Scroll down for our take on these five trends:
mass timber
healthcare
ai
modular construction +
structural engineer recruitment

mass timber

By: Doug Steimle, PE

Mass timber construction continues to grow exponentially across the country, and with more proven examples, we’re seeing more owners + developers willing to explore mass timber as the right solution for their project. Owners + developers are intrigued by its benefits including aesthetics, speed of construction + sustainability.

While it may feel new, mass timber is not – the first mass timber projects in the United States are already around 15 years old. With about 60 mass timber projects over the past 10 years under our belt, we’ve noticed some trends, but before we share, here’s a little background on our data. Schaefer operates in 10 markets, and while mass timber is not prevalent in all (unsurprisingly, no one has asked about a mass timber parking garage), we have designed mass timber projects in most.

In our experience:

Around 25% have been in the higher education market. Given the competitive nature of recruiting students, these buildings are seen as differentiators. We expect higher education owners to continue to make investments into innovative buildings for that purpose.
Around 15% have been office. While new office construction is low, companies that want new spaces typically want to explore something that sets them apart. As we all know, attracting + retaining team members is key to the success of any company, and people going into an office are attracted to the aesthetics + character surrounding a mass timber building. We expect new offices to continue to incorporate differentiators like mass timber to make them attractive to new talent.
Around 15% have been housing projects. However, with the massive housing demand across the country, we anticipate + are seeing many developers at least explore mass timber for denser developments + building taller. We expect this market to really explode.

The major wild card for is the industrial market. We’ve been involved in a couple very large industrial projects utilizing mass timber from sustainability-driven developers. It’s possible these developers jump fully into utilizing mass timber on most of their projects, and if that happens, it would take up a significant portion of the mass timber manufacturing industry’s capacity. This type of development would further push the expansion of the market resulting in more mass timber manufacturing facilities with more production capacity.

healthcare trends | free-standing emergency departments

By: Chris Buckreus, PE, SE

Free-standing emergency departments (FSEDs) – independent emergency care facilities separate from hospital campuses – are experiencing a significant shift in their building classification requirements. Historically, FSEDs were classified as Risk Category II “Business Occupancy” buildings, in the same category as grocery stores + coffee shops.

Various states have now adopted 2018+ International Building Code which are increasingly classifying “ambulatory care facilities having emergency surgery or emergency treatment facilities” as Risk Category IV structures. While some healthcare systems initially attempted to utilize definitional ambiguities to maintain the less stringent Business classification, most providers we work with are opting to construct FSEDs as Risk Category IV “Essential Facilities,” similar to hospitals.

This reclassification has substantial implications. The upgrade to Risk Category IV triggers more stringent seismic design requirements in many regions, increasing structural complexity + increased costs for structural + non-structural components.

Looking ahead in 2025, we expect healthcare systems to reevaluate the FSED business model in light of the regulatory changes.

artificial intelligence (ai) in structural engineering

By: Marshall Carman, PE, SE

In the short term, the industry faces significant hurdles in adoption and adaptation. In my opinion, the biggest hurdle isn’t technical; it is us getting our arms around what the capabilities, limitations, and applications of these tools are, and how they align with the needs and obligations of the industry. This is particularly challenging because the rapid evolution of “ai” changes the capabilities, limitations, and potential applications at a timescale that is much different than the AEC industry typically operates at.

I expect that over the next few years, the use and adoption of “ai” in engineering will be a bit turbulent without consistent application or consistent industry wide expectations of its responsible use. The tools are amazing and powerful, so I believe few will sit on the sidelines and wait for the things to settle down before jumping in. But at the same time, the low barrier to entry of using some of these tools means that just because someone claims to be an early adopter doesn’t mean they are a knowledgeable or advanced user of this technology. It will be critical to ask partners how they use “ai”, if they have an “ai” policy, if that policy is current and adhered to, and most importantly are they using “ai” in a manner that is consistent with your expectations and your client’s expectations.

modular construction

By: Eric Peul, PE

Let’s start by defining modular construction. Simply put, it’s the construction of a building using prefabricated pieces that are constructed in a factory and then shipped to the site. There are two basic types of modular construction – 2D + 3D volumetric. The 3D volumetric construction industry has continued to grow exponentially over the last five years. With developers becoming more aware of the major advantages (quality, technology, sustainability + time savings), as well as being more savvy of the design process, we have seen the residential market (apartments, condos + student housing) grow tremendously in the use of modular construction.

What can we expect in 2025? Depending upon what forecasts you believe, the global modular construction industry is expected to grow to nearly $100 billion (35% of that is expected to be just in the United States). We expect to see modular grow in other markets as well, such as office + mission critical.

structural engineer recruitment

By: Kelsey Downing

ai in recruiting

AI will play a bigger role in recruiting in 2025 as tools become more advanced + widely used. With the intent to free up recruiters to focus on relationship building + strategic hiring, firms may rely on AI to review resumes, schedule interviews + perform preliminary candidate screening. Firms may also use AI to craft personalized outreach and enhance candidate engagement throughout the interview + hiring processes.

Using AI in recruiting will come with challenges. The AI-driven processes could feel impersonal and lead to a negative experience for the candidate, or discourage candidates from applying at all. AI could also misinterpret resume information and filter out qualified candidates. For firms that choose to use AI within recruiting, it’ll be important to strike the right balance between using AI for efficiency + maintaining personal interactions with candidates that will be both effective + candidate-friendly.

flexible work + remote work policies

As companies across the country move to requiring team members to be in the office full time, the benefits of a flexible work policy have candidates considering career moves. Flexibility is important to current team members + candidates seeking new roles. We’re seeing other firms’ return to office policies affect turnover rates, and hybrid work arrangements (like at Schaefer) to be attractive to candidates. Hybrid/remote team members have an opportunity to blend flexibility with connection, opening us up to attracting more talent while building happier, more innovative teams in the process.