Top Trends to Consider In Commercial Construction

commercial construction trends

Keeping on top of the trends in commercial construction may not be as glamorous as trendspotting on the the runways of Paris, but for anyone involved in the running of a construction business, understanding what’s happening in the industry can have a major affect on the bottom line.  In this article we’ll go over some of the major trends in commercial construction today.

Technology

Just as technology has radically altered industries such as photography, cinema and music, the commercial construction business is due for its own technological revolution.  As a matter of fact, this whole article could be based on technological trends, but we’ll just a list a few of them here in point form.

  • Self Driving Vehicles

We’ve already seen grand proclamations regarding self driving transport trucks and personal vehicles, but vehicle manufacturers in the construction industry are already marketing autonomous, semi-autonomous and remote controlled heavy duty machinery.  Watch for more innovation and improvement in this area.

  • Drones

Drones allow an overview of the worksite by taking photos and videos while being much more cost effective than using airplanes or helicopters.  Drones also allow quick and easy monitoring of personnel, equipment and safety procedures while also providing another tool to improve worksite security.

  • RFID Tracking

Although not entirely new, the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags help keep track of tools, supplies and other equipment.  RFIDs provide an efficient method for locating equipment, keeping track of maintenance schedules and maintaining inventory levels.

  • Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is changing the way architects engineers design and plan. VR allows life sized 3D images to be analyzed before anything is actually built.  Changes can be made before errors are physically committed.

Workplace Safety

The construction industry is a perennial, but unfortunate leader in workplace accidents. Obviously  there is still a lot of improvement needed when it comes to safety protocols, training and enforcement.  Safer worksites mean healthier workers, reduced costs and higher productivity.  No one relishes in the fact that the industry is prone to accidents and injuries, so the trend of investment in safety training appears to be ongoing.

Labour Shortages

Labour shortages might not be a new trend, but it seems to be one that continues year after year.  There still an existing lag between the type of skilled labourers needed and the educational programs that produce them.  Unfortunately it appears this trend is going to continue and drive up labour costs along with it.