A new Pennsylvania market analysis of green building products and services identifies the potential for a strong wave of growth in building and construction, driven by demand for conservation.
“We’re in a down economy now, but there’s a real link to the future with the manufacturing and building products community that we have here,” says Jeaneen Zappa, manager of the green building products initiative for the Green Building Alliance. “When planning for the next race, you want your horse to be able to fly out of the gate.”
The GBA sponsored the study, which identified more than 39,000 Pennsylvania firms employing about 565,000 people in building products and services. While some parts have experienced declines reflecting national trends, 30 sectors were notable for growth during the five-year period through 2007.
As one key advantage, the Pennsylvania building industry is ideally positioned to serve a large sector of the U.S. market for sustainable construction and retrofitting. Within 500 miles of the Commonwealth, builders and suppliers can find 30 percent of current U.S. green building activity.
Now is the time for the industry and state policymakers to prepare for the opportunity, Zappa says. And fortunately awareness is growing. Pennsylvania attracts substantial research dollars–almost $30 million since 2002–focused on green construction. Partnerships and strategy can target the green building market as it grows, within a range estimated between $100 billion and $475 billion in the U.S. by 2015, depending upon underlying growth rates.
Source: Green Building Alliance, Jeaneen Zappa
Writer: Joseph Plummer
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