As commercial construction continues to evolve, 2025 proved to be a pivotal year- especially for MEP contractors navigating tighter schedules, growing project complexity, and unprecedented demand across sectors like data centers. We asked our internal subject matter experts two key questions: 

1. What major industry trends stood out in 2025? 

   
   

2. How will those shifts shape the year ahead? 

Here’s what they shared. 

2025: The Year Data Centers Reshaped the Industry 

Nearly every SME highlighted one overwhelming force: the data center boom. 

“If I had to sum up the AEC industry for 2025 using one phrase,” said Daniel Jacoby (Director of Customer Success), “it would be ‘Data Center.’ The need for ways to process data is dominating commercial construction.” 

This rapid growth has accelerated expectations for accuracy, speed, and repeatability in MEP workflows. 

Jason Earl (Senior Product Manager) echoed this theme: 

“The major trend of the year has been the explosion of data center projects reshaping the construction industry, driving the adoption of BIM/VDC, its associated technologies, and prefabrication to meet demanding project schedules.” 

Across the board, contractors leaned heavily into digital modeling, fabrication, and process standardization to keep pace. 

Prefab Became Standard, & Not Just Strategy 

One of the most meaningful shifts in 2025 was the normalization of prefabrication. 

As Adam Heon (VP of Product) described it: 

“Prefabrication is becoming more of a norm, a way of doing business vs. a way to do a project. Construction schedules are driving how things are fabricated: more manufacturing, more repeatability.” 

Field experience is also feeding back into VDC teams more than ever before. Expertise that historically lived in pockets or silos is now informing modeling and planning earlier in the process. 

The result? Contractors are increasingly designing with fabrication in mind from day one. 

Labor Shortages Pressured Productivity and Fueled Innovation 

According to Caleb Shepard (Senior VDC Consultant), 2025 was defined by labor shortages that forced contractors to rethink how they deliver work. 

“Labor shortages pushed prefabrication and automation,” he noted, emphasizing that teams are looking not just for efficiency but for repeatable workflows that reduce risk. 

This shift led to more connected, data-driven processes, something he predicts will only deepen in the year ahead. 

2025 Forced Contractors to Meet Tighter Deadlines Than Ever 

As project schedules compressed, pressure trickled down to every trade. 

Jesse Bischoff (SVP of Sales) summarized the landscape clearly: 

“As the data center boom continues, MEP contractors are under more and more pressure to hit tighter and tighter deadlines. To achieve this, customers are modeling and prefabricating more of their projects to increase accuracy, efficiency, and quality.” 

This urgency pushed teams to refine workflows, streamline modeling, and tighten fabrication handoffs, setting the stage for even more transformation in 2026. 

Looking Ahead: What 2026 Will Require 

While each SME had a unique view of what's coming next, their predictions share a common theme: 2026 will reward the groups that invested early in digital workflows, prefabrication, and connected data. 

2026 Will Demand More Efficiency, and Deliver It 

The adoption of BIM/VDC workflows accelerated in 2025, but next year will show the true payoff. 

As Jason Earl continued : 

“Those changes will make for a more efficient and productive construction industry able to do more with less.” 

Faster modeling cycles, standardized fabrication deliverables, and coordinated project data will become baseline expectations instead of competitive advantages. 

Prefabrication Will Scale Even Further 

Looking to 2026, Jesse Bischoff predicts a continued surge in fabrication-first project delivery: 

“We will see an increase in MEP contractors prefabricating as much as possible to achieve tight deadlines.” 

This will also push contractors to adopt more automated fabrication workflows, giving them the ability to scale production without scaling their workforce at the same rate. 

Data Will Become More Actionable, and More Connected 

In Caleb Shepard’s words, 

“2026 is about actionable, connected data.” 

Contractors will move from simply capturing information to using it for forecasting, standardized workflows, production planning, and QA/QC. Decision-making will become faster and more confident as project data becomes more integrated across tools and teams. 

Standardization Will Become a Non-Negotiable 

As owners grow more sophisticated, expectations will rise. 

Contractors who invested in: 

• cleaner models 

• tighter standards 

• fabrication-ready data 

• well-trained digital teams 

  
  

…will enter 2026 ahead of the curve. Everyone else will be racing to catch up. 

Final Takeaway: 2025 Raised the Bar & 2026 Will Cement the New Standard 

This past year pushed the industry forward in meaningful ways. Prefabrication became mainstream. Labor realities accelerated automation. And the data center boom forced a level of precision and speed that is reshaping expectations across the board. 

The industry is moving toward a more integrated, predictable, and production-driven future, and the groundwork laid in 2025 will define the competitive landscape in 2026. 

If your team has invested in digital workflows, fabrication, and connected data, you’re not just keeping up, you’re pulling ahead.