Industry Trends – Construction Industry R&D

In the first quarter of 2021, the construction sector showed rapid growth, with the CPA forecasting that output will rise by 12.9% this year. We look at some construction industry R&D trends that will help realise this.

Current Trends

Creating Something New

Experimenting with new materials to create lighter, stronger, more resilient or easier-to-process products.
Actualising architects’ designs with custom-built structures.
Developing bespoke mechanical (e.g. waste shoots) or electrical systems for buildings.
Repairing faulty construction with new remedial solutions.
Establishing environmentally sensitive techniques, processes or structures

Restoring Something Old

Replicating or refurbishing a building’s traditional features.
Safe removal of Asbestos
Developing new scaffolding solutions to support refurbishments.

Improving Processes

Offsite construction – designing, pre-building, and transporting construction elements to sites.
Advancing equipment for the manufacturing or onsite process.
Investing in bespoke technology or software for:
- Manufacturing
- Specialist training
- Customer relationships (CRM software)
- Job management and workflow

Future Trends

Following the Grenfell Tower fire and the Hackitt report the government created a Draft Building Safety Bill last year. The bill is now being brought before parliament and is expected to introduce improved building and fire safety legislation.

Although a positive step, the reform is predicted to require significant investment in innovation by the construction and engineering sectors as they develop new products and processes to meet any new legislations.