Top Building Product Brands Specified by Architects

In an industry brimming with products, architects have a wealth of manufacturers and brands to specify in their projects. How do design professionals ultimately make their picks? The ARCHITECT 2017 Brand Use Study, conducted in July 2017 by Indianapolis-based market research firm Farnsworth Group, and commissioned by ARCHITECT's publisher Hanley Wood, provides some insight into the selection process. The biennial survey had 1,164 respondents—comprising architects and design professionals employed by an architecture firm—who rated brands across 51 product categories that range from concrete, to HVAC systems, and to kitchen and bathroom fixtures.

In addition to rating product brands, architects were asked to rank, on a scale from one to seven, the importance of 11 factors influencing their selection process. These factors are manufacturer's reputation; ease of product installation; manufacturer warranty/coverage liability; sustainability benefits; manufacturer/product flexibility in design application; brands previously specified; third-party product performance evaluation; quick delivery/short lead times; peer recommendation; manufacturer relationship with contractor/engineer/owner/developer; and lowest price.

The survey results found that a solid manufacturer warranty/coverage liability was deemed most important in 29 out of 51 categories. The products in these 29 categories generally encompassed hard-to-replace or costly structural products, such as elevators, metal roofing, and insulation; this suggests that architects strongly consider manufacturer warranties when specifying their products. The second most important factor was a manufacturer's reputation, deemed most important in 12 product categories, which included more finish elements such as carpet tiles and door hardware. Manufacturer/product flexibility in design application was the third most important factor for architects with highest priority marks in just eight product categories, which included modular products such as furniture and solid surfaces.

Overall, respondents said the least important factor in determining which products to specify was cost, ranked last in 47 categories, suggesting that architects are not likely to compromise on quality for economical savings. Peer recommendations ranked as the second least important factor in product specification.

Below are nine categories from the survey that represent a variety of building products and the top brands design professionals recognized. The percent values shown aside each brand represent the proportions of architects and design professionals who are familiar with that brand, how many respondents specified that particular brand within the past two years, and the brand's quality based on ratings given by architects.

Want to learn more about the ARCHITECT Brand Use Study? Email us for additional results.