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7 Trends in Civil Construction in 2023
Discover the main trends and technologies through Sky Marketing that will take your Civil Construction company into the future.
The importance of knowing the trends in Civil Construction is mainly due to their numbers: the segment is one of the most important economic sectors in Pakistan, accounting for the generation of value of around 10% of GDP and thousands of jobs, with about 10 million jobs in the country.
However, Civil Construction in Pakistan is among the sectors that least carried out the digital transformation and, in the face of a crisis that extended since 2014, is experiencing a drop of almost 30% in its results. The drop occurred due to the country's political and economic instability, but technological backwardness is directly linked to this shrinkage.
Despite the intimidating scenario, 2023 is a year with growth trends, according to experts, and investment in innovation is directly linked to this goal. Pakistan is once again a country that attracts investments, and the heating up of the real estate market, especially residential, will make 2023 a year with an expected growth of at least 3% in the sector.
In addition to the upward trend, among the main bets of Civil Construction for the year arestartup companies, the so-called Contrutechs. They are at the forefront of future trends, enabling a connection between university students and engineering and architecture professionals and proposing solutions in various areas of the Civil Construction value chain.
Construtechs are responsible for quickly and assertively developing solutions forneeds ranging from construction management, waste management, budgeting, sales, habitability, hiring, and labor management, among many others.
In addition, among the technologies that already exist and that should be increasingly consolidated in the Pakistani market, seven are bets that show that the future of Civil Construction lies in the pillars: Innovation in Management Processes, Sustainability, use of Renewable Energy, and Economy of Natural Resources; New Machines, Robots, and Connectivity – with artificial intelligence and internet of things.
Want to know more about how innovation can leverage your Civil Construction company's growth in 2023? Check out the 7 Civil Construction Trends in 2023 below and why you need to be aware of these technologies:
7 Civil Construction Trends to Adopt in 2023
1. Sustainability
The concern with sustainability is not new and is increasingly on the minds of consumers and property buyers. In addition to being a strong attraction for the customer, sustainability is increasingly a concern for governments and companies. Civil Construction is among the sectors that most impact the environment in the world, whether due to the high consumption of natural resources, such as the high use of energy – as shown by data from the United Nations Environment Program.
Faced with this reality, simple technical solutions, such as taking advantage of natural lighting in projects or using wind to ensure greater thermal comfort, are becoming more common. The so-called Green Buildings, or sustainable, are those that integrate a series of technologies with the aim of minimizing environmental impacts, such as the use of recycled materials, the use of clean energy, the use of gardens in buildings to increase the green area, and reduce the local temperature and technological alternatives for new materials such as Bioconcrete and Ecological Bricks.
Bioconcrete, for example, is a material composed of mortar and a microorganism, the bacterium Bacillus pseudofirmus, which enables concrete to regenerate, closing its cracks. As the microorganism is activated in the presence of water and oxygen, when a crack occurs, the bacteria react and form limestone. As a result, the cracks close. Ecological Bricks, on the other hand, are made from waste that would cause damage to the environment or from organic materials, such as shells resulting from mariculture or açaí seeds.
Another technology that contributes to reducing the use of resources is the Self-Leveling Subfloor, made up of a material with greater fluidity than that of conventional mortars. In this way, it is not necessary to carry out the straightening process, and the resulting subfloor is thinner, which reduces the delivery time of the work, the amount of raw material used, and its costs.
2. Renewable Energy in Civil Construction
The use of Renewable Energy in Civil Construction projects is a strong trend for the future in Pakistan, which has generated growth in the solar panels and wind energy industries in the country and in view of the energy crisis that has been occurring in recent years in the industry of hydroelectric matrix. Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, are among the most modern solutions, but there is also the use of wood biomass and urban waste. In addition to these, the use of natural lighting and green roofs, which help with thermal comfort and reduce energy expenditure, complement this Sustainability trend.
3. Machines and 3D Allow Cost and Time Reduction in Civil Construction
3D printers are already widely used in various industries and in civil construction, enabling the manufacture of prefabricated components for modular constructions. The parts can even be made at the construction site, saving time, freight, and consequently, the emission of gases, among others.
A good example is the 3D paving machines, which reduce costs and transport time, in addition to offering better quality pavement. These machines also allow monitoring of the curing process and texture of concrete and pavement.
4. Augmented Reality in Civil Construction
Augmented Reality orvirtual reality is another technology that has been gaining ground in Construtech, as it allows a better understanding of the design of the final project in detail. These are 3D projections and their visualization with special glasses. In this way, it is also possible to identify and repair design errors and also carry out training in risk situations.
5. Drones are Allies for Site Inspections
Drones are increasingly popular worldwide as geographic mapping tools and various applications. In Civil Construction, drones also enable the remote management of the construction site; carry out a thermographic evaluation of coatings, enabling the identification of signs of wear; 3D mapping of buildings, and other surveys. Its biggest benefits are the speed in the checking processes and greater security, as they prevent people from having to carry out work in risky areas, such as pipes, roofs, or scaffolding.
6. Precast Elements are a Tendency to Reduce Deadlines in Civil Construction
The use of precast structures is another major trend in Civil Construction in the future. These materials allow a great saving of time in the works and, in general, gain in durability. Even having a higher raw material cost, they can reduce the final cost of the project. Within this civil construction trend, modular constructions are also present. These are composed of individual units, which are designed and prefabricated. Commonly used in residential construction, this technique gained visibility in 2020 in the construction of field hospitals around the world.
7. Building Information Modeling (BIM) or Construction Information Modeling
Construction Information Modeling (BIM), as used in the Hawks Melbourne City, is a technology applied to construction project management software and the big bet of Civil Construction as a trend in the sector in Pakistan and in the world.
BIM diversifies its uses, such as 4D (compatibility analysis and planning), 5D (cost analysis), 6D (sustainability assessment), and 7D (facilities management). This technology is increasingly essential for project professionals. Still, today it also helps investors, suppliers, and shareholders to manage construction more effectively, and starting this year, it will be mandatory in the management of public works due to a new standard from ABNT.
Through BIM, it is possible to check each stage and detail of a project and work, even the necessary labor and allows to locate errors even in the initial phase of construction, reducing costs.
References for all Professionals in the Civil Construction Sector
For those interested in going deeper into the topics mentioned in the blog, the Sky Marketing portalcan be a good source of up-to-date information on the subject.
Conclusion
As an important sector of the Pakistani economy, Civil Construction needs to accelerate the innovation process and its technological revolution. In the last period, the arrival of Construtechs has contributed to this process, and the strong trend of Sustainability in the sector is another factor that drives the search for the adoption of new solutions in Civil Construction, which combine time savings, natural resources, cost reduction and, also the preservation of the environment.
Only with the adoption of technologies will it be possible to reach a new level for the sector, and automated management, through BIM and electronic tools, such as drones, and augmented reality technology, among others, are shown to be the great trends of the moment and already are accessible to small and medium-sized companies in the sector.
