A Wave of Innovation in Building Products Has Begun

The building design and construction industry is likely experiencing more momentum and pressure for change and innovation now than it ever has before. A wave of innovation has already begun, and will only grow bigger.

Buildings are being pressured to change in multiple ways, driven by multiple market trends. This not only affects architects, designers, engineers, and consultants on the project design team, but also the contractors who will construct the building. These trends create the need for innovation not only in the building’s design and its construction methods, but also in building products and services. But more on that later.

I’ve enjoyed working with a variety of new, innovative building products and technologies that have responded to this wave of change and innovation in buildings, both as a strategic marketer and an architect. My work as a strategic marketer has included innovative products that are in the areas of green, sustainability, and energy efficiency, as well as more traditional building products. This work has spanned from products and technologies used in building envelopes to LED lighting that emulates daylight to HVAC products and smart building controls and many others. If you’re interested in an overview of the innovation and changes happening in building envelopes, check out my blog post “Big Opportunities in High Performance Building Envelopes”.

Market Trends Driving Innovation & Change

As I mentioned, many market trends in the building design and construction industry are creating this wave of innovation and change. Some of these trends have been around for a while, and some are more recent:

• Green and sustainable – The green building movement with a focus on buildings that are healthier for the environment and for people has been growing for many years, while sustainable building is a somewhat newer market trend that is broader in scope. Both of these broad trends include some of the more specific market trends below.
• Energy efficiency – The need to reduce the energy used to heat, cool, and power buildings and homes is already substantial, and continues to grow.
• Healthier buildings – The customer demand for improved indoor air quality, elimination of moisture infiltration into the building, and building materials that are healthier for building occupants and made from natural materials continues to increase.
• Carbon reduction – A more recent and growing trend to reduce carbon in buildings through using less carbon in building construction, in the products used in buildings, and reducing carbon in the environment by using materials that sequester carbon.
• Recyclable materials – Customer interest in the ability to recycle and/or repurpose building materials and products when buildings, or portions of buildings, are at their end of usefulness continues to grow.
• Resiliency – Another more recent and growing trend is for buildings to be more resilient to ongoing weather and climate events, resulting in longer life and safer shelter for people.
• Prefabrication and modular construction – While this trend has occurred more than once in the past, it is growing again, driven by the potential for greener and more sustainable buildings with lower cost, less construction time, and better quality.
• 3D printing – This is a pretty recent area of activity based on advantages in much faster construction timeframes, less waste during construction, and design creativity. Look for it to have more and more impact into the future.
• Cost savings – The desire to lower the costs of a building project has been consistent over time, but it is perhaps increasing due to the additional expectations described above that are being placed on buildings over the last several years and moving forward.
• Building codes – Building codes ensure that buildings meet minimum standards for safety, efficiency and in other areas, and they continue to evolve and are being shaped by the market trends listed above.

What Does This Mean For You?

The market needs buildings to innovate and change to better meet the changing needs of building owners, users and the environment. While change often creates tension and discomfort for many people, it ultimately also creates opportunity.

I’ll suggest that since we are seeing an unprecedented level of momentum and pressure for innovation in buildings, this equates to likely one of the best times in history for building product manufacturers and service providers to develop and launch new products and services. Your customers have a strong need for these new products and services. And guess what? By meeting this customer need you’ll also be growing your sales. What a win-win!

It's also true that while multiple market trends are driving the need for innovation in building products and services, it remains difficult to gain adoption and grow sales. I provide insight into the barriers that exist, and why, in my blog “Barriers to Innovation in Building Products & Services”.

It takes a proven strategic marketing skill set combined with a deep understanding of the building design and construction industry to pull the needed insights from these market trends to both identify new products and services, and to develop the needed business strategy, positioning, messaging, and strategic marketing and sales plans to gain successful market adoption and sales.

If you’d like to chat about this further, please reach out to me by commenting on this article or messaging me via LinkedIn or at shadidmarketing.com. I look forward to our conversation.

You can also learn more about my background, the services I provide, and read more blog posts at shadidmarketing.com.

©Bill Shadid 2021