Sustainable design is the big trend for residential landscapes, according to the 2016 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The top trend—rainwater/graywater harvesting—reflects a growing consumer demand for beautiful residential landscapes that also save water.
The hottest sustainable design elements include rainwater/graywater harvesting (88 percent), native/adapted drought tolerant plants (85 percent) and permeable paving (77 percent).
Here are the top ten project types with the expected highest consumer demand:
- Rainwater/graywater harvesting – 88%
- Native plants – 86%
- Native/adapted drought tolerant plants – 85%
- Low-maintenance landscapes – 85%
- Permeable paving – 77%
- Fire pits/fireplaces – 75%
- Food/vegetable gardens (including orchards, vineyards, etc.) – 75%
- Rain gardens – 73%
- Drip/water-efficient irrigation – 72%
- Reduced lawn area – 72%
In other news, The global rainwater harvesting market is set to reach nearly $962 million by 2020, according to market research by Technavio.
The market includes three main segments: Residential, commercial and industrial. The largest in 2015 was the commercial market with 42.6%, followed by the residential segment (30.6%) and the industrial segment (26.8%).
The commercial sector is the largest market for rainwater harvesting with more than 40% of sales in 2015.
The commercial segment includes malls, hotels, educational institutions and hospitals where the use of non-potable water reuse systems can be high. Rainwater harvesting is cost-effective for buildings with large roofs and high demand for non-potable water.
The second largest market is the residential segment, which was valued at $233 million in 2015. Many local and regional governments promote residential water harvesting through grants, loans, discounts and rebates. Some localities are beginning to mandate rainwater harvesting.
Source: New Terrain newsletter