The Forensic Marketplace 2020 and Beyond... Part 1: Social Mega-Trends

Introduction

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted their 2009 National Convention this past spring in San Francisco, CA. Nearly 22,000 AIA members attended the 4-day event which included an extensive selection of seminars on specific topics to interest both practitioners and consumers of architectural services alike. Among the seminars personally attended was a 90-minute discussion provided by the Advanced Management Institute for Architecture and Engineering as a review of the mega-trends that are anticipated within our industry along with their expected impacts within the next decade or two. Rather than reframe each of the concepts as presented by Mr. Steven Isaacs, Assoc. AIA on that day, the intent of this series is to offer a personal forecast of how the construction litigation industry may specifically be impacted by these social, technological, economic, political and environmental mega-trends. The expert consultants engaged within this industry will need to address a rapidly evolving architectural and engineering marketplace and must adjust their focus to properly assess the conditions specific to this new marketplace. Given the broad scope and nature of the pending discussion, I have elected to I submit a series of posts on a weekly basis to allow for a more concise presentation of readily digestible content. Each post will focus upon just one of the five total mega-trends to be discussed.

I now submit the first post for your consideration and discussion.

Part 1: Social Mega-Trends

The global population is aging. Along with this, a continued shift towards urbanization will be the rule rather than the exception. The aging populace will choose to live in communities established to suit their needs primarily for housing and transportation. Continued urbanization will mandate a requirement for a mobile workforce. Labor shortages will result from an overextension of this mobile workforce. The workforce in general will now compose a lower percentage of the overall population. The workplace will now be defined by where the work is located and less by where a workplace facility is physically located.

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IMPACT:

Within the aging populace, the construction industry workforce composed primarily of younger individuals will now make up a lower percentage of the overall population than ever before. The available labor force will by necessity become nomadic and will migrate to where the work is located. New construction standards of a universal nature as well as new construction techniques will present challenges to this workforce. These labor forces will have few options other than to develop new skills to meet the evolving demands of construction industry advancements.

CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION IMPACT:

Industry standards as they homogenize will be used in a more widespread manner and with fewer regional distinctions. As a result, the application or interpretation of those standards will become more universal and driven less by local habits or provincial practices within the construction trades . With this in mind, the location or region where the subject investigation is conducted may have fewer distinctions than before. The credentials held by expert witnesses may be reassessed by the legal system. The credibility attached to a specific state issued professional license to allow the expert to render opinions within the jurisdiction of the specific investigation may have diminished value.

Victor Dominelli, AIA