Trend Tracker -- Only Online USGlass

Only Online - USGlass January 2007

Trend Tracker

Learn the Latest Trends in the Building Industry and How to Stay Ahead
by Tara Taffera

With new materials on the rise, automation playing a greater role, and competition from China heating up, those in the building industry need to stay on top of the latest trends in order to survive. Such was the message of Richard Voreis of the Consulting Collaborative, who spoke aqbout building construction trends at a recent industry event.
Voreis said that while no single, architectural style dominates the look of commercial buildings, the glass box is outdated. And while aluminum dominates in the commercial market, new materials, such as cellular PVC, fiberglass, composites and others continue arriving on the scene.

"Fiberglass will gain significantly in popularity," said Voreis, "and may be able to capture some market from aluminum."

Trend Toward Being Green and Energy Conscious
He also talked about the trend toward "green" architecture. Manufacturers must be mindful of environmental protection concerns, energy conservation and use of recyclable/environmentally-friendly materials when designing products and projects.

Voreis noted the desire for increased energy efficiency has hurt one material in particular, at least in the residential market.

"The ENERGY STAR® program almost put aluminum out of business," he said.

He also noted some of the priorities of the Department of Energy (DOE) as it relates to the building industry. These include:

Glazing systems with dynamic solar control;
Advanced smart façade systems;
Durability and life cycle assessment with environmental impact;
Net-zero energy buildings: 2020, residential; 2025, non-residential.

Voreis predicted that companies will introduce more "smart" technologies in the not too distant future, reminding attendees of the DOE's goal of net-zero energy buildings, he adds.

Trends in New Construction and Remodeling
When it comes to trends in new construction, there is some good news and bad news. The fact that the construction schedule continues to be compressed makes it difficult for all involved. Voreis said this trend will continue as "fast-track construction will be the norm in the future."

Voreis predicted that re-glazing will increase in popularity, as will the use of modular and/or unitized products and that technology has more of an impact on the building process (more on that later).

In discussing remodeling, Voreis said that of the five million buildings in the United States, 80 percent are 15-years old, while 55 percent are more than 30-years old.

"These buildings need to be updated both in terms of aesthetics and functionality," he said.

He added that 510,000 buildings undergo exterior renovation each year (windows, doors, curtainwall, etc).
When he asked attendees to guess the biggest remodeling category, out of the following five groups: retail, education, office, hotel and healthcare, all groups were cited except the number one category-retail.

"No one ever guesses retail," he said.

Trends in Automation
"The building industry has lagged behind in embracing technology but I predict that will change," he said, and members of the industry will have no choice but to embrace it.

Product selection, budget, drawings, spec will all be transmitted via the Internet, he added. "The leading manufacturers will assist customers in this area."

"It can take four minutes to generate a half million dollar bid via the computer using smart 3-D virtual models," said Voreis. "This will reduce errors, control costs and save time."

"You absolutely, positively must embrace technology. It's going to come quickly and you must be ahead of the game."

Attracting Employees
What Voreis cites as "the major industry problem" won't be a surprise to those involved in the glass industry.

"The lack of skilled and trained employees [are due to a] decline in trade unions and appropriate training, a decline in craftsmanship and qualified salespeople and a lack of skilled and trained candidates.

"We're not attracting young people to the industry," he said.

The Big Trend - Competition from China
Voreis said "it will be a few years until we have to worry about a downtrend in the non-residential market."

The construction economy is not a problem. He said the real problem is increased domestic and global competition. And when it comes to global competition, the biggest threat is China.

"Your organization has to be as efficient as it can possibly be," said Voreis. "They [Chinese companies] have 50-60 extrusion facilities in the same building. There is no one working. It is all automated."

He added, "The Chinese don't understand this market-testing, etc. But that's today. They're going to learn it … Communicating … is tough but that is going to change also."

And those who think that it is difficult for Chinese companies to get products to the United States efficiently, Voreis gave an example of a Las Vegas hotel "The curtainwall was glazed there, assembled there [in China] and shipped here," he warns.

Although, there will be challenges, companies can respond to these challenges, and excel, but companies must prepare now for the future.

Material Use in the Residential Market
	1980	2005
Aluminum	62	11
Vinyl	1	51
Wood	37	38
Material Use in the Commercial Market
	1980	2005
Aluminum	85	85
Vinyl wood, steel and Fiberglass combined	-	15

Source: The Consulting Collaborative

Tara Taffera is a contributing editor for USGlass magazine.