New Trends in the Construction Industry

As we are over halfway through 2024, let's take a look at some of the emerging key construction industry trends.

Staying on top of the construction industry trends helps keep you from falling behind and enables you to prepare for the future.

Some trends continue year after year and revolutionize the industry, while others fade away as quickly as they came in.

With the continuing growth and evolution of the construction industry, it's essential to stay up to date on the latest trends.

In the article below, we've compiled a list of the top construction trends seen so far in 2024 that are set to be critical advancements in the future of construction moving forward.

Table of Contents

Increased Safety Equipment
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Offsite and Prefabrication Methods
Construction Management Software
Drones
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Increased Safety Equipment

One of the key trends that will continue throughout 2024 is the improving standards and use of better safety equipment products.

Safety trends in construction are utilizing technological advancements that you are experiencing in your personal life, such as fitness trackers and wearable technology.

Now, there are work boots that connect to Wi-Fi to send GPS coordinates to their supervisors, alerting them if construction workers have fallen or are too tired.

This construction technology will take time to be more commonplace, but other advancements like moisture-wicking fabric and cooling vests are readily available to help keep workers safe. The growing focus on safety and protecting workers is a positive trend.

To learn more about the civil construction industry, check out our article, What Is Civil Construction?

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Augmented and Virtual reality is already making a significant impact on many industries worldwide, and the construction industry is no exception.

Buildings keep becoming more complicated, and these new immersive technologies will help construction managers, architects, and construction teams improve on their design process, improve safety, and detect design errors.

Construction professionals like architects and design teams have significantly improved building designs through interactive design and gesture interfacing using these digital technologies.

Expect to see this cutting-edge technology's influence on construction firms expand even further for the rest of 2024.

AR, and VR, are utilized in the construction industry to aid:

3D models of buildings and structures.
3D printed concrete (low cost compared to traditional concrete prices)
Helping improve and innovate BIM visualization.
Virtual models provide a permanent record of the building allows clients to explore designs before construction.
Helping "see-through walls" for maintenance workers and service engineers.
Used for immersive training to give workers a better understanding of potential hazards.

Focus on Sustainability

Energy consumption has always been an issue in the construction industry, and green construction is becoming a new industry standard.

Implementing the use of sustainable materials and sustainable construction practices is a popular choice right now in the construction sector due to increasing environmental consciousness. With new technologies and the introduction of innovative materials sustainability has never been more accessible, and traditional materials are suffering material shortages.

Eco-friendly materials and sustainable practices such as renewable energy systems, green building materials, and energy-efficient designs are becoming increasingly popular because they benefit the environment, the economy, air quality, and quality of life.

Energy-efficiency is becoming a big priority in the construction industry as construction companies work to implement sustainable building practices and achieve sustainability targets. Efficient construction practices are emphasized now more than ever.

Some leading tech companies are investing in projects to build smart, sustainable cities as we move toward a more sustainable future.

Offsite construction and Prefabrication Methods

Prefabrication and modular construction methods are expected to gain popularity as well. The modular construction market continues to grow with each passing year.

With building material prices in flux and the skilled labor shortage persisting, off-site and pre-construction practices make sense for some construction firms.

Offsite and prefabrication can help construction companies look to cut overall construction costs, improve productivity and quality control, and get faster construction times.

The controlled factory environment eliminates a lot of the potential hazards that are common in traditional construction methods.

STEVENS has partnered with Nucor Building Systems because of its production of environmentally friendly, American-made, high-quality steel made from 90% steel recycled materials (and is 100% recyclable).

Construction Management Software

The construction industry has been slow to jump into advanced technologies, but construction management software is here to stay.

Construction project management software is becoming more advanced, and it's easy to integrate on the job site.

Many project management solutions are bundling scheduling, project managers, and timekeeping to serve construction companies better. 3D printing in construction, drones, robotics and automation, and more are on the rise. With this, the demand for labor of technically skilled workers to manage the data is growing as well.

As these project management solutions get more advanced, they will continue to be a rising trend throughout 2024 and beyond.

Artificial Intelligence

With so many advancements in technology happening, Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in the construction industry continues to be one of the fastest growing and biggest trends we've seen, and it plays a pivotal role in creating innovative solutions.

The use of AI in construction has risen exponentially year after year.

The advancing AI software provides actionable, real-time data that can be used for rapid decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence can streamline the entire construction process and cut material costs.

AI can assist human workers in the construction process by way of resource allocation, creating code, accurate measurements, images, videos, text, improving eco-friendly practices and operational efficiency, and more.

Many people have seen the rising concept of a smart city becoming increasingly popular, and AI is only making this more possible. We will be seeing a lot of connected construction sites, smart homes, and intelligent systems in the future, especially with the creation of the smart city.

Also, between $300 million and $1 billion in construction equipment is stolen each year.

AI can be used as an on-site security tool to reduce labor costs, minimize the risk of theft, keep equipment safe, and keep projects on schedule. With the possibility of an economic downturn looming, investing in innovative technology to protect your company is vital.