Despite big changes, windows of opportunity open
As the most memorable-for-all-the-wrong-reasons year came to a close, and many of us are “back in the office” to kick-off 2021, I see more than a few silver linings in the dark clouds to which we’ve endured and adapted to so far.
Specifically, even as commercial business wanes, domestic demand is ramping up. The two sectors have always been kind of anticyclical, with the result that the construction industry as a whole generally has something to look forward to, although some ‘pivoting’ might be necessary to address one or the other.
Residential windows and doors
Probably the most noteworthy trend is this: Who would have thought keeping people home would send them renovating like crazy. That’s helped of course by extraordinarily cheap money sloshing around in the economy. Those of a certain age might remember the heady days of the 1980s when rates in the 20 percentages stalked the market. Thankfully, those days are well behind, and with people accessing cash at lower percentages, the fuel for renovation – and who knows, broader recovery – is right there.
It’s not just renovation in the domestic market, either. While construction starts have indeed dropped through 2020 (while we were all trying to figure out just what exactly was happening), a recent Dodge Report anticipates resurgent demand for new houses in the next year. In all probability, pent up demand could see a real boom making up for lost time. Anyone supplying product can expect accelerated demand – and that can only be a good thing.
That demand isn’t necessarily in the cities, either. Equipped with the tools and technology which make working from home as good as working in the office, more people are opting for out-of-town residences.
Whether building new or renovating, the resulting spaces are being made for working from home. Architecturally designed big doors and windows are in, making the shift to nature a little more complete by integrating inside with outside – barn doors, in particular, are a hot item, along with ‘arts and crafts’ or ‘cottage core’ styles.
With the prices of elaborate and striking doors and windows coming down (and money itself being cheaper than ever), it’s unsurprising that more people are opting for them, along with higher percentages of glazing to building area. And of course, you can expect the focus on environmentally sound designs to continue gathering pace.
Commercial windows and doors
That brings us to the commercial side of the equation. Sure, the trend is towards lower demand for commercial property (some estimates say as much as 60 percent of office space is vacant at peak times!) but with viruses being what they are, structural changes could be necessary.
Think about it: we’ve just ditched the Action Office 2 (yes, that’s the proper name for a cube farm) for open plan, hot desk and collaborative workspaces, spaces where a virus might like to propagate itself.
The result is that opportunity in the commercial space, where starts are uncertain, could be in changing the way existing workspaces are configured. Glass, Perspex and metal partitions – easy to clean, easy to disinfect – could well be in demand. Not only in offices, either, but in hospitals, retail spaces and more.
And the big doors now favored by homeowners are likely to gain popularity in office spaces, too. Those doors are likely to come with intelligent automation, admitting people through touchless technology – again, driving down the factors we know viruses thrive on.
Even in bad news, there is always going to be some good. As we look on to 2021, we can expect a changed market, but one in which opportunity abounds.
