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| Michael Bull |
ATLANTA, GA) – As 2013 draws closer on the horizon,
construction and design experts predict next year will see an overall increase
in commercial building activity. However, they also worry that the construction
and architecture industries will have a hard time finding enough experienced
workers to meet the rising demand.
The most recent episode of the “Commercial Real Estate
Show,” hosted by Michael Bull, took an enlightening look at the issues
confronting the construction, development and design sectors. Bull and his
guests discussed a range of topics including in-demand property types,
construction costs, sustainability and tips for successful construction
projects.
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| Bill Bland |
The United States has experienced about a 2 percent increase
in non-residential building activity during the past year and should see a
roughly 6 percent bump in 2013, said Kermit Baker, chief economist for the
American Institute of Architects.
However, while the overall activity number is increasing,
there is a “lot of variation” in how individual sectors are performing, Baker
added. “Some segments are doing pretty well, while others are really still in
recession mode,” he said.
For example, hotel and motel construction has increased 25
percent in the past 12 months, while the building of worship facilities has
dropped 17 percent in the same timeframe, he said. Multifamily and
seniors-housing facilities also are seeing significant building activity,
guests noted.
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| Bill Halter |
Because the construction and architectural sectors have been
so depressed for the last half decade or so, many seasoned workers left the industries
in pursuit of more in-demand careers, leaving those still working in the sectors
with the significant challenge of finding the right people to handle what
should be a rising workload.
“We’re looking for seasoned individuals,” said Bill Bland,
a senior vice president with Choate Construction. “Because so many people left
the industry, trying to locate experienced workers, in particular
pre-construction experts, is difficult.”
Sustainable design and construction is a trend that has
taken a permanent hold, noted Bill Halter, director of corporate design
for the Cooper Carry architectural firm. “Our clients today all want to talk
about sustainability,” he said. “They see the value in it, from a building
operations side.”
“They may not want to do a LEED-certified building,” Halter
added. “They may not want to go to the [U.S. Green Building Council] and go
through [its certification] process, but they do want it to be a
high-performance building.”
The entire episode on construction, development and
architecture is available for download at www.CREshow.com.
For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please
contact:
Stephen Ursery
The Wilbert Group
E-mail: sursery@wnspr.com
Office: (404) 965-5026
Cell: (404) 405-2354
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