We Discuss: DesignLens Summit Fireside Chat

This week, we’re doing something a little different. Tim and Carolina listen to an interview done in February of 2020 to discuss what’s changed in the industry in the last few months and where it may be headed.

More About the Show

The Build Perspectives podcast shares insider knowledge to build connections and community in the building materials industry. Tim and Carolina are friends, colleagues and former coworkers who love the construction industry and their clients, and want to share their passion and insights to attract future talent to the industry.

In this episode, Tim and Carolina talk about Tim’s housing design summit interview done in February 2020 and see how it compares to today’s landscape.

Fireside Chatting

In this time of COVID-19 and the quarantine, we have no idea what’s going to happen in the next few weeks or months. However, from a building industry standpoint, we do know that people need a house and basic needs, such as food, water and shelter. These things don’t change. But what trends have changed? 

Back in February of 2020, Tim was interviewed at the Design Lens Summit, an event hosted by the Johns Burns Real Estate Consulting company. Tim was given access to the recording, so he and Carolina thought it would be great to listen to the recording to see how trends in the industry have changed or stayed the same in the last few months. 

Excerpt 1

In the first excerpt, Tim and Dean talk about Nichiha’s 50% market share in Japan, how Nichiha uses the knowledge gained in Japan to capture market share in the U.S., how people are starting to look for more inspiration and put more focus on exteriors in recent years. 

Tim points out that the hospitality/commercial part of the industry design pipeline is about 10 years out. The designs they prototype and implement end up going mainstream about 6-10 years later on residential homes. One of the recent hot trends is modern farmhouse, though it’s fading a bit and modern and contemporary design are instead becoming the rising stars. 

Nichiha is also seeing a modulation of materials, mixing wood and industrial, and even having some brutalist-type surfaces, all on the same structure. There’s not just one product on an exterior anymore, it’s multiple styles and colors.

Breaking It Down

Carolina starts by asking how Nichiha uses the market information they get in Japan in the U.S. Tim says because all of their products work on the same clip platform system, the approval process on new products is faster and easier, since the back/base is always the same. The only thing that changes is the texture, profile, sheen or pattern. It helps keep R&D costs low since they don’t have to do new testing on every product launched. 

They’ve also been able to use some of the Japan products and processes in North America. And they get a lot of credibility in the modular space from being a Japanese company with that experience. Because Japan does a lot of modular offsite, a lot of that experience is still useful and it makes Nichiha willing to collaborate with offsite providers, architects, brands, and builders that want to focus on offsite construction. 

They also do a lot of interiors in Japan, which has helped them get in with the interior design community in the U.S. And as discussed in the excerpt, interior design informs a lot of the design that happens on the exterior. 

Excerpt 2

In this clip, Tim and Dean talk about modern and contemporary design terms and how they are different design strategies, though they are terms that are used interchangeably. 

Modern design is something that is timeless. Even in 50 years, the design will still be relevant. Contemporary design is something that is timebound. It makes sense in the time period, but will eventually become dated and associated with the time period in which it was created. 

They also discuss future trends. Tim points out that stucco and white vinyl are both going out, as are open soffits. There’s a surging demand for turning wet scopes into dry, turning architectural concrete or brick into a panel system instead. And as far as systems, continuous insulation and exterior outboard installation on homes are increasing as well, for a more robust wall assembly in single-family homes. 

Breaking It Down

Tim points out a good way to remember the difference between contemporary and modern is that contemporary has the word temporary in it. 

Carolina found the downward trend of stucco and vinyl to be interesting. As well as the more systematizing of the less efficient scopes of work. Tim points out its partly for energy efficiency. Using panels helps improve air quality and airflow and insulation needs. 

Carolina points out a lot of this comes from the commercial industry and is moving over to the residential building, which is great for the residential industry.

Excerpt 3

Tim and Dean talk about sustainability. Tim points out that durability is a big part of sustainability. While making things durable can be not sustainably sourced, it does mean that buildings won’t be knocked down after 20-30 years, which does help with sustainability. 

He also points out that there’s a big avoidance in the southern states of anything of high thermal mass, as that uses a lot of thermal energy in the evenings. So those areas are starting to turn more to panel cladding systems. 

From an affordability standpoint, sustainability is on a bell curve. Right now, builders and buyers who are early adopters of green building are going to pay more as they lead the way. But as more and more people switch, it’ll cost less and less as it becomes more mainstream. It just needs a credible story. 

There’s also the upfront cost. When you get something that’s durable and sustainable, it’ll cost more at the beginning. But because it’s durable and will look better longer, that cost will be amortized over the years. 

As for sustainability and safety, Tim points out that Nichiha’s products all started in Japan, which is one of the harder climates in the world, as they have seismic issues, salt spray, high wind loads, ice damming and more. And if you’re in a location that has a lot of natural disasters, you have to think about the carbon footprint after an event, of removing the rubble and rebuilding. With durable products built to withstand earthquakes and more, you have fewer sustainability issues as the building won’t fall and won’t need to be carted away. 

In the future, Tim says he sees offsite construction becoming more and more popular. It’s no longer a fad. People are working on how to do offsite construction in a way that gives you all the benefits of prefab without that boxy look that makes it stand out. 

Breaking It Down

Carolina asks if Tim thinks sustainability will be even more important than it was before COVID-10. How will it affect how we look at sustainability and how we look at the cost of new innovative products that are sustainable? 

Tim says we need to look at what’s taken the place of green building. It has very little attachment to people’s psyche at this point, but compared to six months ago, those things (sustainability, healthy home wellness, resiliency) all mean something completely different. And if we are able to keep buildings healthier longer and keep people living healthier longer in them, then the cost for that structure and that lifestyle gets amortized over a longer period of time. So, in the end, it’s less money.

With sustainability and with COVID-19, we need to have a resilient mind, as well as resilient buildings. You need to think about the now, but also what the next year or two will bring and to plan ahead. Be sure to listen to podcasts and read articles and magazines so you can adjust and stay informed. But avoid confirmation bias. Don’t just look for people who think like you; listen to other perspectives. 

Join the Conversation

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this week’s episode! Shoot us an email at buildperspectives@gmail.com.