5 Trends set to grow in the Construction Industry in 2022
Over the course 2020 and 2021 the construction industry, has like every other industry and indeed wider society faced challenges with which it has had to contend, but as we face a new year, we take an optimistic stance and look forward, and in doing so wonder what some of the top trends will be in 2022, here are our thoughts.
5) Digital Twins
With ever greater attention given to the design performance gap in the built environment, expect Digital Twinning to become an increasingly important tool in closing “the gap”. A Digital Twin is a virtual model or replica of assets, processes, systems, and other entities, it can deliver a vast number of data points and using Artificial Intelligence can provide analysis, which in turn is the data used for optimizing the operational performance of buildings, with lessons learned from the digital twin applied to the real application.
4) Increased use of Automation & Robotics
With concerns of aging skilled labour leaving the industry and a lack of new recruits entering the industry combined with a static level of increased productivity, there is a need to find different ways to approach traditional methods of construction, automation and robotics will be one of the most popular trends in 2022. As automation and technology improves it will allow teams to work safer and more productively.
3) Drones
According to recent research, drone use in construction has increased by nearly 240% in the last two years, and when looking at the list of applications it is easy to see why. Drones offer further ways of improving productivity and improving both safety and security, therefore as a result we predict the use of drones in construction will continue to grow during 2022.
Applications for drone
- Building Surveys
- Site Inspections
- Health & Safety
- Maintenance Inspections
- Project Progress Reporting
- Site Logistics
- Thermal Imaging
- Site Security
2) Sustainability
With greater public awareness of sustainability and with the Global construction market accounting for nearly 40% of carbon emissions, there is little wonder that sustainability will feature on a list of construction trends. There will be increasing emphasis on the carbon impact throughout the life cycle of the building including the embedded, operational and end of life carbon, with legislation and government policy already setting that direction of travel, but in 2022 also expect greater public scrutiny and discernment over purchasing decisions from both residentials purchasers through to commercial organisations.
With the reach and immediacy of social media it must be expected that the Built Environment sustainability credentials of individual buildings, construction companies, and commercial organisations could become open targets, if sustainability goals and targets are not being delivered.
- Modular Construction
The productivity level in the construction industry has remained largely unchanged in 50 years, which when combined with other challenges like the skills shortage, the need to improve sustainability in construction, and the annual level of accidents and injuries recorded in the industry, there is a clear and obvious need to “do something different”. Modular Construction gives us the perfect opportunity to address some of the major issues facing the construction industry and deliver high quality, sustainable buildings, quickly and more safely. Currently modular construction accounts for around 10% of the UK construction output, this is forecast to raise to 20% over the next 3 years, making a modular construction a major trend for 2022.
Conclusion
Due to the diverse nature of applications in the construction industry it is clear to see that no one trend will work in isolation of others, and invariably it will be a mix of the trends highlighted that deliver real impact. The next 10 years could deliver the greatest level of change the construction industry may ever see, as a result 2022 presents an opportunity for our industry to reset look forward and embrace the chance to become a forward thinking, productive, sustainable, industry of which we can all be rightly proud.
