Beyond the Build

Construction Trends

Innovation. From Front to Back of House.

The image you see here is one of our recent projects in the southeast. Interestingly, we constructed this building a few years ago and were called back in 2018 in the innovation mode.

We’re seeing a number of shifts, and in the process, “innovation” has become a keyword for the companies who are turning the battleship, whether by lowering cost, or enhancing experience. For this project, we are seeing both.

Here, beyond solar panels, every department was refreshed, adding new LED lighting and opening up the format for better views. We worked to speed up the check out process as well as the drive-thru order pick up. I don’t see the innovation trend slowing down any time soon. As stores continue to become more focused on customer experience, I might even venture to say we could see some kind of social space offering as a meeting place in the stores of the future. After all, we are humans who need social interaction–at least most of us, I would say.

 

Merrill Stewart Jr.

Merrill Stewart is Founder and CEO of The Stewart/Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham.