Top A/E Firm Forecasts Material Health, Resilience As Top Trends for Coming Year

Architectural giant Perkins+Will recently surveyed its staff of 1,500 design professionals to forecast hot trends in the AEC (Architecture Engineering and Construction) field for 2014. The resulting Design + Insights Survey reflects a global perspective, influenced by the firm's active international projects. According to Building Design, Perkins + Will ranks as the 6th largest architecture firm in the world with 24 locations worldwide. The report characterizes material health as "the number one concern for 2014" among all sustainability issues. Perkins + Will happens to be the developer of the Precautionary List - an online database that highlights healthy alternatives to materials that may be harmful for humans and the environment. Its designers also predict that there will be a growing demand for resilient design given the accelerating rate of natural disasters, including earthquakes, tornados, flooding, and drought.

NRMCA has taken the lead in both concerns cited in the Design + Insights Survey. The RMC Research & Education Foundation recently approved a proposal to develop a guide that will help address the new Material Ingredients Requirement in the LEEDv4 rating system. The guide will address various material reporting protocols to help members when working on green building projects. In addition, NRMCA has been promoting resiliency planning that integrates disaster preparedness into communities as an important issue for the future design and our industry.