Ensuring your business is doing everything in its power to stay ahead of the latest industry trends has always been essential to success, and with the challenges faced by the industry throughout 2022 – including the cost-of-living crisis, extravagant energy costs and material shortages – this has never proved truer.
Despite this, however, construction does look likely to recover, with the sector forecast to grow to a value of $10.5trn (£8.5trn) come the end of 2023 at a rate of 4.2% – with sustainable construction being one of the key drivers of this growth.
In line with the UK government’s 2050 net zero commitments, the construction sector has placed sustainability at the heart of its operations, leaving businesses that fail to sufficiently invest at a severe disadvantage.
But with an almost endless number of possibilities for incorporating sustainability within your brand, where do you begin? Some of the most popular ‘green’ trends to look out for this year include net zero design, ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) and modular building.
With an estimated £90bn expected to be publicly invested across the green building sector come 2030, construction firms now have the reassurance needed to support the UK’s transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Since the introduction of the government’s net zero scheme in October 2021, £26bn has already been invested, creating 56,000 jobs across the industry, with this figure expected to reach 440,000 by 2030.
“The construction sector has placed sustainability at the heart of its operations, leaving businesses that fail to sufficiently invest at a severe disadvantage.”
With environmental consciousness becoming an increasingly common trait among existing and prospective customers, greater pressure is being placed upon developers to factor sustainability into all aspects of their projects. As such, ensuring your business is already well accustomed to working with eco-friendly materials, sourcing renewable energy and minimising carbon emissions will help make this transition far easier.
GSHPs operate as renewable heating systems, tapping into subterranean geothermal reservoirs to extract heat energy for use domestically or store it for the production of electricity. With the government’s ban on gas boiler installations becoming active in 2025, and an estimated 19 million geothermally powered boilers expected to be installed across the UK by 2050, development companies will need to ensure they are well versed in their installation.
Advancements in modular design have enabled the construction sector to shift a number of crucial aspects of the building process off site – something that proved essential in maintaining efficiency throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, while simultaneously reducing waste and carbon emissions that would otherwise be generated on site. Despite not being a brand-new trend, the global market of modular building is expected to increase in value to £157bn by the end of the year, propelling it on its way to becoming one of the more popular approaches to the build industry.
Sarah Kauter is managing director of Construction PR
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