As the interior design community continues to grapple with marketing strategies for mass-produced neo-futuristic and post-modern design elements, the decades-old graffiti and “street art” movement continues to push a more minimalist and nostalgically futuristic envelope on both coasts of the United States.
The relatively recent advent of thermally broken steel windows that contain a high percentage of recycled steel coupled with renewed consumer momentum toward historically-accurate metal roofing details can only leave architectural firms wondering whether ironic minimalism might finally bow to a sort of sentimental constructivism where metal never lost its capacity for whimsy.
Drastically improved sightline profiles should continue to fuel a push toward steel windows and, naturally, recycled steel doors. The commercial and residential potential for architectural firms contemplating mergers with established construction firms remains high, and two markets stand to heavily influence the future of newly-formed design/build firms worldwide.
The luxury residential market should remain predictably strong. In areas of the country that enjoy high rates of relocation among displaced skilled workers and early retirees from the tech sector, design/build firms should continue to shift their focus onto high-quality imported materials like granite and travertine while not discounting the possibility for insertion of slightly imperfect specimens into routine residential builds.
Furthermore, as the “tiny house” movement continues to gain purchase among artisans and activists worldwide, smaller custom build requests should post steady gains in every market in the country. No longer confined to a log home design aesthetic, smaller houses made from steel shipping containers, re-purposed and presumably re-zoned warehouses and manufacturing facilities, and aging geodesic domes should require custom attention as a general rule. Custom metal window options should naturally find a strong footing there.
As metal window options continue to receive the benefit of architectural frustration with existing materials and customer demand for recycled fixtures, the market for custom, fire rated window and door units should continue to rise. Although the custom and luxury potential for steel windows and doors remains inspiring but uncharted, architectural firms with a cultured eye on urban trends may find themselves continuing to offer solid and savvy New-Old Classicism to a vernacular urbanism that may still have a sentimental attachment to its Structuralist roots.