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Whether it's finding new ways to ensure your construction project is green-friendly, reinforce your building's structure or simply save costs, it's wise to stay up to date on new innovations in the field of construction. After all, you want to benefit from the latest technology and creative thinking in the industry.
A good start is to check with your architect, engineer or general contractor to see if there are any new methods or materials available that could improve your finished product. Some of the key areas that you could consider are: sustainable construction practices, insulation, roofing, innovative use of new materials and prefabricated construction.
At the same time, it's important to be cautious when assessing the viability of these practices. After all, they also have to conform with established standards and codes. You should rely on your building team to be sure that you're meeting legal specifications, for example, with wiring, plumbing and insulation.
 The construction industry is conservative and you should bear in mind that there are certain advantages to using traditional methods, such as relying on tried-and-tested solutions. It may be easier to convince your client to use more commonly used methods that meet official standards. As well, contractors and workers will be more at ease when they are on familiar territory; they often shy away from using innovative techniques because proven techniques involve less risk of legal action.
What's out there now
Although there's a little more risk involved in using construction practices that are not necessarily tried-and-true, they may also pay off. You could reduce costs, design a more user-friendly building or make your own contribution to protecting the environment. These innovations evolve quickly with time but here are some of the most common trends:
Sustainable construction practices
Particularly important are practices that reflect today's environmental standards. It's essential that you design your building with these practices in mind right from the beginning. For example, you might consider improving ventilation in your building to benefit from energy savings. Natural ventilation can be achieved in this way. Essentially, your intake devices are designed to face prevailing winds and your exhaust devices face downwind. Heat from the building rises through the chimneys and outside, while the prevailing winds force air into the intake devices. This cooler air naturally sinks into the building and is circulated.
Sustainable design principles such as adding daylight to your building can also save you costs. The use of more windows and skylights creates solar power. Some buildings even feature light shelves, which allow for greater infiltration of sunlight.
Insulation
One of the most common construction trends is related to improving insulation and subsequent long-term cost savings that can reduces gas emissions into the atmosphere. Be sure you ask the advice of a specialist on these new techniques. Currently, in Canada, there are new bio-insulations which replace standard fiberglass types. It's important to determine if these methods will work for your specific project.
Roofing technology
The average useful life of a commercial roof is about 14 years and can be an expensive venture. More sophisticated re-roofing, maintenance and repair techniques are much more cost-effective than installing new roofs. Ask your contractor what would work best for your construction project.
Innovative use of materials
Basic materials such as concrete have become increasingly more versatile and can be adapted for your specific needs:
- Mixed with additives such as coloring agents and sealants to provide special physical properties. For instance, contractors use concrete that contains additional mineral materials such as fly ash, silica fume and slag; this strengthens the concrete and saves costs
- Simulate more expensive surfaces such as marble, granite, stone or brick
- Precasting concrete panels which are stockpiled and then used to accelerate building construction also known as tilt-up concrete construction
- If you are building in the winter use a concrete mixture that does not require heated enclosures.
As well, recycled materials can be used in flooring and building accessories to save costs.
You could also choose to expose building structures such as plumbing and piping, which make them easier to replace or repair.
Prefabricated construction
This consists of putting together a building from components (framework, posts, walls, etc.) mass-produced in a plant. Once ordered, all the components are delivered to the site. With prefabricated construction, the manufacturer can produce the components, most often steel, under optimal conditions; the resulting structure has the advantage of being light, strong and versatile.
As well, this concept allows for greater latitude in terms of building dimensions. The structure is designed from the outset to easily incorporate doors and windows. This means that the building can be readily expanded, as it is easy to add new structural elements to those already in place.
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