A lot has been said on how the sub-prime crisis and the ensuing credit crunch have impacted new construction projects on timelines. That said, building design work has never stopped for a moment, what with architects and building designers working overtime to come up with modern and trendy designs for the latest building projects. The result – You could find a lot of modular building systems and eco building products showing up on the design sheets.
Here, for your information, are top 7 building design trends
Safety and security clearly top the list
If the September 11 attacks brought about a positive enforcement to building structures and their safety, it is in the fact that safety and security took precedence over other parameters in building designs. More stringent codes for building standards ensured that buildings were completed to be proof from wind, earthquake, other natural disasters and man-made catastrophes too.
Priority to accommodate the need for updated information systems
A lot of lessees have been demanding the need of increased bandwidth in their buildings. That’s probably why you would find developers working overtime to look at the wiring and ducting of the building. This may eat up some space, but developers and building designers aren’t willing to compromise on this aspect.
Increased electrical capacity, fiber optics connectivity, and the heating and air conditioning mechanisms are the need of the hour.
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Green buildings designs
More and more designers and developers are working on how buildings could get green. Energy efficiency and cost savings in energy is driving a lot of designers to work on green designs. These buildings provide fresh air, closer connect to nature and a whole host of other benefits. Developers seem to giving a lot of importance to this aspect too.
Light, ventilation, space and other natural elements building design
No tenant today wants to move into a room that is congested. People just don’t want to compromise for space. They force designers and developers to make sure that the rooms are spacious enough and well-ventilated. A lot of buyers are paying attention to the configuration of the rooms. They reject more columns on count of them eating up some space.
Enforcing the brand of the company, key too
The focus on having their office space as a way to reinforce the company’s brand. A lot of buyers to look at buying properties that fulfill these conditions. The subtle message delivered by the brand identity does enough to motivate employees. It also strike a good relationship with clients too.
Collaboration works even in this day of telecommuting
Although telecommuting seems to be more of a trend. With about 40 Million telecommuting from their homes, latest building projects seem to address the face-face interaction aspect. As a result, you would find a lot of building design work revolving around having dens, meeting places in offices.
Creating comfort at workspace
Some years back, offices were more of recreational areas than being strict office spaces, by the traditional stretch of imagination. Agreed that the dot-com bubble bursting has had its own effect on some business owners, but the fact that some recreational space does wonders for employee motivation hasn’t been lost on business owners. As a result, you would find a lot of buyers looking for these facets to be integrated in their office spaces.
Apart from eco building projects and modular systems, you would find that buyers of today are increasingly sensitive to the price they pay. Most importantly though, they also wish to have full value for the price paid.
