The commercial real estate market is now evolving in a new direction due to the change in climate and technology integration in the space. With the increasing complexity of environmental threats in India, the construction sector is progressing into a new era of urban design with a focus on adaptive, modular, and sustainable infrastructure development which will shape the future of our cities.
Climate change is a global problem that has even made it to the construction of commercial real estate. The rise in temperature and severe weather conditions and other environmental stresses are making architects, engineers, and developers come up with out-of-the-box ideas to ensure that the projects they develop can withstand such unpredictable situations.
Sandeep Mangla, Managing Director of Forteasia Realty Pvt. Ltd. comments “The future of commercial real estate is to create an infrastructure that constantly changes and adapts’. ‘Instead of construction as we know it, buildings will be able to flex, breathe and react to their environments”.
These modular construction methods are at the cutting edge of that change. Such modern methods enable effective, quick and green construction which adds substantial value in terms of time, material wastage and environmental pollution. Structures can be constructed in a short period of time thanks to the availability of pre-fabricated parts made in factories, which are more efficiently designed and constructed for optimal performance.
According to Gurmit Singh Arora, National President of the Indian Plumbing Association, “Modular construction technology is changing the way we construct buildings by adding remarkable levels of speed and accuracy.” These new techniques allow us to manufacture sophisticated building elements off-site in a controlled environment in approximately half time as compared to traditional construction methods lowering the amount of on-site labor required and guaranteeing better quality control. Rapid deployment within modular construction systems has the further benefits of being able to transport and use prefabricated building blocks; changing the location of the modules and being able to quickly assemble them, thus overcoming limitations present in conventional construction techniques. This is essential for rapidly developing cities in India. Plumbing and water management systems and components are among the most important and vast areas of infrastructure integration for capable buildings,” notes Gurmit Singh Arora. “Currently in focus are intelligent water resource utilization technologies like grey-water system, rainwater collection systems, automated water control systems which can greatly improve the ecological situation in cities by making commercial buildings completely ecological”.
Modular construction does not only relate to the physical structures themselves, but incorporates adaptable environments that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate changing business requirements. This is especially significant owing to the ongoing effects of the pandemic which has altered many business premises from being solely office based to include a mix of office, remote, and flexible working.
“The future of commercial real estate is to ensure the development of spaces that are not merely meant for work, but are also ecosystems able to enhance human productivity while being environmentally friendly,” is how Ashish Agarwal – Co-Founder, Enzyme Office Spaces puts it. “What we are witnessing is a unity of technology, design and sustainability coming together to realize extremely functional commercial spaces.”
Adaptive infrastructure also has financially appealing aspects. Although upfront costs might be greater, the global returns in terms of lower maintenance expenses, better energy performance, and increased worth of ‘real estate’ are making these advanced construction techniques more appealing towards investors and developers.
Mr. Svaraj Anand, COO, Neo developers, highlighted “The commercial real estate market in the upcoming timeframe would define its usefulness in regard to the application of adaptive infrastructure that is Climate resilient and also modularization in construction techniques. Due to climate change, factors such as extreme weather and high temperatures are most likely to continue and as such such developers need to have carbon efficient designs that are adaptable to ensure design life and efficiency in operations. Adaptive infrastructure concerns itself with the development of constructions that are not only efficient but can also bear structural environmental demand and impact with a minimized carbon emissions touch. Through integrating renewable energy, water efficiency, and green materials properties of all kinds of buildings are going to be resilient and at the same time environmentally friendly as the impact on the amenities will be limited”.
“Equipping developers with climate-resilient designs and the possibilities of using modular construction techniques, ensure that the commercial spaces developed will be functional, sustainable and innovative spaces. As businesses require better places to think and more importantly to implement this will be these approaches that will anchor the future of commercial estate management as well as economic activities while at the same time protecting the world” Svaraj added further.
With urbanization already rapidly increasing across the region, adaptive infrastructure should in this context be seen as an important approach towards environmentally responsible development. In doing so, the commercial real estate industry’s future is not only envisioned, but actively designed and created through the use of modular construction techniques, smart design concepts, and technologies that are responsive to the climate. The road to effective adaptive infrastructure is long and difficult but offers tremendous opportunities to build sustainable, efficient and resilient urban areas. The future commercial real estate is characterized by the presence of flexible, sensitive and functional real estate that can be all seen in the more effective response to the elements of uncertainty and volatility.
