Architects and designers must create more dynamic structures than ever before. Not only must they be highly functional and provide optimal comfort for occupants, but they must adhere to the highest standards of sustainability and safety. To answer the call, new materials, techniques, and technologies are helping conquer new frontiers in commercial architecture. Keep reading as we explore some of the most trending materials and techniques shaping the industrial construction landscape.
Advanced Prefabrication Methods
Prefabrication offers many advantages in industrial construction. By completing as much of the structure as possible in a controlled factory setting, architects can increase precision and reduce delays. It minimizes construction error and eliminates unexpected weather, vandalism, and other types of impromptu threats that historically impede progress.
Prefabrication is wonderful as a means of construction dust control and reducing construction waste, making the building site cleaner, safer, and more visually appealing for workers and pedestrians alike.
Metal buildings are one of the most trending structural types that rely on prefabrication. They can be cut and drilled in the factory per project requirements. The ready-to-erect metal building kit is then sent to the jobsite. As metal buildings require less elaborate foundations and fewer laborers, a site can go from undeveloped to operational in as little as a few months, allowing businesses to save on labor costs and avoid lengthy construction processes that postpone revenue generation.
Adoption of Smart Features
Modern industrial buildings are leveraging the latest smart features to create the most comfortable, productive, and efficient environments possible. Voice-control systems are helping occupants save time on simple tasks and focus on their core competencies.
AI-powered assistants are helping manage energy consumption within the structure through adaptation to the building’s usage patterns. Automated features can adjust lighting, temperature, and security for unmatched comfort and peace of mind for building occupants at all times.
Passive Construction Focus
With the U.S. government eyeing a net-zero building infrastructure by 2045, modern architects are feeling the squeeze to create the most sustainable, energy-efficient buildings possible. This has led to the widespread adoption of passive construction processes.
Passive construction is all about using the building site to provide as much natural lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation as possible. This reduces reliance on electricity, HVAC, and other energy-consuming methods of achieving comfort and functionality.
Building orientation is one of the most fundamental components of passive design. By strategically situating the structure to receive as much sun as possible, the structure can use natural daylighting to save significantly on electric lighting. At times when solar radiation becomes too intense, decorative screen panels, architectural sunshades, and adjustable awnings can help mitigate the sun’s intensity and limit the need for A/C.
Thermal insulation and industrial louvers are other important components of passive design. Insulation guarantees that interior temperatures remain stable in the face of extreme and/or fluctuating exterior conditions. Louvers allow the passage of fresh air into an industrial building while blocking moisture, debris, and pests. This keeps the building interior fresh and cool, promoting indoor air quality in the process.
Technologically-Advanced Materials
There are countless material technologies that are changing the construction landscape. A few of the most exciting include:
3D printed parts - allows for the creation of the most intricate, specialized building components for precise construction.
Self- healing concrete - small capsules in the concrete rupture when introduced to a traumatic force, releasing an adhesive liquid that repairs cracks without the need for human intervention or structural alteration.
Switchable smart glass - uses a system of micro-LED lights embedded in a film between two tempered glass panes, switching from transparent to opaque as necessary to meet the lighting/shading needs of the building.
Other technologically advanced materials to keep an eye on include bioplastics, cross-laminated timber, and translucent wood.
Next-Level Noise Mitigation
Modern industrial buildings are incredibly dynamic. They must be highly customizable to meet the needs of an ever-evolving business landscape. They may also need to accommodate multiple tenants simultaneously.
Without the proper planning, noise transfer can become a major issue in such environments. This not only inhibits productivity, but can cause noise-related health issues (headache, stress, hearing loss) in building occupants. Some ways modern architects are controlling sound in vibrant industrial environments are through acoustical soundproof panels for building walls, sound attenuators near HVAC and other power-producing apparati, and choosing sound-insulative framing--such as ICF--that helps stifle noise pollution from exterior factors.
Leverage the Most Advanced Materials and Technologies for Next-Generation Industrial Buildings
Modern industrial buildings must be more comprehensive than ever before. From advanced prefabrication techniques to the most cutting-edge soundproofing materials, consider any of the trends listed above to help make your commercial facility thrive. For more on the latest building techniques shaping the commercial construction landscape, explore the resources at IndustryNet for the leading insights in the market.
