flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Trends in U.S. commercial building size in three charts

Contractors

Trends in U.S. commercial building size in three charts

A new study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that there were 5.6 million commercial buildings in the U.S. in 2012, totaling 87 billion sf of floor space. This is a 14% increase in floor space since 2003.


By BD+C Staff | May 8, 2015
Share of buildings in the South exceeds region’s share of U.S. population

Construction projects today tend to be larger nationwide. Photo: James Willamor/Flickr

A new study released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration reveals that the average size of new commercial buildings continue to grow. Size increases continued to outpace increases in the number of buildings over the past decade.

The data, documented in the administration’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), estimates that there were 5.6 million commercial buildings in the United States in 2012, totaling 87 billion sf of floor space. This is a 14% increase in floor space since 2003, the last time CBECS results were recorded.

Newer buildings tend to be larger than older buildings. In particular, healthcare buildings, hospitality buildings, retail, and religious worship buildings today are larger. 

When broken up by region, the South experienced a lot of growth in building size, and the region’s share of buildings far exceeds its share of the U.S. population.

More information can be found on the Energy Information Administration’s website.

 

 

Related Stories

| Jul 22, 2013

Convention Center Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from convention center projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.

| Jul 22, 2013

Cultural Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from cultural facility projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.

| Jul 22, 2013

International Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.

| Jul 22, 2013

Suffolk Construction launches fall 2013 subcontractor development series

Successful program to provide disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned subcontractor firms valuable insight on partnering with area’s largest general contractor

| Jul 19, 2013

Top BIM Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Turner, Clark Group, DPR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the contractors and construction management firms with the most revenue from BIM-driven projects.

| Jul 19, 2013

Top BIM Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Jacobs, URS, SAIC top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the engineering and engineering/architecture firms with the most revenue from BIM-driven projects.

| Jul 19, 2013

Top BIM Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Gensler, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the architecture and architecture/engineering firms with the most revenue from BIM-driven projects.

| Jul 19, 2013

BIM 2.0: AEC firms share their vision for the great leap forward in BIM/VDC implementation [2013 Giants 300 Report]

We reached out to dozens of AEC firms that made our annual BIM Giants lists and asked one simple question: What does BIM 2.0 look like to you? Here’s what they had to offer.

| Jul 19, 2013

Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Structure Tone, DPR, Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.

| Jul 19, 2013

Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

URS, STV, Wiss Janney Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021