Multiple nations around the world are making massive investments in smart city mega projects. All of them contain elements meant to reduce pollution or produce power. As a result, researchers expect the demand for advanced green materials to skyrocket. A study by a technology market research company predicted a $400 billion market for the materials needed to construct the highly integrated smart cities of the future.

Global Shift In City Planning Underway

In places as diverse as South Korea, Singapore, New York City, Saudi Arabia, and Mumbai, both smart residential and commercial building projects are breaking ground. Their designs maximize energy efficiency as well as human comfort or industrial function. In a word, the largescale developments will be smart because technology and green materials will optimize all functions.

Consider the example of the 42,000-home residential development in Singapore. The housing complex excludes automobiles from its center. A single central system manages all cooling and an automated system will collect the trash.

Wayne National Forest Solar Panel Construction The Solar Expansion Project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. In March, the Forest was given $400,000 to add 250 additional solar panels to a facility that already had 50 previously installed. D.J. Group from Beverly, Ohio was awarded the contract. Photo by Alex Snyder

Smart Materials For A Green Future

Many cities and national governments around the world have recognized the need to shift energy production to low or zero-emission technologies. Add on top of this, the reality that many urban centers will have to deal with coastal flooding. This is why solar-power-producing materials and water management materials will become of central importance.

The author of a smart materials study concluded that construction companies will need to build walls and windows made of photovoltaic materials. The use of solar materials for roofs, fences, walls, and even pavement will become commonplace.

Materials that can withstand flooding or perform water management functions will also find a market as cities cope with rising sea levels. Demand for new materials that improve sewage treatment and increase the efficiency of the desalination process will emerge. Additionally, complex energy infrastructure projects will need to coordinate wave and tidal power plants with wind and solar installations.

What new materials are you already working with that reflect these green energy and smart design trends?

Article Sources

https://www.osa-opn.org/home/industry/2021/february/vast_potential_seen_for…
https://www.bigrentz.com/blog/construction-trends#smart-cities
https://robbreport.com/shelter/new-construction/singapore-is-building-a-420…

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