From Guest Blogger Lana Hawkins: Five Green Building Trend Predictions for 2018

With every year that passes, we are trying to make this planet greener and greener and thus save all the resources that we’re left with. Technology is changing at a very fast pace and with it architectural and building processes. According to The World Green Building Council, the global green building is expected to double in 2018, and even more in the years to come. This will first happen in countries that have the green market policy quite developed, with firms from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Saudi Arabia being the first ones to announce and certify their buildings green. But what are the green building trend predictions we will start seeing in 2018, and what does that mean?

Self-sustaining buildings

One of the biggest trends is the building of self-sustaining buildings, also known as zero net buildings. Their main aim is to produce all the energy that they will consume. But how is this possible? Even they are connected to the grid, these types of buildings have the possibility of creating their own energy through renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaic panels. Even though they have been a thing for a couple of years now, the following years will see the emergence of positive net buildings, that is buildings that produce more energy that they will consume. On yet another plus side, the cost of such building is starting to decrease.

Using sustainable materials

Since the markets continue to grow rapidly, the construction process will completely shift to the use of sustainable building materials that are mostly made from renewable resources. Their production needs to be done to meet the green standards, which means using recycled and salvaged content and the processing of waste. Since concrete and steel are two of the most used building materials, the green process of building will have something in store for them, as well, such as reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses during their production.

Prefabrication process

The prefabrication process is slowly yet steadily gaining traction across the globe. The process of producing materials with the least waste as possible while cutting down the time for setting up, eliminating toxic substances yet still managing to maintain the quality of the material is definitely a good way to go. That is why many companies started to turn to more flexible components, such as using high-quality steel frame options. Since this process is considered to be one of the most sustainable, and it is, at the same time, very cost-efficient, one can confidently say that it’s a definite win-win scenario.

Healthy buildings

Another great trend that we will see in 2018 is definitely healthy buildings. Created in order to benefit both the environment and the occupants, they will provide an increased amount of daylight and improved air quality. By eliminating the harmful substances from various elements in the process of building, such as carpeting, furniture and paint, and most importantly by eliminating the volatile organic compounds (also known as VOCs), healthy buildings will take over the globe in the years to come.

Modular construction

Since we live in a world where the need to have something done as soon as possible is of the utmost importance, and at the same time pay special attention to the costs of building, we should keep our eyes open to construction techniques that will pay off. One such is the modular construction technique, which means faster completion times, cleaner materials, improved efficiency and better quality control. As Phil Slingerland, a COO of Warrior Group, a firm specializing in modular construction, says, “These are custom-designed commercial buildings modular construction does not change the design or the structural system. The only difference is the method of construction.”

To sum up, 2018 will definitely go green on the whole construction and building process, which is a definite success for humanity. It is our job to keep our planet safe and green for as long as we can and leave something for the next generations.