Despite the war in Ukraine, the European installation market is heating up The start of 2022 was characterised by uncertainty, of which the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a major cause. Additionally, uncertainty in the construction and installation sector is being...
Latest news
What is going on in the construction, installation and home improvement sectors?
PrefabWHAT WILL PREFAB BE USED FOR AND MADE OF IN THE FUTURE?
Usage of prefabricated elements in construction has grown significantly over the past decade or so. According to architects, who are excellent indicators of future developments due to their large and early role in the construction process, the usage of prefab...
EUROPEAN ARCHITECTS SEE A WIDE VARIETY OF ADVANTAGES OF PREFAB
Over the years, we have seen the use of prefabricated elements in construction projects of European architects grow steadily. As we discussed in a previous article, European architects expect that growth to continue in the coming years, albeit not everywhere at...
EUROPEAN ARCHITECTS EXPECT INCREASED PREFAB USAGE
Prefab is inherently linked to major trends in the construction industry. Prefabricated elements are used to answer the demand for faster and more efficient construction, and to combat labour shortages. It is also linked to BIM usage, which facilitates using more...
PREFAB IN THE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION IS SET TO TAKE OFF
In the European electrical installation industry, prefab has been gradually coming into play over the past years and is now set for strong(er) growth in the coming 3-5 years. Quite some installation companies are already involved in self-production of prefab, Polish installers most notably. These are some of the findings of the European Electrical Installation Monitor 2020, conducted by USP Marketing Consultancy among installers in 7 major European markets.
WHOLESALER PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PREFAB BUSINESS IN EUROPE
Prefab is a hot topic in the whole construction sector and is seen as one of the ways to cope with the increasing demand for quick delivery of projects, but also with the growing labour shortage in the sector. The usage of prefab among plumbers and HVAC installers is already quite high in some of the European countries. Others are still lagging behind. However, they all have in common that a large share of the installers buy the prefab products from the wholesalers they work with. As a part of the European Mechanical Installation Monitor, in Q2 2020 we focused on investigating the topic of prefab usage among plumbers ad HVAC installers in Europe.
CONCRETE STILL DOMINATES PREFAB CONSTRUCTION
When thinking of prefab, the use of prefabricated building elements in construction, concrete often jumps to mind. In the Q3 2019 report of the European Architectural Barometer USP studied the use of prefabricated elements and which materials be used extensively.
DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OF PREFAB
Aside from answering a general demand for faster and smarter construction, the use of prefabricated construction elements allows for efficient construction by fewer construction workers and as such provides a solution for increasing labour shortages in the construction sector.
EUROPEAN USAGE OF PREFABRICATED ELEMENTS IS GROWING STEADILY
Prefab, using prefabricated elements in construction, is a trend we have been monitoring for many years now. Not only is the Prefab trend fuelled by a demand for a faster and smarter construction process often going hand in hand with increasing BIM usage, it also provides an answer to the currently pressing issue of increasing labour shortages in the construction sector. Given this shortage and consequently the rising costs of labour, a solution like using prefabricated elements that allows for efficient construction by fewer construction workers on site is in high demand.
MAKE OR BUY PREFAB SOLUTIONS?
Rotterdam, March 14, 2019 – With a growing market for prefab solutions, even though the market is still in its earliest stages, the question whether contractors will make or buy prefab solutions becomes more valid. The majority of the contractors in Europe will buy these prefab solutions from manufacturers, although a fair share is also thinking of finding local partner(ship)s. This is one of the results of the European Contractor Monitor 2018 of USP Marketing Consultancy. In this research, 1,000 contractors with at least 5 employees were asked about their attitude towards and usage of prefab in eight countries.
NETHERLANDS AND UNITED KINGDOM ARE PREFAB FRONTRUNNERS
Prefab is not widely spread in Europe, when looking at the limited number of projects that include prefabricated elements. However, many contractors do have experience with prefab in projects. This experience is mainly based on working with more basic (plain unfinished) prefab elements. This is one of the results of the European Contractor Monitor 2018 of USP Marketing Consultancy. In this research 1,000 contractors with at least 5 employees in eight countries were asked about their attitude towards and usage of prefab.
PREFAB MOST APPLIED IN PROJECTS IN THE NETHERLANDS, THE UK AHEAD WHEN IT COMES TO ADVANCED PREFAB APPLICATIONS
When I’m asked what the key trends in the construction industry are, prefabrication is always amongst the answers.
Contact us
For more information about our expertise and research on building materials please contact the responsible partner below.
We look forward to help you.
Contact our expert:
Dirk Hoogenboom
