We’ll see demand recover after a period of volatility, but it will be localised, and those areas with good transport links, particularly internationally via airports like Gatwick, will see recovery more quickly.
1. Retrofit, refurb and repurpose will outperform new build
As environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets take priority, low embodied carbon is increasingly prioritised in procurement and delivery. It’s unsurprising that the most significant increase in steel use in commercial and industrial buildings this year will be in retrofit and refurbishment. We’ve already seen demand for repurposing existing spaces to update them to meet health & safety regulations, to maximise space, or to suit a different workflow. So too has the desire to build on land adjacent to existing buildings, which often results in awkward spaces that require clever design.
2. Low embodied carbon building materials will take priority.
People often overlook that steel frames have low embodied carbon (the energy consumed during the creation of a product, from raw materials through manufacturing and transport). Compared with other building materials, such as concrete or brickwork, steel frames perform well. This will become more widely understood as ESG mandates play a bigger role in operational planning.
3. Focus on compliance
The much-needed legislation covering the use of fire-resistant materials, including cladding, fire exits, fire doors, and smoke alarms, has become mandatory for all construction projects. This means that steel-frame construction companies, like ours, must hold the most up-to-date certifications, as those commissioning commercial and industrial projects will need to account for them.
4. Speed of Construction
We increasingly expect everything to be immediate, next-day delivery, streaming on demand and countless food delivery companies have created a culture that expects speed of delivery. As businesses adapt to these demands, they need construction work that minimises downtime and productivity disruptions. This is an area where steel frame construction is uniquely placed to deliver.
The use of pre-engineered and prefabricated steel frames, together with careful scheduling that enables parallel workflows, can reduce build times by 20-40%.
5. Performance, safety and durability
Growth will come from warehouse and logistics hubs, data and manufacturing centres. As a result, high load capacity for machinery, racking and infrastructure, along with fire-resilient materials, will be key, making steel an obvious choice.
6. Location, location, location
If new builds are commissioned, the choice of location will be based on land availability, planning constraints, transport links and proximity to existing buildings. We’ve seen a significant increase in construction activity in the Gatwick Diamond, driven by its transport infrastructure. This is likely to continue, but with land at a premium, we’ll see more need for buildings in unused areas of existing estates such as overspill carparks, waste land areas etc. Steel frames can be built on relatively small footprints, as they can withstand multiple elevations.
Overall, the future of steel frame construction is improving steadily, and with new digital tools, AI adoption, and scheduling systems available, these solutions minimise downtime whilst increasing compliance and ESG considerations.
