ALCOI

The face of the construction industry is rapidly changing, owing to the exponential growth of technology and constantly evolving trends. Parallelly, realising the overall environmental impacts leads us in a greener direction. This can give us a better understanding of future trends in the fenestration industry.

Green building is an avenue of the construction sector that investigates developing efficient solutions for today’s challenges. Evolved fenestration technology has been at the forefront of strategies proposed for addressing the climate issue and creating the ideal built environment. Still, it is crucial first to understand its effects on the environment.

Foreseen micro-trends in the fenestration industry

• Rely on energy analysis as a roadmap to drive fenestration
  Conducting a thorough energy analysis prior to embarking on a new project helps with planning and allocating resources for erecting the building. In addition, this analysis helps understand the building’s post-construction energy consumption and ways to optimise the same. 
  

• Use environment-friendly materials
  One can witness a steady rise in the use of environment-friendly materials across the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry. Manufacturers can support this movement by using biodegradable, recyclable or renewable materials for their products and systems. For example, aluminium and glass, widely used to develop fenestration systems, have excellent recyclable properties.

• The aim for net-zero energy
  Zero energy refers to the nullification of the net energy consumed by a building by offsetting it through in-house energy generation. Green buildings rely on solar roofs, wind turbines, rainwater harvesting systems and high-performance fenestration technologies to support their zero-energy mission.

Taking these trends forward is a shared responsibility of every stakeholder involved with the building industry. Research and innovation have unveiled the potential that these technologies have to offer. But, going ahead and taking the right course of action is crucial.