The future of construction trends: is ‘built to last’ a thing of the past?

Forever home. Built to last. Buy it for life. We love the idea of longevity (or even permanence) in our big purchases, but as living and construction standards change, the lifespan of new buildings are becoming shorter than in any other previous era.

While Victorian era housing was built to last as long as possible (long outliving the original owners), modern homes generally have a lifespan of around 60 years. Since so much has changed by way of building standards, living standards and climate in the last few decades, it’s safe to say that the value of modern homes is being challenged against the ever-changing environmental and social climate.

As experts in the field, we’re thinking ahead of what the future of modern building might look like and how we’ll adapt.

Building up to ever-changing regulation

Modern buildings are much more energy efficient thanks to new tech and stricter efficiency standards. But those standards are evolving rapidly, and what was cutting-edge tech one year may be outdated the next.

Take heating and cooling for example. The required U-value of the building envelope, including external walls, windows and doors, decreases over time to meet the temperature and weather changes from climate change. External wall insulation needs to be thicker; windows need to be more insulative and prevent internal overheating. The envelope needs to allow for efficient ventilation to prevent moisture and mold growth whilst being airtight enough to prevent heat loss. 

As summer temperatures increase and buildings retain internal heat, a greater emphasis on preventing overheating is needed, including method such as building orientation, overhang detailing, external window louvres, glass specification and internal ventilation. These design needs all have a financial impact on the construction costs of building new properties. 

Combine this with the fact that newer materials have a reduced life expectancy, this creates a perfect storm where building values are challenged against what the building needs to achieve for the occupier.  

As we (and banks) evaluate properties and reinstatement costs, consideration must be given the building lifecycle, the cost to upgrade and the costs to demolish and rebuild within the current regulatory guidelines. There is a possibility that it may be more economical and efficient to demolish and rebuild a damaged property, depending on the property’s stage in its lifecycle.

On top of that, newer buildings hide defects better. A leak inside a wall might not make itself apparent for years — just like a case we recently dealt with. The damage went unnoticed for so long, we ended up having to replace the entire front of the building.

To conclude, we need to consider all the above to make an educated judgment on the best course of action for building reinstatement, specifically related to more modern construction types.

New living standards

Due to the current economic and social landscapes, we’re seeing that younger generations are moving out of the family home later than in previous generations. This, combined with the rising life expectancy in older generations increasing the need for inclusive design for disabled users, is putting pressure on homes to be highly adaptable to accommodate all living situations. As society changes, current home layouts might not be appropriate to newer lifestyles, and strategies must develop to accommodate modern needs. 

We are finding that the required internal floor areas to accommodate these needs is currently 10% more than even five years ago. If this trend continues, it would not be unreasonable to assume that this will only increase by 25% over the next twenty years — undoubtably influencing land values as property sizes increase.

With increased restrictions on vehicle usage and fossil fuel consumption, sustainable methods of transport are more encouraged than ever. Cycling, walking and public transport use is more prevalent within city living, while homes outside cities will need EV charging facilities as the national infrastructure develops. Using a garage to store your car is outdated, as the use of this space is now predominantly for additional dry storage or conversion into addition indoor living space.

In either case, homes today might not meet the needs of people tomorrow.

Building to weather climate change

One of the largest factors hitting building standards is climate change. New constructions need to be able to withstand more frequent and more severe weather events, and since modern materials tend to require full replacement, any climate-related damage will cost more. 

As we move away from fossil fuel usage and towards more environmentally friendly energy sources, and as our buildings must manage colder winters and hotter summers, installation of more modern heating, colling and ventilation systems is vital. This is even more challenging and costly when retrofitting older properties. 

In many areas, flooding is a major concern. Entire developments are now being built within floodplains, near coasts and around rivers due to reduced availability of accessible land and tighter planning controls around development. Depending on the installed infrastructure and mitigation measures at the time of development, these properties might soon become uninsurable as the risk simply becomes too high. Alternatively, increased temperatures mean more homes may need to be built to collect, purify and retain rainwater and withstand ground movement resulting in subsidence. 

What’s next?

As we value homes, repairs and construction, we need to do it through the lens of the future. Energy efficient homes are the way of the future within the built environment, while highly adaptable homes must be the norm as living circumstances change — and future proofing against severe weather events may also need to be considered going forward. Increased building envelope specification and green technologies like air sourced heat pumps, batteries and solar panels are being incorporated into homes to reduce our effect on the environment and climate change. 

Although these strategies provide huge benefits to the new build environment, challenges present themselves when dealing with existing properties, and clever solutions are required to alter and adapt the old buildings to new standards.

At Sedgwick, we keep our eyes on the future of everything from technology to lifestyles, climate change to building standards. We manage risk for our partners today, and we work tirelessly to predict what risk might look like in the future.