• Drones.
• Virtual Reality and Wearables.
• Artificial Intelligence.

Drones

Today’s drones are utilized for rapidly mapping large areas over long distances, producing valuable aerial heat maps and thermal images. The advancing drone software provides real-time, actionable, data that can be used for rapid decision making, streamlining the entire construction process.

Personal safety and equipment loss continues to be the biggest areas of liability in construction. Drones can be increasingly used to reach heights and do jobs in place of human workers to prevent injury.

Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR)

These technologies are already making a gigantic impact on many industries around the world, and the construction industry is not an exception. Buildings are becoming ever more complicated as a result of this, and these technologies are helping architects and construction teams get better designs and detect design errors.

For the builders and developers, AR facilitates the use of wearable technology as well as 360- degree video to enable;

• Helping "see through walls" for maintenance workers and service engineers
• 3D visualization of future projects on their surrounding environment
• Automated measuring of buildings
• Fast and affordable simulation of architectural and structural changes
• Safety training and hazard simulations.

2. Modular and Prefabricated Construction

As the technology supporting off-site constructed modular units grows larger, we expect to see a lot more activity in this sector. Many smaller builders have developed innovative, green building designs with this method, increasing their market visibility and boosting client trust. Modular and prefabricated solutions are not new to the game. For example, the end of the Second World War saw something of a 'Cambrian Explosion' in prefabricated design in war-torn cities across the UK.

While it has fallen out of favor over the last few decades, prefabricated construction have been making something of a comeback in recent years, this was the technology employed by China at the beginning of the year to construct a 1000 Bed hospital in 10days.

The promise of a faster on-site assembly and improved quality are seen by some as the solution to tackle perceived housing crises around the world.

Innovative technology has also enabled these prefab and modular buildings to get taller and taller. An example is the recent opening of the 21-story CitizenM Bowery Hotel in NYC. The 100,000 square foot hotel hosts 300 modular guest rooms, as well as a rooftop bar, lounge, and coworking space. The average modular project square footage has tripled to an average of 200,000 square feet.

3. Green Construction

Green construction has become the expected standard by homebuyers, renters, and commercial tenants. Unfortunately, many sustainable and eco-friendly features remain a luxury, despite their long-term savings. Though this may substantially change over the next few years.

Green construction includes both the technology to lower a building’s carbon footprint and the use of resources and building models to reduce the use of resources. Perhaps an even greater driver of green building is proof of its value for occupants. Research shows that green buildings can have a positive psychological and physiological impact.

There are a number of features which can make a building ‘green’. These include;

• Efficient use of energy, water and other resources
• Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy
• Pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling
• Good indoor environmental air quality
• Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable
• Consideration of the environment in design, construction and operation
• Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction and operation
• A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment.