Commercial Construction Trends in 2017

The wave of technology has instilled a new transformation in almost all the businesses today. The imprint of on-going transformation and its implications even reflects on the robust construction industry. The commercial construction companies in India have also witnessed the gradual shift with preference on adopting new technologies to build green and self-sustained cities.

Here are some of the top trends to watch out for in 2017 –

1. Smart buildings –Leveraging information technology to create a smart building is an overall theme. The entire ‘Smart City’ program was also envisioned keeping in mind the need to create these futuristic cities with next-generation infrastructure to be digitally connected. Use of technology is more prevalent in the commercial building construction even in India. From regular automated processes to using high-tech sensors and gadgets to controlusual building operations like air-conditioning, ventilation, lighting or even security, the technology allows space optimisation, reduce energy requirements thereby minimising the environmental impact.
2. Pre fabrication –Time is a crucial factor in infrastructure projects involving enormous costs. Prefabrication is been used in the commercial construction industry in India for years now to effectively manage on-time delivery of projects. Prefabricated parts like stairs, bridge or even entire homes are constructed off-site in standard plug-in puzzle pieces. The new and emerging trends in information modeling will further enable better collaboration on projects as well as applying prefabrication techniques on complex projects for even faster delivery.
3. Construction robots –Skilled labour shortage is quite often a sore issue for the commercial construction industry and can be hugely detrimental with mounting costs arising out of overdue projects. Today, we already have assisted-machines to handle massive projects and demolition robots to help bring down huge construction sites. With advancing technology and robotics, we can soon have robots performing masonry construction with precision. A mobile fabrication unit proficient in performing construction tasks has already been developed by R-O-B Technologies with the help of Gramazio and Kohler and should be on a definite watch-list.
4. Energy modeling –Commercial buildings consume massive amounts of energy. The energy modeling is crucial to create self-sustained and financially viable constructions. Innovative designs which integrate recycled energy, leverage natural energy resources to power buildings or even uses energy efficient materials to reduce consumption can result in 70 percent more energy efficient buildings than other average commercial ones. Many software tools like Sefaira and Autodesk FormIt now easily allow performing complex energy analysis during the conceptual design stage itself.
5. Building Information Modeling (BIM) –While it has been in trend for years, its growing necessity will now have a considerable impact on commercial construction in India. BIM aids in building virtual models for better analysis. BIM supports creating more versions of virtual models through the design phase for comparative design and efficiency analysis. It can be easily extended to virtual reality for a better sense of scale and space.

The technology is set to be a major game-changer in the commercial construction business in coming years. Staying up-to-date with the latest in construction technology can help in making informed decisionsto increase productivity as well as control costs for delivering new-age construction projects.

5 Top Energy-Efficient Green Building Materials to Contemplate in Commercial Building Construction

Well, concrete is one building material that pretty much shapes the skyline of the cities today! Whether it is an apartment building or home, viaduct or bridge – the importance of this omnipresent material in today’s modern and civilized life is unquestionable. In the case of the industrial and commercial building construction, no other material is considered to be a peer to this ubiquitous material till date. However, this huge demand of concrete does not change the crummy secret about it! During the process of concrete material production, a colossal amount of CO2(carbon dioxide) is emitted which is extremely abominable for the environment. So, as an alternative here is a list of 5 top energy-efficient green building materials that you can contemplate to use in any commercial construction site.

• Sustainable Concrete – Nowadays, most of the infrastructure companies are paying more attention to use the sustainable concrete that is both energy-efficient and a deserving alternative to the traditional concrete. This product can diminish the amount of carbon dioxide emission in a remarkable manner. Recycled materials like crushed glass, slag or wood chips are used to make this type of sustainable concrete.
• Solar Tiles – Usually, tiles are used to protect a construction from the toxic elements absorbed from the sun. The traditional roofing tiles are formed in energy exhaustive methods. Hence, nowadays, many organizations are paying more attention to develop solar tiles. These solar tiles are entirely integrated within the building that helps to generate power for the dwellers and to protect the building from any kind of weather.
• Wool Bricks – The invention of wool bricks has brought a remarkable and revolutionary change in the field of commercial or industrial construction. These non-toxic, sustainable bricks are made of using ample amount of local materials like wool, natural polymer that mechanically enhances the strength of the bricks. Some of the alluring features of such bricks are as follows.
  1. It is resistant to wet and cold weather
  2. 37% firmer and stronger that other bricks
  3. It diminishes embodied energy
• Paper Insulation – This product can be considered as a good alternative to the chemical foams. It is made of recycled cardboard and newspapers. Paper insulation can be used for filling any crack, buffeting into the cavity walls. Using this, you can create a draft-free space. Some of the useful features of paper insulation is:
  1. Fire retardant
  2. Insect resistant
  To make this product like this, natural materials like calcium carbonate, borax and boric acid are used.
• Triple-Glazed Windows – This highly efficient triple-glazed window is the perfect alternative to the double-glazed window that uses argon gas between two distinct glass layers to support insulation. On the contrary, in the case of the triple-glazed window, a better insulator krypton is used. Moreover, coatings having low-emissivity are used on the glass for maintaining the temperature in the room.

In recent times, to maintain the balance of the environment, all these above-mentioned energy-efficient green materials are being used by most of the construction companies. These are becoming a good alternative to the traditional materials as these can maintain the carbon emission in nature.

Top 9 traits of a trustworthy commercial construction company

Undertaking commercial construction projects is a herculean task. And it goes without saying that you need a trustworthy construction partner to successfully plan and execute these projects. With so many commercial construction companies in the market, it can be daunting to choose the right partner. So let’s take a look at the top 10 traits that can help you easily shortlist and find the best commercial construction services firm.

1.    Experience – Go through the past projects and clients of the commercial construction company. The quality and timelines of their past projects will help you find the way their team works as a whole.

2.    Expertise – Try to understand the expertise of the company by looking at the kind of projects they have delivered. Has this company completed a project similar to what you are looking for? If not, have they or their team delivered projects of that scale.

3.    Project Management – Commercial Construction companies should be good at project management. After all, you need the cost-effective project plans with deadlines to ensure the project gets completed on time. In commercial construction projects such as a multi-speciality hospital or a high-end shopping mall, unforeseen delays can occur. Your construction partner should have a good network of project planners, labours, vendors and other important contacts to ensure timely resolution of delays in projects.

4.    Customization – A good commercial construction company will have the right resources and expertise to support all the customization needs as per your vision for the project.

5.    Transparency – A construction partner should be clear and transparent in communication. Million dollar projects see the light of the day with the help of clear communication.

6.    Code of conduct – Find out whether the company works in accordance with the prescribed industry standards in terms of safety, quality and integrity. How serious are they about following the legal formalities and maintaining the necessary documentation to build and maintain the commercial construction space.

7.    Ethics – There is enough opportunity for resorting to unethical ways in a commercial construction project. Among your shortlisted companies,check which ones are strict about ethics.

8.    Technology and Innovation – Research about whether the company uses the latest techniques, tools and methodologies. This will tell you whether they areinnovative in their approach.

9.    Sustainability – Every forward-thinking stakeholder in the construction industry needs to understand the importance of sustainable use of resources. Check out the views of your construction partner on sustainability in projects to understand them better.

Differences Between Commercial and Industrial Construction

As per the Oxford dictionaries, the meaning of industrial is given as ‘designed or suitable for use in industry’. The term ‘commercial’ means ‘concerned with or engaged in commerce’. In the construction industry, we come across commercial construction companies as well as industrial construction companies. To gain a deeper understanding, let’s unlock the major differences between commercial and industrial construction.

1. Purpose of the project – The design and development of restaurants, retail chains, offices, shopping centres, entertainment hubs and more that deal with commerce come under commercial projects. Industrial projects may or may not be a part of commercial projects. Industrial construction mainly deal with planning and undertaking electrical, civil and/or mechanical construction works for of small, medium or large scale manufacturing units or industrial zones. An industrial project also includes construction of mega factories.
2. What matters? – For commercial construction companies, the design and aesthetic appeal of the construction plays an important role. Commercial spaces are generally used by end customers, so even the most basic facilities should strike a chord with the users. Commercial construction is basically setting up spaces where the goods manufactured in industrial buildings can be sold. Creating innovative design plans for commercial construction helps in increased earnings for property owners as prime commercial properties carry higher value compared to industrial spaces.
3. Choosing the construction site – For industrial construction, site with suitable connectivity by land, air or sea is important. For commercial construction, easy access for customers, parking space and other consumer-friendly facilities are needed. Experienced construction companies are adept at finding the ideal construction sites.
4. Infrastructure support – The electricity, drainage and other infrastructure support is another differentiator for construction projects. Industrial construction might need heavy loads of electricity to operate huge machinery while commercial construction may need a well-planned centralized air conditioning system.
5. Project challenges – Industrial construction companies hire specialized contractors. They produce customized parts, assembly lines and more based on the needs of the project. The commercial construction companies recruit modern design experts who may have to work with traditional contractors. The number of challenges faced during project management stages can be tackled only by expert project planners of the reputed construction companies.
6. Finalizing the project – Commercial construction sites require a different set of permits compared to industrial sites. Based on the type of business that will be run in the constructed space, the construction company applies for the relevant local, national and global permissions/licenses/certifications in order to close the project.

Beginning construction of any structure be it commercial or industrial requires a foresight of possible hurdles and their solutions. Construction companies with rich industry experience are aware of these crucial areas along with the procedures to acquire all the necessary certifications.

Are you looking for a commercial or industrial construction expert to successfully execute projects? We are a reputed and highly experienced construction company with a team of expert engineers to design and construct small, medium and large scale projects. Partner with us to execute cost-effective construction projects.

4 Things to Consider When Redesigning Your Office Space

Your office is your best asset, your pride, dream and aspirations all revolve around it. But do you know along with spending a lot of time in building your business, you also need to give attention to the design and interiors of your office. Why? This is because a well designed office space has a positive effect on your productivity as well as of your employees as it incorporates a lot of positive energy in the work environment. So, now if you have set you mind to redesign your office, here a few things that you need to consider. Have a look on these and get inspired:

• Hiring professionals to do the job: Redesigning an office space can be a challenge but if you hire professionals from commercial construction companies you will be able to see better results. Since professionals are accustomed to take up various projects they know what to do simply by hearing the requirements of their clients. Also reliable professionals will always furnish a quotation free of cost keeping in mind our budget and convenience.
• Deciding on closed offices or open plans: Whenever it comes to commercial construction designing, two types of traditional designs are considered, the open office plan and the closed office plan. You have to undertake this very carefully after considering the available space in your office. These days a number of offices are incorporating open space plans as it helps to save a good amount of space. But the designing should be done in such a way where there is enough flexibility for future expansion.
• Study the uniqueness of an employee: You must consider that employees are not same; each worker has his/her way of working. So, you must keep individual employee requirements under consideration while redesigning your office. You have to order different types of furniture for the tall and short employees. Also you might have to order strong table lamps for certain employees who may not find the existing lighting condition sufficient enough.
• Analyze the culture prevailing in the office: The design of your office reflects the work culture. The set up of your office will convey the values that your company has in terms of work ethics. So, you must make sure that the design of your office space matches the culture of your office. There is no harm in following a minimalist approach in the commercial construction designs; in fact this is a trend that most offices are following these days.

Redesigning your office space is like solving a puzzle where all the right things have to be put in order. So, before you hire the best commercial construction company you should understand that every office is unique so do not copy designs from catalogs, instead figure out what will work the best for your office space. Also, don’t forget to work out a budget before you proceed, in fact when you hire professionals mention your budget clearly so that they can act accordingly.

Benefits of Commercial Design Build Construction

When it comes to expanding their commercial space, businesses need to hire an accomplished designer as well as a professional contractor to transform their plans into reality. Additionally, you may need to focus a lot on research and negotiation and further collaborate with parties to ensure that everything falls in place. This entire process can be extremely time-consuming and therefore it is best that you hire a commercial construction company that offers design build method of construction i.e. a company designs as well as builds the projects exactly as per your requirements. Here, find some of the benefits of hiring commercial design build construction companies.

1. Accountability Factor: Every commercial construction project witnesses one or more problems. However, if you have too many parties involved in your construction project, holding any one of them accountable gets very difficult. On the other hand, when you appoint a commercial design build construction company then such problems are easily taken care of by the company itself. Thus, instead of spending your time in resolving issues and disputes, you can spend more time in completing your project on time.

2. Direct Communication: Commercial construction companies that offer design build services hire the best designers, contractors and other construction experts for completing projects on time. As a result, you don’t have to communicate with or manage multiple designers and contractors. Remember, a lot of projects get delayed due to miscommunication and disagreements when you hire too many construction companies for your project.

3. Efficient Consultancy: Yet another advantage of hiring a design build commercial company is that you can connect and consult with the contractor as well as architect simultaneously. Thus, your concerns, ideas, updates and questions are handled instantly. Besides, you are not required to hold any separate conversations and agreements for the completion of your project.

4. Efficient Project Discussion: In order to design and build a commercial space or project, the architects, project managers as well as contractors must collaborate with each other. Thus, if you hire independent contractors, project managers and architects, then you’ll have to spend time with each one of them separately. However, when you depend on a design and build company, you can discuss your project requires efficiently and without wasting a great deal of your time. Their team of contractors, project managers and architects are well-coordinated and take your specific needs, budget, plan and recommendations into consideration for completing your project as desired.

5. Cost Efficiency: When you seek the expert guidance and services of a design build company you are able to save a great deal of your time as well as money. Instead of paying money to different teams and individuals, you need to pay to just one particular company, which automatically brings the down your overall cost and expenditure.

In a nutshell, design build construction companies are an excellent option for commercial space owners who are searching for high quality projects and hassle-free construction services. Design build construction companies can help businesses in saving their time and money and can also be held accountable in case anything goes wrong with the project.