2017 Construction Industry Trends

2016 has been a challenging year for many builder and 2015 looks like it will be with mixed expectations and situations happening around the industry another year. The technology seems to be capturing all of our attentions and it seems like the main trend for the 2017. Here I have summarized what could be the most important trends for the 2017 construction shoctrete industry.
2017 Construction Industry Trends
Technology will continue to dominate in the industry and many online collaboration tools will be revealed.
BIM will increase its presence in commercial buildings and other industries other than the healthcare.
Paperless jobsite as cloud software will increase their usage on site.
Tablets everywhere. It is a must that your field personnel carry one of this technology gadgets and use them in conjunction with SaaS and other software.
Increase development on restaurants as ground up, not only renovations.
Shopping centers will work on improve the cleanliness and signage inside retail centers, providing customers with more brighter spaces.
Online job searching tools will continue to dominate across the market. Now more in-person interviews as technology and communication devices will facilitate remote interviews.
Over 40% of new construction starts will be related to green or sustainable projects.
Google glass to be used on site as a way to visualize digital images over real ones.
Labor shortage problems will persists and will become even worse than what it is right now. Plenty of unskilled labors will need to be hire in order to minimize project delays.
Increase presence of virtual training to non-skilled labors.
Material costs will keep surging presenting additional challenges to have projects completed under budget.
Designs will encompass less space but added functionality.
Insulation will represent a major item during remodeling as property owners are looking into options to reduce energy consumption.
Modular construction will expand into the healthcare and large commercial buildings.
Metal designs will make their comeback as more and more buildings will be incorporating it into their structures and facades.
CFL light bulbs use less energy than many other types, which makes them a smart option for an energy-efficient home.
Energy retrofits will be highly on-demand. Efficient and properly sized heating and cooling systems, such as a heat pump, using less energy will be required my many property owners.
The housing industry will see smaller houses but incorporating more sustainable measures
Living rooms will no longer be part of the house spaces, instead that space will be merged with other areas.
The “Great Room” is the likeliest room to be included in the average new home
New developments in low-e windows and engineered wood products will become the big trend among sustainable products.
A double sink, recessed lighting, and table space for eating are very likely in kitchens.
Buildings will be pre-wired to accommodate all technology features.
Maintenance free buildings will have a big push during late 2016. Self-cleaning windows, maintenance-free sidings and other products offering little to no maintenance will become the norm.