Summary of Research Findings

Impacted by the sharp decline in new housing starts stemming from the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, size of the house building materials and housing equipment market for FY2020 decreased from the previous fiscal year.

Nonetheless, although the entire market of house building materials and housing equipment shrunk in FY2020, interest toward items that has anti-COVID-19 features, such as antibacterial/antiviral materials, ventilation systems for improving air environment, and touchless (sensor-activated) equipment, are growing. Moreover, as longer hours are spent at home and work from home is becoming common, people will be more absorbed in making their home more comfortable. Demand is expected to rise for products that enhance residential environment.

Noteworthy Topics

Products/Functions such as “Antibacterial/Antiviral Building Materials”, “Touchless Faucet“, and “High-Performance Ventilation Systems” are in the Spotlight

According to the results of the questionnaire on 40 house building materials and equipment companies, the most promising feature to become a standard for the house building materials and equipment is “antibacterial/antiviral building material”, followed by “touchless faucet”, “high-performance ventilation systems”, and “smart/IoT housing equipment”. In addition, “touchless door (systems)”, “work from home desks”, “washstand by the entrance door”, and “parcel delivery box for detached house” are also getting a great deal of attention.

Research Outline