Last entry for 2012 and I’m going to have a go at gazing into the future to see what 2013 holds for our industry.

First up I see a lot more projects kicking off ranging from residential and commercial through to civil. It might not happen until the second half of the year but there is only so long things can stay on hold before something has to give. Its not going to go back to the levels of pre 2008 where there was too much work and not enough contractors and but my gut tells me its going to pick up and when it does it will begin to develop its own momentum. As a result I look forward to working on and seeing the work of others on some significant projects in 2013.

In addition I’d see the trend of ‘getting back to the authentic’ carrying through and even becoming more entrenched in 2013. Design elements such as produce gardens, chicken coops, fire pits,  composting and rainwater harvesting will become the rule rather than the exception in a lot of design briefs and I’d speculate that developers will look to include versions of these elements in their building packages sooner rather than later. I’d also see the trend in specifying the use of local product and materials overcoming cost and convenience issues.

Design trends will come and go but the value of having your own outdoor room where you and your family can get back in touch with nature and the elements will remain.