Rising Costs, Labor Gaps Reshape Facade Design

Construction Under Pressure

The construction industry is facing a convergence of pressures that is reshaping how projects are designed and executed. Rising material and labor costs, coupled with a persistent shortage of skilled trades, are forcing contractors, architects, and building owners to rethink traditional approaches. Nowhere is this tension more evident than in the specification of facade and daylighting systems, where installation complexity, performance, and long‑term durability intersect.

Recent industry data highlights the scale of the challenge. According to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the U.S. construction industry will need to recruit an estimated 439,000 net new workers in 2025 just to meet anticipated demand. Meanwhile, a study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Home Builders Institute (HBI) quantifies the skilled‑labor shortage in the residential sector as having an annual economic impact of approximately $10.8 billion, including about 19,000 fewer single‑family homes built in 2024 and an average construction‑time delay of nearly 2 months. In addition, the sector is dealing with cost pressures identified in the 2025 industry outlook by Buildern, which notes that rising interest rates, material and labor costs are challenging project feasibility. The Gordian Q2 2025 report further underscores that labor shortages and material volatility remain key drivers of construction cost growth. Taken together, these data points suggest a construction market in which labor is both scarce and expensive, and every hour on‑site comes at a premium.

The Challenge of Traditional Facade Systems

Current market conditions are particularly challenging for facade systems that rely on framed panels. Traditional solutions, such as framed FRP (fiberglass‑reinforced plastic) panels, polycarbonate panels, or conventional stick‑framed curtain wall systems, often require specialized, certified labor for installation, and workers with these skills are limited. This reliance on a narrow pool of qualified labor increases overall demand, amplifies schedule risk, and exposes projects to higher costs if labor or materials are delayed.

FRP and polycarbonate panel systems can be installed relatively quickly, but they face inherent long-term performance limitations. Their framed designs create thermal bridges that reduce energy efficiency, and the plastic-based materials degrade over time, becoming brittle, discolored, and prone to cracking. Curtainwall systems, while offering high-quality glazing options, require extensive on-site assembly, more labor, and higher upfront costs, typically ranging from $198–$245 per square foot, installed cost, depending on glazing specifications. Consequently, these traditional systems may appear cost-competitive at installation but become increasingly expensive over time due to maintenance, replacement cycles, labor intensity, and daylight control tools such as blinds, depending on the material..

By contrast, glass facade systems such as frameless, modular designs exemplified by SoleraWall®, are engineered to minimize on-site labor and long-term operating costs. Panels arrive pre-fabricated, eliminating the need for heavy metal framing and significantly reducing installation time. Installed costs typically fall in the $175–$180 per square foot range, similar to FRP or polycarbonate systems, but lifecycle economics are substantially better: glass maintains clarity, strength, and appearance far longer than plastic composites, and the reduced labor and schedule risk contributes meaningful value in today’s labor-constrained, high-cost construction environment.

Strategic Facade Decisions: Balancing Cost, Labor, and Performance

The challenges of traditional framed facade systems, high labor requirements, material degradation, and long-term costs, make strategic decision-making more critical than ever. In 2025’s construction environment, innovation is increasingly about efficiency, not merely aesthetics or premium materials. As contractors grapple with severe labor scarcity and escalating costs, every hour saved on site translates to measurable financial and scheduling advantages. Facade systems that simplify logistics, reduce skilled-labor requirements, and improve long-term performance provide a significant edge.

Architects and owners, meanwhile, are navigating a tighter decision space than ever. The pressure to deliver design quality and sustainability within fixed budgets means material choices must perform on multiple fronts—cost, efficiency, and durability. Systems that reduce installation complexity while improving thermal performance are not simply innovations in design—they’re responses to an economic reality.

Unitized or modular curtainwall systems represent progress in this context, offering prefabrication and some reduction in on-site labor. However, they still require the assembly, shipping, and coordination of a large and complex array of framing components, leaving significant labor and logistical demands in place. Reducing complexity further is critical to achieving real efficiency gains.

In this context, modular frameless glass systems represent more than an aesthetic upgrade; they signal a shift toward smarter construction, one that prioritizes lifecycle value and labor efficiency over outdated material conventions. As the industry confronts the dual challenges of rising costs and skilled-labor constraints, the facade choices made today will define which buildings endure as both economically and environmentally sustainable for decades to come.

About Doug Milburn

Dr. Doug  Milburn is a long-time serial entrepreneur and innovator who has brought his vision and passion to manufacturing, engineering, software development, and process engineering for more than 35 years. In 1995, Dr. Milburn and his wife Michelle co-founded Advanced Glazings, which invented Solera®  and Aerogel window products for minimizing sunlight glare in an energy-efficient way. Milburn is proudly based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

About Advanced Glazings

Advanced Glazings, Ltd. is a pioneer in sustainable glass solutions, dedicated to revolutionizing the way buildings connect with the outdoors. With its Solera® line of highly insulating light diffusing glass and expertise in daylight design, Advanced Glazings empowers architects and builders to create stunning, energy-efficient structures that inspire awe and admiration.