Exclusive Interview: Norbert Young on the Economic Future of the Construction Industry
Young says green building trends and sustainable design are “here to stay” and that landscape architects should see economic benefits due to their consistent leadership in these areas.

Norbert Young, FAIA, president of McGraw-Hill Construction

In an exclusive interview with LAND Online, Norbert Young, FAIA, president of McGraw-Hill Construction, expands on the presentation he made before the ASLA Executive Committee earlier this month (see ”McGraw-Hill’s Norbert Young Bullish on U.S. Construction Industry”) by reiterating that the U.S. will remain a world leader for new construction, despite globalization and the concurrent rise of China and India. Young also sees landscape architects taking a leadership position in sustainability, and profiting from that position. He also notes that increased immigration in the United States is changing the nature of the client base for the construction industry as well as the workforce, and these changes are, in fact, good for the industry. One of the biggest challenges facing the industry, he says, is a lag in productivity, and the fact that demand for construction services is outpacing the capacity to meet that demand. Young says the industry must rely more heavily on technology, and bring more young people into construction to catch up with demand.

Click here to listen to our exclusive podcast with Norbert Young.