4 Reports on Multifamily, Multi-Site, Off-Site & Hotel Construction: What You Need to Know

We love a good report. And you probably do, too, but we know the idea of sitting down with a 35+ page survey in the midst of your hectic schedule is often laughable. That’s why we’ve broken down the top takeaways from four of the industry’s most recent reports below.   

On Multi-Site Work 

Last week, Dodge Data & Analytics and Sevan Multi-Site Solutions released a study that reiterated the need for stronger communication and collaboration between project owners and contractors. 

The study, Challenges and Opportunities in Multi-Site Construction SmartMarket Insight, found that 70% of owners and contractors agree that making program-level scope/schedule coordination a high priority early in construction planning improves project scope clarity, quality, schedule and budget.

Survey respondents weren’t in agreement on everything else, though. A few key findings are listed below. 

• 56% of owners are confident they know what makes their projects attractive to contractors to bid, but only 16% of contractors agree with that sentiment
• 92% of owners believe they frequently form long-term partnerships with contractors, but only 35% of contractors reported that was true
• 76% of owners report they frequently communicate their future construction plans to contractors, but only 19% of contractors said this occurs frequently

Next week, we’ll dig a little deeper into this report and catch up with Dodge Data and Sevan about what it says about both multi-site projects and the industry overall. This week’s breakdown of construction reports is continued below.

On Hotels

The global construction pipeline for hotel projects is currently at a record high, according to data from Lodging Econometrics, and the U.S. is leading the charge. Internationally, 14,051 projects are in some part of the construction process. The U.S. accounts for 40% of projects in the pipeline (5,653 projects), and China follows with 21% of projects (2,991). The top three cities in the U.S. are listed below. 

• New York, New York—166 projects
• Dallas, Texas—162 projects
• Los Angeles, California—158 projects​

On Multifamily Housing

We’re talking multifamily housing amenities, to be more specific. In Multifamily Design + Construction’s Multifamily Amenities 2019 report, survey respondents reported there is no decrease in the demand for additional amenities in multifamily housing projects.

The report focused on 113 most commonly included amenities on multifamily projects—the top four of which were dog parks, children’s playgrounds, bicycle storage and on-site or in-unit washers and dryers.  

New amenities, such as 5G networks and coworking and maker spaces, were also mentioned in the study as additional considerations (and additional complexity) for new projects. The bottom line? Tenants and buyers want amenities. It’s just up to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries to figure out which ones work for any one project.

On Tech & Innovation

Same company, different brand: Building Design + Construction (BD+C) recently published findings from its 2019 Giants 300 Technology and Innovation Study. The report features findings from 130 firms with the goal of understanding where tech usage stands in the AEC industries. 

One of the standout statistics was in reference to off-site or prefabricated construction. According to BD+C, out of the 35 general contractors and construction managers that participated, 71.4% reported they use off-site or prefab construction on projects, and 45.7% said they use off-site construction on all or many of their projects.

Only 8.5% of firms responded that they have no interest in implementing off-site construction. The full survey will be available here October 15.