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SEPTEMBER 2026 VOLUME 64 | NUMBER 6
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here’s a meme taken from the Watchmen graphic novel that has been going round in my head. It features Dr Manhattan, one of the characters, talking about an event that keeps on happening to illustrate how, in his opinion, things never really change. I thought about this with the recent announcement of new tariffs between the US and Canada. Of course, there’s a good chance that by the time you read this the tariffs will have been dropped or increased, which only adds to the feeling that they are all pervasive, as each change – or rumoured change – is reported on. Business needs certainty. While those in construction that I have spoken to about tariffs over the last few years don’t like them, the feeling is that as long as they know exactly what they are, they can work around them. It is when the tariffs shift from week-to-week that the real problems arise. One thing that is certain is that excavators are the most popular form of construction equipment and that the safety features on these machines have come on in leaps and bounds. In this issue Neil Gerrard speaks to OEMs and contactors to profile exactly what has happened, and see what comes next. From certainty to the other end of the spectrum with Neel Madsen’s article on alternative power. For this topic, it is the uncertainty that makes it so fascinating, as there is such a wide range of available power sources for the industry. With other features on India, one of the world’s biggest construction markets, high-rise construction, autonomy, and an interview with Arcadis’ Global President of Places, it is another busy issue. As Dr Manhattan would attest to, some things never change.
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EXCAVATOR SAFETY
INDIAN AMBITIONS
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How excavator safety is moving beyond the cab
Spotlight on a major construction market
Construction’s slow shift towards automation
SEPTEMBER 2026 VOLUME 65 | NUMBER 6
STAFF LIST EDITOR Andy Brown andy.brown@khl.com | +44 (0)1892 786224 CONSTRUCTION BRIEFING EDITOR Neil Gerrard neil.gerrard@khl.com | +44 (0)7355 092771 TECHNICAL EDITOR Julian Buckley DIRECTOR OF CONTENT Murray Pollok EDITORIAL MANAGER Alex Dahm GROUP EDITORS D.Ann Shiffler, Euan Youdale, Mitchell Keller, Neel Madsen BRAND MANAGER Eleanor Shefford eleanor.shefford@khl.com | +44 (0)7850 313753 CLIENT SUCCESS & DELIVERY MANAGER Charlotte Kemp charlotte.kemp@khl.com | +44 (0)1892 786262 CLIENT SUCCESS & DELIVERY TEAM Alex Thomson, Ben Fisher, Olivia Radcliffe, Cuan Hansbury GROUP DESIGNER Jade Hudson DATA MANAGER Anna Philo DATA EXECUTIVE Vicki Rummery HR MANAGER Sharron Brown FINANCE MANAGER Yasmin Toumi EVENTS MANAGER Steve Webb EVENTS DESIGN MANAGER Gary Brinklow CREATIVE DESIGNER Kate Brown CLIENT SUCCESS & DELIVERY DIRECTOR Peter Watkinson VP SALES, CONSTRUCTION DIVISION Peter Collinson GLOBAL VP SALES Alister Williams CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Paul Baker CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER James King International Construction, incorporating Construction Europe, Construction Industry International and World Construction, is available free of charge on request to anyone who falls within the controlled circulation criteria. The issue publication date is 9 September 2026. The magazine is published 8 times a year. It is available to anyone who does not meet the criteria at an annual subscription rate of US$301, €258, £215. International Construction (USPS No: 021-895) is published by KHL Group and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Rd, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. Postmaster: send address changes to International Construction, PO Box 437, Emigsville PA 17318-0437.
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NEWS ROUND-UP
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NEWS IN PICTURES
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COUNTRY FOCUS INDIA
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ECONOMIC OUTLOOK INDIA
15
HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
18
INTERVIEW ARCADIS
25
EXCAVATOR SAFETY
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BRIDGE COLLAPSES
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ALTERNATIVE POWER
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CONTECH AUTONOMY
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World’s largest building planned; Polish transport megaproject; confidence up in Saudi Arabia. JCB Hydromax sets hydrogen speed record. Neil Gerrard examines the projects driving activity and the expansion of newer markets. Data crunched, courtesy of Scott Hazelton. From Istanbul to Miami, Andy Brown looks at projects showing how high-rise site teams are adapting to height, wind and space constraints. Edel Christie, global president, Places, at Arcadis talks to Andy Brown.
25 28
How excavator safety is evolving and where it goes next, examined by Neil Gerrard. Could satellite technology help prevent bridge collapses? Neil Gerrard investigates.
Neel Madsen looks at some of the initiatives and regulations driving the shift to cleaner equipment. Autonomy in construction will depend on connected workflows, writes Leila Steed.
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION EFCA 49 EU public procurement reform wish-list.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
50
Tunnel works progress on Vienna metro expansion.
38 44 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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NEWS ROUND UP
TOP HIGHLIGHTS
POLAND Poland’s Port Polska transport megaproject plans to launch 58 procurement procedures worth more than PLN 40 billion (€9.3 billion) by the end of 2026. The contracts will cover airport and railway works, including further sections of the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed railway, signalling systems, major earthworks, plus a cargo terminal and infrastructure at a major new airport. Port Polska said it had already launched 29 investment procurement procedures worth more than PLN 14 billion (€3.3 billion) by the end of July. Its full 2026 programme comprises 87 procedures with an estimated combined value exceeding PLN 54 billion (€12.6 billion). AUSTRALIA Data centre developers in New South Wales, Australia, will have to fund additional water and energy supplies if they want access to a new fast track approval process. The NSW Data Centre Policy Framework will provide an assessment pathway for projects that meet six principles, including environmental and efficiency standards. Projects will be assessed within 75 days, compared with up to two years under the existing process. But developers will have to show that projects do not impose a “net cost” on consumers or communities. UK UK public sector procurement specialist Scape has started work for an £8.5 billion (US$11.5 billion) framework covering defence estates and other high-security construction environments. The Defence and Complex Environments Framework is Scape’s first dedicated framework for secure and complex projects. It will provide public sector clients with a route to market for construction work requiring enhanced security measures, specialist expertise, personnel vetting and digital security arrangements. FINLAND Markku Simula, president of the aggregates business area, has decided to leave Metso. Simula’s career with the business spans more than three decades. Since joining the company in 2001, he has held several leadership positions. He has been in his current role as a member of the Metso leadership team since 2017. Simula will continue at Metso until a successor has been appointed. His departure is scheduled for the end of February 2027 at the latest.
6 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
The Mumbai skyline in India – the country is looking to produce more sophisticated construction and infrastructure equipment itself IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK
SPACEX AND TESLA PLAN WORLD’S LARGEST BUILDING WHAT HAPPENED? SpaceX and Tesla are planning a 100-million square-foot semiconductor manufacturing facility in Texas, US. The project, called Terafab, would be more than five times the size of the New Century Global Center in Chengdu, China, which currently holds the title of the world’s largest building with around 18.9 million square feet of floor space. The first phase of the project represents a capital investment of more than US$16.8 billion and is expected to create 3,000 jobs, according to Texas governor Greg Abbott. Elon Musk said the facility would bring logic, memory and advanced packaging together under one roof. Both SpaceX and Tesla are
Exterior of SpaceX aerospace company headquarters building IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK expected to use the site, which is designed to produce more than one terawatt of compute annually. Terafab’s website describes the project as a vertically integrated chip factory intended to support AI chip production at scale.
‘WORLD’S LONGEST’ UNDERGROUND RAILWAY TUNNEL
Porr and Marti workers celebrate breakthrough in the east tunnel of the Brenner Base Tunnel between Austria and Italy IMAGE: WOLFGANG GOLLMAYER/ SCHNITTRAUM COURTESY OF PORR
Contractors working on the 64km-long Brenner Base Tunnel in the Alps have broken through, creating two cross-border connections between Austria and Italy. The eastern and western main railway tunnels sit around 1,400m below the Brenner Pass and, together with the Innsbruck bypass, the Brenner Base Tunnel will form the world’s longest underground railway tunnel. The Italian section of the project is being delivered by a consortium led by Webuild, while the H53 consortium of Porr and Marti has been tunnelling on the Austrian side. At the breakthrough site, the tunnelling crews worked their way through central gneiss – a particularly hard rock. www.constructionbriefing.com
NEWS ROUND UP
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WHAT IT MEANS
India is set to approve a US$1.2 billion incentive scheme for the making of high-value, technologically sophisticated construction and infrastructure equipment, two government sources have said, in a bid to reduce dependence on China for critical machinery. The scheme aims to draw US$1.8 billion in fresh investment by offering incentives over seven years to domestic manufacturers of equipment including tunnel boring machines (TBMs), fire fighting equipment and elevators used in high-rise buildings. India remains heavily dependent on imported TBMs, with China among the key suppliers of equipment used in metro rail and highway construction, underscoring the country’s long standing struggle to build domestic manufacturing capacity. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making a renewed push to reduce reliance on key imports even as previous attempts to boost domestic manufacturing failed to make a dent. The new scheme has been designed after assessing the incentives required to make local production viable against the country’s existing import dependence, the sources said. The incentive plan could benefit state-run BEML, which has plans to domestically manufacture TBMs, along with other equipment makers including Larsen and Toubro,Johnson Lifts and others. The plan would also include targets for local value addition for machines that are presently fully imported.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If delivered as planned, Terafab would be less a conventional semiconductor factory than a vast piece of private technology infrastructure built around the future needs of SpaceX and Tesla. The project reflects the growing importance of compute capacity to Musk’s companies, from AI and robotics to space launch, solar power and advanced manufacturing. Terafab’s website links the factory to ambitions including as many as one million Tesla Optimus robots, ten million tons of mass launched into orbit annually, and more than one terawatt of solar power. For construction, the scale is the story. At 100 million square feet, the facility would dwarf existing manufacturing plants and create major
challenges around design, logistics, supply chain capacity, labour, utilities and power. The project also underlines Texas’s growing role as a base for large-scale technology and manufacturing investment. SpaceX is already headquartered in the state, while Starbase includes its launch facility and manufacturing plant. The state is also backing the project. Abbott said Texas had extended SpaceX a US$30 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant, while Terafab is seeking support through the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation programme. “The first phase of the Terafab project represents a capital investment of more than $16.8 billion and will create 3,000 new jobs,” Texas Governor Abbott said in a press release about the project.
The US$16.8 billion figure applies only to the first phase, so the total cost of Terafab could rise significantly as the project develops. The next questions are how quickly SpaceX and Tesla can move from concept to construction, how much public support the project receives, and whether the companies can secure the labour, power and supply chain capacity needed for a facility of this size. Musk has described Terafab as the most ambitious chip-building effort yet. But building the world’s largest facility will test more than semiconductor strategy. It will also test whether one site can secure the power, labour, supply chain and delivery capacity needed for a project of this scale.
SAUDI CONFIDENCE UP
MARSEILLE HIGH RISE
PROCORE ACQUIRES
Confidence levels among Saudi Arabian construction companies were at the highest level so far this year in July, amid a revival in new contracts and easing geopolitical tension. That’s according to a new survey of construction buyers in the Kingdom, which has been running since January 2026. The Alrajhi Capital Saudi Construction Index surveys 200 construction companies. The latest survey, conducted in July, registered an activity index score of 55.2 (where 50.0 indicates no change). That was down slightly from 56.3 in June but the second-highest reading since January, after the market faltered earlier this year following the onset of war in Iran.
Cemex is supplying concrete solutions for M99 Tower, a 99-metre mixed-use high-rise building in Marseille, France. Cemex will supply 11,000 cubic metres of concrete over a 20-month period, including white concrete for columns and architectural elements, as well as concrete solutions for walls and floors. The project, developed by Constructa Les Éditeurs Urbains, will complete the redevelopment of the Quais d’Arenc district. The tower will include luxury apartments and hotel facilities across 30 floors. The estimated cost of the project is €110 million (US$126.9 million) and the general contractor is Legendre Construction.
Construction management software company Procore has announced that it has entered an agreement to acquire DroneDeploy for US$845 million in cash. The proposed acquisition will bring DroneDeploy’s unified aerial and ground reality capture and robotics capabilities into the Procore platform, the firm said. DroneDeploy provides three-dimensional ground and aerial imaging, spanning drones, ground-deployed robots, and mobile, fixed, plus wearable cameras. Procore said that it wanted to marry those capabilities with its Procore AI service to create “the ability to see, understand, and act within Procore”.
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INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
7
NEWS IN PICTURES
A
fter breaking the Southern California Timing Association’s record in the Blown Gas Streamliner class with a run of 368.347mph, JCB’s hydrogen-powered Hydromax set a new world land speed record for hydrogen of 406.320mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, US. The car recorded an average speed of 400.623mph in its first run, and 412.135 mph on its second run, giving the average of 406.320mph – the fastest a hydrogen internal combustion car has ever travelled, the company stated. The speed also far exceeds the 303-mph hydrogen fuel cell mark. Driven by Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, the twin engine car completed the two runs required under Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) rules – one in each direction within an hour – comfortably beating the previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal combustion benchmark of 185.5mph set by the BMW H2R in 2004. The Category A, Group XIV – Class 7 FIA
8 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
World Flying Record Start Land Speed Record was set by the Hydromax using two of JCB’s production-based hydrogen engines, which generated a combined 1,600bhp. The engines were manufactured at the company’s engine factory in the UK and are the same engines now powering JCB machines and equipment. The record run coincides with the 20th anniversary of the JCB Dieselmax setting the
world diesel land speed at 350.092mph on the same site and with the same driver in August 2006. “Twenty years ago, we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again – this time with engines powered by hydrogen,” JCB Chairman Lord Bamford stated shortly after the successful run had taken place. iC
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JCB
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COUNTRY REPORT: INDIA
India’s construction output is forecast to grow by 5.3% in 2026, thanks to investment in roads, railways, energy and urban infrastructure. Neil Gerrard examines the projects driving activity and the expansion of newer markets
I
ndia’s economy looks surprisingly robust, even in the face of geopolitical tensions, and that spells good news for the country’s construction sector. A new report from Oxford Economics has revised its forecast for India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth up to 6.7% for 2026. Oxford Economics forecasts that total construction output in India will increase by 5.3% in 2026. Thanks in part to a growing middle class within India’s vast population of nearly 1.5 billion people, construction output is set to swell across all three major segments. Residential building activity will grow the fastest in percentage terms, at 7%. Non-residential activity will climb by a more modest 3.2%, amid rising real incomes and a revival in tourism. Civil engineering output is expected to grow by 4.5%, as the government supports infrastructure projects as a means
of securing future economic growth. Beyond this year, the report forecasts overall construction activity growth of 5.2% a year for the four years to 2030. Civil engineering is expected to account for 42% of all activity, making it the biggest segment, ahead of residential building at 40% and non-residential building at 17%. “Continued growth in household formation will act as a tailwind to the medium-to-long term outlook for construction. The latest budget reinforces our view that infrastructure projects will remain a priority for the government, providing invaluable support to the civil engineering sector over the forecast period,” says Dominic McNally, senior economist at Oxford Economics. While the outlook for external demand is “unfavourable” due to increasing global trade hostilities, which could threaten the longterm outlook, particularly for non-residential
VADHVAN PORT: INDIA’S NEW DEEPWATER MEGAPORT India is developing a new deepwater port at Vadhvan, about 150km north of Mumbai in Maharashtra, with the ambition of it becoming one of the top ten container ports in the world. The ₹76,220 crore (US$8 billion) project is planned to include four container terminals in the first phase, with two berths each.
10 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
India is developing a new deepwater port at Vadhvan PHOTO: ZAPP2PHOTO VIA ADOBESTOCK
The natural water depth off Vadhvan will allow the port to accommodate large container vessels that cannot currently call at many Indian ports. The development involves reclaiming approximately 1,473ha of land, alongside dedicated road and rail connections. In June this year, a court decision allowed the felling of 208 mangrove trees for the construction of an eight-lane highway to link the port to India’s NH-48. Construction of the port started in late 2025, with completion of the first phase expected in 2029-2030.
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COUNTRY REPORT: INDIA
CHENNAI METRO PHASE II
A view of Bengaluru, India: the country’s construction future seems set to be on the road to growth PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
A labourer works at a construction site at the Noida International Airport (NIA), in Noida, India, April 2026 PHOTO: REUTERS/ BHAWIKA CHHABRA
construction activity, the impact on India is expected to be limited.
Vast civil engineering ambition
India’s road infrastructure has been the target of significant investment over the past decade or more. One major initiative in the highways sector is the flagship Bharatmala Pariyojana programme, which aims to improve freight and passenger movements across the country. Approved in 2017, the programme involves the development of 34,800km (21,624 miles) of national highway corridors, at an estimated cost of ₹5.35 lakh crore (US$57.9 billion). As of March this year, a total of 26,425km had been awarded, including the 1,386km www.constructionbriefing.com
Delhi–Mumbai Expressway. The Expressway is set to become India’s longest access-controlled expressway once complete. The project, estimated to cost around ₹1 lakh crore (US$10.4 billion), crosses Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Its first completed section, the 246km Delhi– Dausa–Lalsot stretch in Rajasthan, opened in February 2023. This was followed by the 87km Vadodara–Bharuch section in Gujarat in February 2024. Two more sections in Gujarat opened in June 2026: the 36km Kim–Ena stretch and the 27.5km Gandeva–Ena stretch. Other packages remain under construction, including sections required to complete the connection into Mumbai. The expressway forms part of the wider Bharatmala Pariyojana highways programme and is intended to reduce journey times and freight costs between India’s political and commercial capitals. India’s national highways network has grown from 91,287km in 2014 to more than 146,572km in FY2025-26, an increase of 61%, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The average construction rate has risen from 11.6km a day in 2013-14 to 34km a day in 2025.
Hello to high-speed rail
India’s infrastructure spending, though, is far from being all about roads. The country is moving towards completing its first high-speed railway, using Japanese Shinkansen technology. The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) line will run for 508km through
Phase II of the Chennai Metro is one of India’s largest urban rail projects, involving 118.9km of new lines and 128 stations. The ₹63,246 crore (US$6.6 billion) expansion is divided into three corridors: the 45.8km Madhavaram–SIPCOT line, the 26.1km Lighthouse–Poonamallee Bypass line and the 47km Madhavaram– Sholinganallur line. Across the programme, 76.3km of track will be elevated and 42.6km will run underground. There will be 80 elevated and 48 underground stations. The project is intended to connect residential, commercial and industrial districts, including the IT hub of Sholinganallur, while providing interchanges with the city’s existing metro, suburban railway and bus networks. The central government originally said Phase II was planned for completion in 2027. Chennai Metro Rail’s current project information puts proposed completion at the end of 2028.
Construction of Phase II of the Chennai Metro PHOTO: VISUALTREAT12 VIA ADOBESTOCK
the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The first section between Surat and Milimorea is scheduled to open to passengers in 2027, with the full line open by 2029. The project is backed by loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as funding from the two Indian states, and is expected to cost up to ₹2 lakh crore (US$20.9 billion). Key contractors include India’s Larsen & Toubro, Ircon International, Afcons INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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COUNTRY REPORT: INDIA
Construction workers at the site of the upcoming Mumbai– Ahmedabad bullet train project in Mumbai, India, January 2026 PHOTO: REUTERS/FRANCIS
Construction work on the Delhi Mumbai Expressway near Maharani Bagh, in New Delhi, India PHOTO: ARVIND YADAV/HINDUSTAN TIMES/SIPA USA Infrastructure and DRA Infracon-Siemens, as well as Japan’s Sojitz Corporation. India’s spending on the national rail network has also increased sharply in recent years. Indian Railways’ capital expenditure was ₹14,400 crore in 2004-05 (US$1.5 billion). Just over 20 years later, that figure has ballooned to ₹2.78 lakh crore (US$29.05 billion) for 2026-27, according to documents prepared in advance of the country’s annual budget. Earlier this year, responding to a written parliamentary question, India’s Ministry of Railways noted that 306 railway projects were sanctioned during the four years from 202223 to 2025-26. These included 53 new-line projects, 17 gauge-conversion projects and 236 line-doubling projects, with a combined length of 13,968km. In urban areas, Narendra Modi’s government
MASCARENHAS
has spent more than US$26 billion on metro connectivity since 2014.
Power plant construction
India’s economic and industrial expansion requires investment in energy infrastructure. One part of the power construction programme is nuclear power. In January 2026, India’s Department of Atomic Energy said 17 reactors with a combined capacity of 13.1GW were under implementation. The programme comprised seven reactors listed as under construction or commissioning and ten undergoing pre-project activities. Among the most advanced are units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. The two 1GW reactors are expected to be finished in 2027. Two further 1GW units at Kudankulam are scheduled for 2030.
INDIA’S CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT MARKET The backhoe loader is India’s most beloved form of construction equipment, but the landscape is gradually changing. The machines accounted for 45% of the market in 2021 but that fell to 43% in 2022-24 and 40% in 2025, according to Off-Highway Research. Sales of all construction equipment in the country passed the 100,000-unit mark for the first time in 2023 and grew to 114,300 in 2024 before declining 6% in 2025 to 106,933 units. The market is dominated by five equipment types. In addition to the ubiquitous backhoe loader, crawler excavators, mobile cranes, compaction equipment and wheeled loaders together made up 92-93% of all sales in volume terms during 2021-2025. But other equipment types are starting to gain traction: wide-bodied trucks saw sales volumes increase 28% in 2025, while mini excavator sales increased 26%. At the same time, backhoe loader sales dropped 13%. “The general outlook for the infrastructural development in the country is conducive for growth in construction and mining activity,” Off-Highway Research noted in its latest market report on India.
The backhoe loader is India’s most popular type of construction equipment PHOTO: ASHISH VAISHNAV/SOPA IMAGES VIA ZUMA WIRE
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Nuclear is only one part of the mix, however. The country is also expanding other forms of power generation rapidly, including significant amounts of coal-fired power stations. The country is expected to increase its coal power capacity by 46% over the next decade. There is also a plan to generate at least 500GW of power from non-fossil fuels (which includes nuclear).
Digital infrastructure build-out
India’s construction market is also benefiting from investment in data centres and semiconductor manufacturing facilities. A report released earlier this year by Turner & Townsend estimates that India’s cloud data centre capacity, currently around 1.28GW, could increase four-or-fivefold by 2030. One attraction for data centre developers is the cost: Turner & Townsend puts the average construction cost in Mumbai at US$6.64 per watt, second only to Shanghai at US$6.12/W among the markets it assessed. But the expansion presents construction challenges. Data centres require reliable and expandable electricity supplies, while India’s high temperatures increase cooling demand. Land and power approvals, grid availability and access to specialist skills could all affect delivery. India is also attempting to establish its own semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. The India Semiconductor Mission, part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said in July that 12 approved projects, involving planned investment of ₹1.64 lakh crore (US$17.1 billion), were under implementation across six states. The largest is Tata Electronics’ semiconductor fabrication plant at Dholera in Gujarat, with a planned investment value of US$11 billion. Geopolitical tensions notwithstanding, India looks set to enjoy a robust construction market for the next several years, driven by infrastructure, as its burgeoning middle class iC continues to grow. INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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ECONOMIC OUTLOOK INDIA
Public spending remains the key driver, with transport, water and energy projects supporting expansion, writes Scott Hazelton
R
eal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth eased slightly to 7.8% year over year in the March quarter from 8% in the previous quarter, bringing full fiscal-year 2025 growth to 7.7%. Growth was supported by strong private consumption, helped by income tax cuts, modest inflation and robust rural demand. Fixed investment also expanded strongly, with government infrastructure spending remaining the key driver. The construction sector expanded 8.4% year over year in the March quarter, up from 6.7% in the previous quarter. Growth was driven by a year-end push to meet budget targets and increased government infrastructure spending. Despite the strong quarterly performance, we have lowered our forecast for real total construction spending in India to 6.1% in 2026, from 6.9% previously, with growth expected to improve to 6.5% in 2027.
Fast-growing data centre market
The residential market remained broadly resilient in the first half of the year, but signs of moderation became evident in the second quarter. Housing sales slowed as elevated property prices, affordability pressures and cautious buyer sentiment weighed on demand. This softer momentum coincided with slower home loan growth, which eased to 10.9% year over year in May, down from 11.5% in March. Demand has also been affected by continued layoffs and subdued hiring in the technology sector, prompting some households to delay homebuying decisions. Looking ahead, expected rate hikes later in the year are likely to slow housing demand slightly. Even so, underlying demand should remain supported by urbanisation and infrastructure expansion. As demand moderates, developers are becoming more cautious about new project additions, pulling back on land acquisitions and placing greater emphasis on debt control. War in the Middle East has pushed up construction costs in India, with higher freight and steel prices feeding into project budgets. If the war persists, it could delay construction timelines and slow new project launches across the country. As a result, we expect residential construction in India to increase 6.1% in 2026, down from 7.7% in our previous estimate, before accelerating to 6.5% in 2027.
OUTLOOK FOR KEY CONSTRUCTION TYPES
uc nstr l Co Tota
tion
al
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id Res
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astr Infr
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Offi
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■ 2005 ■ 2006 ■ 2007 ■ 2008 ■ 2009
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Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
(PERCENT CHANGE, REAL 2019 US$)
9% 7% 5% 3% 1% -1% -3% -5% -7%
The office subsegment is forecast to expand by 10.3% in 2026, supported by robust data centre construction. Policy support is also strengthening demand, with the government announcing a 20-year tax break for hyperscalers that use Indian data centres to serve global clients, while state governments have introduced targeted incentives, including land subsidies, stamp duty exemptions and power tariff concessions. Traditional office completions declined in the first half of the year, as developers adopted a more cautious stance. Even so, occupier demand remains healthy. Global Capability Centers (GCCs) continue to account for a major share of overall office demand in India, with the technology sector remaining the largest contributor. This reinforces positive occupier sentiment and continued confidence in the Indian office market. The strong occupier trend is likely to continue, supported by multinational companies expanding. Infrastructure construction spending is on track to increase 6.9% in 2026 and 7.1% in 2027. The government has allocated 12.2 trillion rupees to infrastructure spending in the new fiscal year, up from 11.2 trillion rupees (US$118 billion) in the previous year, marking an all-time high. This reinforces the government’s continued focus on infrastructure-led investment. The most notable infrastructure projects outlined in the budget include the development of seven high-speed rail corridors, 20 new national waterways and city economic regions. Nevertheless, this reflects the limited uptake from private investment, with the share of private corporate investment in total fixed investment steadily declining in recent years. According to the latest flash report from the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, 1,847 ongoing infrastructure projects monitored by the government had recorded cumulative cost overruns of 4.92 trillion rupees (US$52 billion) as of June 2026. The transport and logistics sector accounted for the largest number of ongoing projects. INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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ECONOMIC OUTLOOK INDIA
CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK FOR DETAILED INDUSTRIES
S&P GLOBAL is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial information and analytics. It is dedicated to sharing essential economic intelligence with those working in and affected by global markets. Its experts provide a 360-degree perspective across countries, risks, industries, and commodities.
(COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH, REAL 2019 US$)
■ 2030-35 ■ 2025-30 ■ 2020-25
Health & Social Services Education Retail Hospitality Energy Water/Sewer Transportation Infrastructure
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
0%
5%
The overruns mainly reflect delays in land acquisition, slow regulatory approvals and weak initial cost estimation. These pressures highlight the need for stronger project execution, faster clearances and improved cost management.
Infrastructure drives growth
Construction spending in India will enjoy a healthy 5.7% compound annual growth rate between 2025 and 2030, led by the infrastructure segment. In the long run, growth
10%
15%
20%
25%
will slow to a 4.9% compound annual rate between 2030 and 2035. The infrastructure segment will again demonstrate the highest growth over the period. Within infrastructure, transportation growth slows steeply from nearly 20% growth over the past five years to just under 8% over the next five. However, this is largely a base effect from extremely high-budget outlays at the start of the decade, particularly stimulatory responses to Covid. Growth accelerates somewhat for water/
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sewer as India deals with increasing population density and flooding challenges from global climate change. Energy growth is relatively stable as India’s migration to renewables slows. We expect both healthcare and education construction growth to slow over the next few years as the federal budget re-allocates priorities to reducing taxation. There should not be a significant retrenchment, however, as India’s rapidly growing (and ageing) population requires considerable investment at both ends of lifespans. iC
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HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
From Istanbul to Miami, Andy Brown looks at projects that show how cranes, falsework, formwork and site teams are adapting to height, wind and space constraints
A
ll aspects of construction are vital but there are some that are, undoubtedly, more eye-catching than others. A tower standing more than 100m high in the air, dwarfing surrounding buildings, is a good visual representation of the kind of project that the construction industry is so skilled at executing. High-rise construction involves sectors of the industry such as tower cranes, falsework and formwork, new technology and more. We’ve compiled seven of the industry’s recent and most impressive high-rise projects and spoken to the people behind them to ask about the technology used, how they met sustainability requirements and what challenges they faced – and overcame.
Istanbul International Financial Center Project, Turkey
The Istanbul International Financial Center Project of the Central Bank of Türkiye is a key national infrastructure project and the tallest high-rise building in the Mediterranean region, with a height of 380m. The building features a hybrid structure of steel frames and precast concrete. Its individual giant steel columns weigh up to 48.2 tons. Zoomlion customised and developed the L760-50 luffing-jib tower crane especially for this project, which was completed in 2024. Given the height of the building, the project owner and general contractor set exceptionally strict requirements in terms of construction safety, equipment reliability, hoisting efficiency and guaranteed technical service support. Yu Lihu, deputy general manager of Zoomlion Construction Hoisting Machinery Company reveals, “Violent wind load fluctuations above 380m demand high stability, wind resistance
18 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
and reliable wind hazard management for the tower crane.” As the location was in a seismic belt, there was local seismic compliance for crane attachment layout and foundation design, which was another factor that had to be contended with – as well as a tight construction schedule. “A total of 1,260 heavy-lift operations [were] required throughout construction. The tower crane had to run steadily at full capacity nonstop, with no allowance for frequent shutdowns or adjustments. This posed extremely demanding criteria for the crane’s load capacity and structural stability during attachment,” says Yu Lihu. The construction site was extremely tight,
which limited the available size for the crane’s standard mast sections. Each tower crane required ten custom-designed tie-in points, calling for fully tailored engineering solutions. Regarding what the team learned from the project, Yu Lihu, said, “In the competition for high-end overseas projects technical parameters of equipment serve only as a fundamental prerequisite. “Project owners attach great importance to manufacturers’ on-site rapid response capability, localised spare parts supply and multilingual technical support. Reliance merely on hardware advantages cannot meet the long-term construction demands of complex projects.”
The Istanbul International Financial Center is the tallest high-rise building in the Mediterranean region IMAGE: ZOOMLION
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HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
allowed it to move around the site with suspended loads. Frick said this helped reduce the need for repeated set-up and repositioning. “Unlike an all-terrain crane operating on outriggers, it did not require constant repositioning and setup for each individual installation stage,” he said. “This allowed several assembly steps to be completed more efficiently.”
Onyx Bahrain Bay towers, Bahrain
Sky Park Tower project, Bratislava
Doka is supplying an integrated climbing, formwork and protection solution for the Sky Park Tower, an almost 125m residential highrise under construction in Bratislava, Slovakia. The solution is said to enable efficient construction despite progressively reducing floor plates and changing slab geometry, helping main contractor Skanska SK maintain productivity, safety and streamlined site logistics throughout the project. Molnár Ľudovít, managing director, Doka Slovakia, said that the biggest challenge was coordinating the tower’s changing geometry with an efficient and repeatable construction sequence. “The core needs to progress ahead of the surrounding structure, while the building perimeter changes along the entire height of the building. Together with our customer, we therefore developed an integrated concept covering formwork, protection, access and logistics. This supports continuous workflows and greater planning certainty as the tower rises,” said Ľudovít. The structure is the fifth and final tower of the Sky Park, a contemporary urban regeneration project developed on a former industrial site. It will be the tallest building within the development and comprise 33 above-ground storeys and five basement levels. Technology employed on the project included the Automatic climbing formwork Xclimb 60. “Eleven external and six internal Xclimb 60 platforms allow the core to progress more than three storeys ahead of the surrounding structure, independently of the tower crane. “A three-storey protection screen, Framax Xlife plus wall formwork and project-specific access and loading solutions complete the www.constructionbriefing.com
The biggest challenge was said to be coordinating the tower’s changing geometry with an efficient and repeatable construction sequence IMAGE: DOKA concept. For our customer, the benefit is one coordinated high-rise solution rather than multiple separate systems,” said Ľudovít.
Kooheji Contractors used Paschal formwork systems during construction of Onyx Bahrain Bay, a twin-tower development in Bahrain that has since moved into operation as Onyx Residences by Rotana and Onyx Rotana. Kooheji Contractors were appointed as main contractor for the design and construction of the project. According to Paschal, the construction sequence was planned to make more efficient use of time and materials. Work was carried out simultaneously on the first section up to the fourth parking level, before material used on Tower A was transferred for use on Tower B. The formwork package included around 400m² of Paschal Modular/GE universal
Aventin Dyje Industrial Park, Czech Republic
A Sennebogen telescopic crawler crane has been used to assemble the prefabricated concrete structure of a new industrial hall at the Aventin Dyje Industrial Park in the Czech Republic. The DY4 production hall is being built for engineering company Sanborn by Ima Construction. The building measures 96.8m by 72.8m and has a total area of around 7,047m². Construction started in November 2025, with completion, final inspection and handover scheduled for August 2026. Sennebogen said one of the main challenges on the project was the assembly of large precast concrete elements across an extensive site. Maximilian Frick, PR and marketing manager at Sennebogen, said the individual components were temporarily stored in a laydown area before being moved directly to their installation points. “The crane therefore had to combine conventional lifting operations with frequent pick-and-carry tasks,” he said. A Sennebogen 683 E telescopic crawler crane was selected for the work. The machine’s telescopic boom provided the reach and load capacity needed to position the precast components, while its crawler undercarriage
Sennebogen said one of the main challenges on the project was the assembly of large precast concrete elements across an extensive site IMAGE: SENNEBOGEN
INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
formwork and 2,200m² of Paschal Deck slab formwork. Paschal said its Modular/GE system was used for concrete components requiring flexibility across different applications, while the deck slab formwork was used for floor slab construction. The company said the reuse of formwork materials across both towers helped support the construction programme and reduce the need for additional equipment on site. Onyx Bahrain Bay is now operational.
Clinker production line project, Saudi Arabia
A high-rise industrial project in Saudi Arabia highlighted how XCMG tower cranes and coordinated lifting solutions helped overcome challenging desert conditions and achieve safe, efficient construction. Located in the northern desert region of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, the project is part of a key EPCC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Commissioning) clinker cement production line under the country’s Vision 2030 initiative. The project presented a combination of challenges. The construction site faced harsh desert conditions, including extreme heat and frequent sandstorms. At the same time, construction activities reached nearly 200m in height, where stronger winds created additional challenges for lifting safety and equipment stability. Adding to the complexity, more than 80% of the work involved steel structure lifting,
with hoisting operations carried out alongside welding activities. This required tower cranes to deliver exceptional stability, positioning accuracy and operational flexibility. Under these conditions, ensuring safe and precise high-altitude lifting throughout the construction process became the project’s primary challenge. The project deployed four XCMG tower cranes, including one XGT1050-50S, one XGT600A-32S and two XGT7528A-18S1 units. The tower cranes were equipped with specialised wind-resistant structures to support high-altitude operations in desert conditions. Their millisecond-level micro-motion control technology was said to enable precise positioning of heavy loads, improving lifting accuracy and operational safety. Beyond individual machine performance, the project adopted a multi-tower coordinated operation model. By dividing working areas and implementing an organised workflow between multiple cranes, the team reduced operational interference and maintained continuous progress for steel structure lifting and welding activities. XCMG says that the Saudi project demonstrates several key lessons. For highaltitude projects exposed to strong winds and challenging outdoor conditions, lifting equipment with enhanced wind resistance and high-precision control capabilities is essential to maintaining operational stability. For projects involving large-scale steel structures and simultaneous lifting and welding operations, effective multi-tower planning and
coordinated workflows are critical to ensuring continuous construction progress.
Various projects, Miami, US
Liebherr tower cranes are being used on a series of residential and mixed-use high-rise projects across Greater Miami, US. The cranes have been supplied through Morrow Equipment Company, Liebherr’s exclusive tower crane distributor for the US, Canada and Mexico. Liebherr models are currently working on projects in Miami neighbourhoods including Brickell, Edgewater, Park West and the Miami Worldcenter district. Talking about the challenges of the projects a Liebherr spokesperson said, “Coordinating cranes across seven simultaneous high-rise projects in Miami's dense districts, each with different demands. “Extreme height at Cipriani (up to 305m hook height approved by the FAA), tight twotower site at E11EVEN, waterfront constraints at Villa Miami. Plus, Florida-specific factors: hurricane exposure, high humidity, hook heights up to 230m, and cramped inner-city sites.” Liebherr said the projects reflect the lifting challenges associated with high-rise construction on the Florida coast, including tight urban sites, hook heights of up to around 230m, seasonal hurricane exposure and high humidity. The cranes being used include EC-B flattop cranes, EC-H high-top cranes and HC-L luffing jib cranes.
Onyx Bahrain Bay is a twin-tower development in Bahrain IMAGE: PASCHAL
Construction reached nearly 200m in height at a high-rise industrial project in Saudi Arabia, where strong winds created additional challenges IMAGE: XCMG www.constructionbriefing.com
INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION
The EC-B flat-top range is being used where several cranes need to work close together, while the EC-H high-top series provides additional lifting capacity for taller and heavier structures. HC-L luffing jib cranes are being used on sites where space at height is limited. Among the projects is Villa Miami, a 56-storey luxury condominium tower in Edgewater. Two Liebherr 316 EC-H tower cranes have been working on the project, with crane heights filed with the Federal Aviation Administration of around 230m and 218m above ground. At E11EVEN Club Hotel & Residences Miami in Park West, a Liebherr 470 EC-B tower crane was used on the first 65-storey tower, which topped off earlier this year. Work is also progressing on the second tower, E11EVEN Club Residences Beyond. Other Miami projects using Liebherr tower cranes include a 58-storey residential tower at 46 NE 6th Street, Hamilton House in Edgewater and the St. Regis Residences, Miami, a 50-storey condominium project on Brickell Avenue. On lessons from the projects, the Liebherr spokesperson said, “Matching crane type to site constraints is the core theme — flat-tops for density, high-tops for extreme height/load, luffers for restricted airspace. “Having one flexible fleet/portfolio and one dealer partner lets a builder pick the right machine per project rather than one-size-fitsall.”
Liebherr tower cranes are being used on a series of residential and mixed-use high-rise projects across Greater Miami, US IMAGE: LIEBHERR
Cable-stayed bridges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Three Wolff 180 B luffing jib cranes are being used to construct two new cable-stayed bridges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bridges are being built on either side of the existing Wadi Laban Bridge, which has been the only crossing over the valley for more than 30 years. The client is the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. The project is being delivered by
the ICRC joint venture, made up of Turkish contractor IC Ictas and Riyadh-based Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company. The three cranes each have 40m jibs, a hook height of 157m and a maximum lifting capacity of 18 tonnes. They are being used to construct four bridge pylons, which will reach up to around 170m in height. Their lifting duties include formwork systems, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other site equipment. Wolff said one of the main challenges involved repositioning several stacked working platforms when changing formwork between different pylon sections. During those lifts, the cranes used their full 18-tonne lifting capacity. As work progresses, the cranes will also lift support beams weighing up to 12 tonnes for the construction of the pylon heads. The Wolff 180 B cranes were assembled in 2025 using mobile cranes and are expected to remain on site until 2027. Once complete, the two new cable-stayed bridges will each be around 763m long, with a main span of 405m. Each bridge will be around 35m wide and designed to carry eight traffic lanes. The project forms part of Riyadh’s Main and Ring Road Axes Development Program, which aims to expand capacity on the Saudi capital’s main transport routes. iC Three Wolff 180 B luffing jib cranes are being used to construct two new cablestayed bridges in Riyadh IMAGE: WOLFF
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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Edel Christie, global president, Places, Arcadis, tells Andy Brown that optimism bias remains one of the industry’s biggest delivery challenges as it strives to keep up with burgeoning demand for sectors such as data centres Arcadis was involved in the design and engineering of the Millau Viaduct in France IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK
G
lobal construction is in good health – a benefit of being a truly essential industry – but its issues are well documented: a lack of skilled workers, supply chain challenges and rising inflation being some of the most common. There might be, according to Edel Christie, global president, Places, at Arcadis, a global design and consultancy organisation, another one to add to this list: optimism. “Without a doubt, optimism bias is at the heart of this industry,” she says, discussing why projects all too often go over time and budget during a video interview with International Construction. “While we want people to be aspirational, we also want some realism. Otherwise, it’s a very dissatisfying place to be,” says Christie. “We need to get more confidence that what we said we’re going to do, we’re going to do for the price we said, when we said. Optimism bias is probably one of the prevailing qualities that exists in this industry.”
Arcadis is a consultancy for the industry on natural and built assets and works in many different sectors. Christie heads up Places, which focuses on property, defence, life sciences and data centres, although she is quick to point out that the different segments at the company are increasingly working with each other and crossing over.
A straight shooter
Christie comes across as a straight talker who calls things how she sees them, as well as someone with vast knowledge. This is not surprising given that she has been with Arcadis for 28 years, working in a number of different roles for the Netherlands-headquartered firm. The optimism bias she talks about is at the heart of one of construction’s biggest issues, and one of the key reasons why her firm is hired – construction’s inability to consistently deliver projects on time and on budget. She believes the best way to address this is to spend more time before a spade, or
Data quality is becoming like the new gold Edel Christie, global president, Places, at Arcadis IMAGE: ARCADIS www.constructionbriefing.com
INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
the blade of an excavator, has come anywhere near touching the ground. “When you spend more time at the front end, really running the scenarios, running the risk models, running the opportunity models, you can get more confidence about how that project’s going to progress. But you do need to have that mindset and culture,” she says. “It’s good to talk about risks and opportunities and get them on the table and do some early work. In some industries, they’re far better at doing the surveys earlier. The sooner we understand our exposure, the more we can mitigate the whole programme.”
Sector going supersonic
The growth in data centres in the past few years has been rapid. McKinsey estimates that global spending on data centres could reach US$7 trillion by 2030 and that demand could almost triple between 2025 and 2030. “There is a high demand for data centres, but the critical issue for them is deliverability. What is it that makes something deliverable? If we were talking about this two or three years ago it was all about where’s the land where we can deliver it. There is land, but if that land is not powered you’re stuck again – you’ve got the next hurdle to get over. The biggest demand in the market right now is powered land.” New York recently became the first US state to introduce a moratorium on new hyperscale data centres, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul signing an executive order pausing state environmental permits for new projects for up to one year. Christie says that some parts of the US are “go, go, go” regarding data centres but acknowledges that there are some community concerns, and says that it is vital that all those involved in construction engage in meaningful dialogue with communities. “Are they being done in a way that is conscious of what we need to deliver to society? Are we designing them to be efficient? Are we delivering them efficiently? Because it’s not just the design, it’s what happens when you build these things, that’s a disruption to the community. How can you do that smarter?” The global president of Places says that one of the ways to build smarter and minimise disruption – not just for data centres – is through off-site manufacture and modular building. She notes that these themes appear consistently whenever they are talking to clients about large campus projects. Whatever the industry can do to minimse disruption and speed up the process is to be welcomed, especially because – on top of the already high demand for data centres – another factor is going to add to the crunch:
26 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
Prototype design by Arcadis for one of the world’s most sustainable data centres, for Terra Ventures in San Jose, California, US IMAGE: ARCADIS the refitting of existing data centres. “You’ve also got a lot of data centres that have been built that will be coming up to their refit. We will be getting into the next cycle for existing assets that will be going through their refurbishment,” says Christie. “So, you’re going to have two things running concurrently: new [data centres] and, secondly, refurbishing the existing portfolios that sit around the world and how you can retrofit in a more compelling way from an efficiency, sustainability and loading perspective.” The challenge for construction is that data centres are not the only sector trying to move quickly. Christie points out that semiconductors, life sciences, healthcare, defence, water and wider infrastructure programmes are also competing for investment, people and supply chain capacity. While each sector has its own technical requirements, many of them rely on the same core skills and delivery expertise. A boom in one market can create pressure across several others. “When you’ve got these big cycles, all running at the same time simultaneously, and I use the example of data centres, semiconductors and life sciences, there’s some common core skills that you use in all those areas,” says Christie. “Then there’s obviously very specific subject matter area skills.” It is another reason, she argues, why clients and consultants need to think differently about how projects are planned and delivered.
Combining human and digital
Technology and digitisation are nothing new to construction. What has shifted in recent years is more of an analytical approach; having data in itself is not enough – what is key is being able to effectively analyse and use it. “We’ve been talking about the role of digital capabilities for a number of years – everybody should be talking about it now. The new use is how can you apply it in an effective way and
really make a difference. We talk a lot about the human and digital offer at Arcadis, how do we bring our human skills into the context of the conversation with our client and also then use that to apply ourselves using digital tools? “We can all retrieve knowledge far faster than we ever could before. But you’ve got to interpret that knowledge. The knowledge is only effective if you can do something smart with it.” The blending of computer power with human brainpower and knowledge has the potential to be transformational for an industry striving for more efficiency. It is already being used now in numerous different ways. Christie gives one example, saying, “We can use our computational design so our architects and our engineers can run iteration after iteration, thousands and thousands of iterations that would have taken weeks, months, years in the past.” Emphasising the importance of data, she adds, “Data quality is becoming like the new gold... If you’re not attributing that data well, you can’t use it smartly. You can have all the technologies available to you, but it all needs an input and that input is quality of data.”
Humans at construction’s heart
Throughout the interview Christie shows her human and personal side with conversations about children, football, travel and Yorkshire. This is apt, as one of the main takeaways from the talk is how, for all the talk of AI, data, digital tools and modular building, her central point is a very human one. Construction needs to get better at having difficult conversations earlier, when there is still time to do something useful with the answers. That may not be as eye-catching as new technology or a new method of construction, but it is vital, as is the need for a more realistic approach to project timelines and cost. Humans are at the heart of construction, but the industry would be better served if it could temper what is, in most walks of life, a positive attribute – optimism. Ironically, less of this and more leaning into the right data, would leave those working in this sector with more reasons than ever to be positive. iC www.constructionbriefing.com
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EXCAVATORS
Caterpillar launched the 319 compact radius excavator at ConExpo 2026 with wide tracks for extra stability IMAGE: CATERPILLAR
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n May 2006, International Construction’s then-editor Chris Sleight (now managing director of Off-Highway Research) was just back from the Intermat exhibition in France and reported on a new range of compact excavators from JCB. A fold-back door that could be clipped to the counterweight to keep it within the machine’s footprint and tracks caught his eye. “It is a useful safety feature that should prevent the door getting caught and broken when slewing the upper structure in tight spaces,” he wrote. It was a practical solution to a physical problem. If it seems like a fairly basic feature these days, it also illustrates just how much things have changed in two decades. Excavator safety features have mushroomed from passive measures largely aimed at protecting the operator inside the cab, to monitoring everyone and everything within the machine’s working area. Increasingly, the excavator is expected not only to see a danger but to understand it and, potentially, intervene.
Twenty years ago, excavator safety largely involved protecting the operator and improving the machine’s physical design. Today, machines can identify people and are starting to be able to intervene in their own movements, reports Neil Gerrard
Liebherr’s SkyView assistance system gives the driver a 360-degree view around the machine at all times IMAGE: LIEBHERR
The excavator learns to ‘see’
Brian Stellbrink, excavator market professional at Caterpillar, recalls that the emphasis 20 years ago was mainly on the operator and the physical attributes of the excavator. These included seat belts, cab guarding and finding ways to allow the operator to spot hazards. “There was a big focus on sight lines, making the cab structure stronger but with less steel and more glass for greater visibility,” he says. Fast forward to 2026 and Todd Sutton III, EHS director at Skanska USA Civil West says sophisticated tech like camera systems (from rear-view cameras all the way up to 360-degree birds-eye view systems) are now a must-have. “What was once considered an enhancement is now a baseline expectation because of the visibility it provides in increasingly complex and congested work environments,” he tells International Construction. Meanwhile, Wu Yuanfeng, deputy general
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EXCAVATORS
manager of Zoomlion Earthmoving Machinery Company and Zoomlion Mining Machinery Company, regards the combination of 360-degree vision and active anti-collision technology as the “single development with the greatest impact” on excavator safety. Seeing a person is only one part of the problem, though. The operator still has to notice the warning and respond. Kevin Randall, director of technical services at Balfour Beatty Asset & Technology Solutions, says earlier sonar-based vehicle collision avoidance systems could detect an object but did not necessarily prevent people being injured. “The advent of human-form recognition was a game-changer for me,” he says. “My frustration with the industry is that we are not taking this up. The OEMs seem to be quite slow in adopting the technology.” Randall has seen the systems alter how people approach machinery. A worker receives an external warning that the machine has detected them, while the operator is alerted inside the cab. “If you are a groundworker and you approach a machine and it detects you and you know you have been detected, you think: ‘Now I’m at risk. Now I’m in danger because I’m in close proximity,’” he says. “From the other perspective, the operator has now got a notification.”
More safety features
Warren Wilkinson, business stream leader for Plant & Power Solutions at Select Plant Hire, SDLG’s remote control system removes operators from hazardous environments IMAGE: SDLG www.constructionbriefing.com
IMAGES: SELECT PLANT HIRE
A Komatsu HB365 LC hybrid excavator with slew and height restrictions, part of Select Plant Hire’s fleet
A 360-degree camera system installed on a JCB excavator in Select Plant Hire’s fleet
notes that the conversation around excavator safety has shifted from roll-over protective structures (ROPS), falling-object protective structures (FOPS) to safe load indicators (SLIs), rated capacity indicators (RCIs), and height and slew restrictions. “Originally we started off with ROPS and that was to protect the operator,” he says. “Now we’re talking about plant-people interface, making the construction site safer, making the people around it safer, supporting the exclusion zones around the machine,” he says. The nature of construction may be intensifying the need for that protection. Stellbrink points to restricted sites, tighter programmes and more contractors undertaking activities concurrently. “The velocity on projects is increasing. There’s more contractors working together on the same job and more activities going on concurrently, which drives more of a need for safety of those outside the machine,” he says. A spokesperson for China-based OEM
LiuGong agrees that the industry has shifted from cab-centred passive protection – ROPS, FOPS, belts, alarms and hydraulic locks – to active prevention and full-domain awareness. “For excavators built around 2006, safety design centred on protecting people when accidents occur, relying mainly on passive protection devices such as ROPS, FOPS, safety belts and safety lock levers. “By contrast, safety in today’s LiuGong excavators has evolved into a full‑chain system featuring pre‑event early warning, in‑event intervention, and post‑event traceability.” The spokesperson added that its new excavators have 360° panoramic vision to eliminate visual blind spots, and AI personnel detection identifies hazards in advance to stop incidents from happening. If an incident is about to occur then an ‘inevent’ intelligent anti‑collision system delivers multi‑level warnings, ranging from audio‑visual alerts and speed limiting to emergency braking. INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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Komatsu PW148-11
The new PW148-11 is powerful, comfortable, durable and compact. With the new optional all-wheel steering, a first-in-the-market feature for heavy wheeled excavators, it delivers the ultimate combination of mobility and performance. It comes factory-prepared for use with tilt rotators and 3D machine guidance retrofit systems. Additionally, its low transport height makes road transport easier.
Komatsu Europe International N.V. · Mechelsesteenweg 586 · B-1800 Vilvoorde · Belgium · All rights reserved
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EXCAVATORS
If that has not been enough to stop an accident, post-event, continuous video recording enables accident‑scene reconstruction. Skanska’s Sutton identifies grade-control systems as a good way to reduce excavation errors and the likelihood of utility strikes, while digital planning can identify potential conflicts before work begins. However, he cautions against attributing changing behaviour entirely to machine technology. “Modern systems have changed operations, but a large factor in changing operator behaviour has come from training, incident reviews and a culture of sharing lessons learned across projects,” Sutton says.
Machines taking control?
As excavator safety technology advances, a new capability for machines is emerging – the ability to override an operator if they spot a hazard. “When you are trying to control the machine, your focus is on the thing that you are trying to control and dig with,” Randall points out. “You are not looking in your peripheral vision or over to your side where someone might approach.” Human detection can address that limitation but a warning still relies on the operator responding. The next stage is for the machine to restrict the movement that creates the danger. A spokesperson for China-based SDLG identifies 360-degree environmental awareness, AI-based person detection and active braking as the most transformative developments of the past 20 years. “Active sensing and intervention systems identify hazards in advance and proactively prevent accidents, directly addressing the most common incidents involving blind spots and swing collisions,” they note. The manufacturer says industry statistics indicate that more than half of excavator-related fatalities and injuries involve ground personnel struck in blind spots or during slewing. It also claims active sensing and intervention can www.constructionbriefing.com
Rearview cameras and travel alarms are standard on Yuchai Equipment’s U60 IMAGE: YUCHAI EQUIPMENT reduce such incidents by more than 80%. Zoomlion’s Wu Yuanfeng predicts, “Over the next decade, the dominant direction in the excavator safety field will transition from ‘assisted warning’ to ‘active intervention and autonomous decision-making’, building an intelligent closed loop of ‘perception-decisionexecution/intervention-learning/evolution.’” Chinese manufacturing giant XCMG has developed its Intelligent Control Safety (ICS) system, which combines attitude sensors, visual and radar technology, and safety logic to enable real-time monitoring and functions such as rollover warnings, boom anti-fall protection, and personnel detection-based speed control and emergency locking. “While the past two decades of safety innovation have focused on reducing accident risks, the next decade will focus on predicting and preventing risks before they occur,” says the company’s marketing manager Ziqi Li who also notes that a fusion of multiple sensors, 5G connectivity, and autonomous tech will drive the next stages of development. Automatic intervention, however, introduces its own engineering challenge. Stopping an
excavator is not necessarily as simple as cutting power, particularly if it is carrying a load or working on difficult ground. “When I say stop a machine, I mean stop a machine in a controlled, safe manner,” Randall says. “You don’t want it to fall over because it stopped it too quickly.”
More integration demanded IMAGE: XCMG
XCMG’s XE215EV electric hydraulic excavator is fitted with a high-definition camera to allow operators to keep tabs on workers around the machine
There’s another challenge that is less to do with the technology, much of which already exists, and more do to with how it is being adopted. Contractors may add height and slew restrictors, human-form recognition, machine control and camera systems from several different suppliers. “A lot of these are third-party fit systems, so you have lots of different installs once you buy a machine,” Wilkinson says. Different systems can bring separate displays into the cab, potentially creating distraction and obstructing the visibility that manufacturers have spent decades improving. Stellbrink says Caterpillar is listening to customers on that challenge. Its persondetection camera is integrated into the standard machine display rather than requiring another monitor. “There are some very good solutions out there but pretty soon you end up with four or five different displays. “When we talk to contractors, they want less clutter in the cab, more integration into the machine’s monitor and into the joystick controls, and we’re acting on that as a manufacturer,” he says. There are other obstacles. SDLG’s spokesperson says the performance of cameras and radar can deteriorate in dust, heavy rain, mud or difficult lighting, leading to false warnings or missed detections. They also acknowledge the need for advanced safety equipment to be extended to smaller excavators. As a spokesperson for Chinese OEM Yuchai acknowledges, such systems are still relatively expensive. “The high cost of intelligent safety systems limits their widespread adoption, especially on smaller machines,” they say. Nonetheless, Yuchai’s spokesperson also notes just how much progress has been made. They highlight how the company’s YC15-7, a major export model 20 years ago, was only equipped with “relatively basic” safety features. “Today, excavators build on that structural foundation by integrating smart safety systems. On Yuchai Equipment’s primary export model for 2026, the U60, rearview cameras and travel alarms are standard equipment,” they note. Balfour Beatty’s Randall argues that factory integration and standard fitment would increase production volumes and reduce costs. “If it was INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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EXCAVATORS
LiuGong says that the industry has shifted from cab-centred passive protection to active prevention and full-domain awareness
just integrated into the equipment architecture, cost becomes less of an issue because instead of doing 100 you are doing 10,000,” he says. Contractors also have considerable influence. “Clients establish safety expectations, but the selection and implementation of specific equipment technologies is 99% contractor driven,” says Sutton.
Keeping out of harm’s way
Another goal for excavator manufacturers is removing the operator from hazardous environments altogether. Remote-control systems already allow machines to work near unstable ground, water, quarry faces and contaminated areas without placing the operator in the cab. Thomas Haas, head of product management at LiebherrFrance, can envisage a time where operators are no longer put at risk in such scenarios. “Remote operation solutions will allow machines to be operated safely in hazardous or contaminated environments, reducing risks for personnel,” he says. “Looking further ahead, autonomous machines have the potential to remove operators from dangerous working areas altogether.” Many OEMs have already applied remote operation and automation in mining.
IMAGE: LIUGONG
However, the leap from a controlled mine or demonstration area to a live construction project is a large one. “If you can make the human-machine interface aware of its environment, you are already a step along the road to autonomy. But [mining] is quite removed from what happens today on a construction site – it is a quantum leap to prove autonomy works on a jobsite,” says Randall. For now, the longer-term objective may not be autonomous excavators but a connected safety system. SDLG envisages excavators exchanging position and operational data with workers’ wearable devices, other machines, and site-management platforms. This is a similar scenario to the safety future that LiuGong predicts. They contend that the
sector will move from ‘single-machine safety’ to ‘group safety’ over the next decade. “All machines on the construction site communicate in real time, sharing position, speed, and motion intent. When one excavator slews, the surrounding loaders and trucks automatically avoid it,” says a LiuGong spokesperson. Twenty years on from JCB’s fold-back door innovation, manufacturers and contractors are attempting to create an invisible protective boundary around the machine and everyone near it. The challenge now is deciding how much responsibility the excavator should assume, and making the systems reliable, integrated and affordable enough to work across the entire construction industry. iC
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Neil Gerrard investigates whether satellites could provide infrastructure owners with another line of bridge defence
ight years after the Morandi Bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy, killing 43 people, an Italian court convicted 32 former motorway executives, engineers and public officials over the disaster earlier this year. The first-instance verdict has renewed scrutiny of how bridge owners monitor ageing structures and identify warning signs before failure occurs. Prosecutors argued that longstanding defects and maintenance requirements had been neglected pior to the collapse, although defence lawyers attributed it to design flaws. The convictions remain open to appeal. But could satellites provide infrastructure owners with another line of defence? Canadian geospatial intelligence company Italy’s Morandi Bridge in Genoa, which collapsed in 2018 PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
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Catalyst says “interferometric synthetic aperture radar”, or InSAR for short, can detect millimetre-small movements across large portfolios of bridges and other infrastructure, potentially revealing changes that occur between physical inspections. The technology cannot explain why a structure is moving, nor can it detect hidden corrosion directly. But its advocates argue that it could help engineers decide where closer investigation is most urgently needed. To illustrate its capabilities, Catalyst has retrospectively applied the technology to two European bridges that collapsed after their condition had been assessed using conventional inspection methods. A section of the Carola Bridge in Dresden, Germany, fell into the River Elbe in September 2024. Investigators subsequently found that hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking, combined with material fatigue, had severely damaged more than 68% of the tendons in the collapsed section. The nature of the deterioration meant that the failure could not have been anticipated through the normal inspection regime, according to investigators. However, Catalyst claims that its retrospective
analysis detected more than 40mm of progressive displacement at the eventual failure point during the preceding three years. A second analysis examined the Spey Viaduct in Scotland, which partially collapsed in December 2025. Moray Council’s initial investigation attributed the collapse to scour, the erosion of material from around bridge foundations by flowing water. A specialist survey conducted in 2023 had found no evidence of scour. But the council said the river’s flow path appeared to have changed subsequently, potentially altering its effect on the piers. In its own retrospective analysis, Catalyst said found that the viaduct had moved laterally by approximately 8cm over nearly two years.
A prompt for more investigation
Of course, those findings do not mean that InSAR would necessarily have prevented either collapse. However, Dr Ben ConwayJones, InSAR scientist at Catalyst, argues that regular satellite monitoring could have identified movement and prompted engineers to investigate further. “Retrospective InSAR analysis has a role in post-incident investigation and litigation, but the real value of the technology lies in inspection and maintenance regimes,” he tells International Construction. “Traditional infrastructure inspections are carried out on a fixed calendar cycle, with boots on the ground. Given the scale of ageing infrastructure portfolios, these inspections are www.constructionbriefing.com
BRIDGES
Regular satellite monitoring could help identify issues with infrastructure, such as bridges PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK often widely spaced, so evolving deformation between visits can go undetected until it becomes a serious problem.”
Engineering expertise required
Of course, structures move for many reasons. Bridges expand and contract as temperatures change, while settlement, traffic loads, groundwater conditions and seasonal changes can all produce measurable displacement. InSAR can establish that movement has occurred, but it cannot by itself determine whether the cause represents a structural defect. “This is an important question, and it’s exactly why we spend so much time talking to engineers,” Conway-Jones says. “InSAR analysis provides displacement measurements to millimetric accuracy, but it doesn’t determine the source of that displacement. That requires the engineering expertise and site knowledge of the people who work on the asset. “Two bridges could show identical patterns of expansion and contraction, but without knowing their construction type, materials, and structural history, there’s no way to tell whether that movement is within normal bounds or cause for concern.” That means satellite measurements have to be interpreted alongside structural drawings, inspection records, knowledge of the materials used and information from monitoring systems installed on the asset. Conway-Jones adds, “This is why we work so closely with our engineering clients: to www.constructionbriefing.com
understand their sites, the signals they’re interested in and expect to see, and how to turn our data into actionable information about any genuine structural problems for their site or portfolio of sites.”
Reducing inspection costs
The economics of satellite monitoring differ from physical inspections or ground-based monitoring equipment because one satellite acquisition can cover numerous assets. Traditional monitoring costs tend to rise with the number of structures involved because each site may require instruments to be purchased,
installed and maintained. With InSAR, adding another asset within an area already covered by the data can involve a comparatively low marginal cost. “The satellite data used for InSAR analysis is acquired over vast areas, often covering multiple towns and cities,” Conway-Jones says. “A consequence of this is that multiple assets are often monitored simultaneously within a single data pass. Unlike traditional monitoring, where price scales linearly with every additional asset, as each one requires its own deployed instrumentation, InSAR can monitor additional assets at a much lower marginal cost, provided they are geographically close to one another. It scales extremely well and is often significantly cheaper than physical inspection at portfolio scale.” But that comparison does not mean that satellite analysis eliminates the cost of site visits. “InSAR isn’t designed to fully replace physical inspections,” Conway-Jones says. “Rather, by monitoring large asset portfolios simultaneously, it becomes possible to direct physical inspections to where they are needed most, avoiding redundant site visits. Thereby shifting inspection strategies from a calendarbased routines to data-driven ones.”
Why is adoption still limited?
InSAR is not new, but Conway-Jones says its use for infrastructure monitoring has accelerated only relatively recently. He points to three obstacles: limited awareness among engineers, the continued reliance of regulations and technical specifications on established ground-based methods, and the organisational challenge of deploying monitoring across large portfolios controlled by different owners or departments. The Spey Viaduct in Scotland partially collapsed in December 2025 PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
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The Carola bridge in Dresden collapsed in September, 2024 PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK “Commercial-grade InSAR data has been available for a decade or so, but it takes time for that capability to filter through into mainstream engineering practice,” he says. “Part of this comes down to education. InSAR and wider satellite Earth observation still aren’t consistently embedded in geotechnical and civil engineering degree courses, so many engineers only encounter it later in their careers, if at all, rather than learning it as a standard tool.”
HOW DOES INSAR ACTUALLY WORK? InSAR uses radar images taken by satellites passing repeatedly over the same area. The satellite emits a radar signal towards the Earth’s surface and records the reflected signal. By comparing the phase of radar waves captured at different times, analysts can identify changes in the distance between the satellite and points on the ground or on a structure. “If there’s subsidence at the surface, for example, that radar beam has slightly
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Established monitoring systems also have decades of operational history and may already be specified by infrastructure authorities. That makes it difficult for newer techniques to become part of standard requirements, even when they are intended to complement rather than replace existing methods. A third issue is that the strongest financial case for InSAR comes from monitoring multiple assets. That can require owners, further to travel with each acquisition, and the satellite can detect that tiny time delay,” Conway-Jones explains. “Because the radar wavelength is very short, around 5cm, InSAR is sensitive enough to pick up millimetric displacement at the surface.” The resulting displacement map can be used to build a time series showing how an individual measurement point moves. Depending on the satellite and service used, new radar images may become available every six to 11 days. Each satellite image can cover an area extending tens or hundreds of kilometres, allowing multiple structures
engineering teams and public bodies that have traditionally worked independently to coordinate procurement and share data. Nonetheless, Conway-Jones says satellite monitoring is moving beyond small trials. “Even in the last 18 months we’ve been involved in several major public tendering processes for operational InSAR monitoring and inspection across large asset portfolios,” he says. “Examples include Network Rail [in the UK], for deformation monitoring across their entire rail network, as well as TNO and Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands, for monitoring of several large infrastructure assets. In these cases InSAR is being deployed routinely and is directly changing inspection strategies.” If InSAR monitoring does finally enter the mainstream, it will be as a tool to augment direct human inspections, rather than as a replacement. Where inspections are separated by months or even years, satellite monitoring could provide an earlier warning that a structure’s behaviour has changed. However, there is no doubt that engineering judgement and maintenance will still be required in order to stop more of Europe’s bridges collapsing. iC to be assessed from the same acquisition. “This makes it possible to identify which assets are actively deforming and which are stable, so inspection frequency can be increased where there’s genuine risk and reduced where there isn’t. The result is a shift from a fixed, calendar-driven approach to one that’s proactive and data-driven, putting resources where they’re actually needed,” Conway-Jones says.
Catalyst is a geospatial desktop suite, specialising in Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry & Earth Observation Science for optical, and SAR imagery PHOTOS: CATALYST
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ALTERNATIVE POWER
It is a truth often told that Europe is leading the way to cleaner construction sites. Neel Madsen looks at some of the initiatives and the regulations driving the shift Volvo CE EWR150 electric wheeled excavator
Komatsu PC210E electric excavator on site in Oslo
T
he transition to non-diesel power sources, whether battery-electric, hybrid, hydrogen, HVO or other alternative fuels, is one of the most hotly debated topics in modern construction. With ambitious climate targets on the horizon, how can these goals be achieved and what are the obstacles to success? Published by the Zero Emission Resource Organisation (ZERO), the Cleaner Construction Machines in Europe report from 2025 argues that Europe must accelerate the transition from diesel-powered construction equipment to zero-emission machinery if it is to meet its 2050 climate targets. It notes that nonroad mobile machinery (NRMM), accounts for around 3.1% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions but has largely been overlooked by the regulations that have driven cleaner road transport. Oslo in Norway and parts of the Netherlands demonstrate that zero-emission construction sites are technically feasible and can operate effectively, says the ZERO report, but identifies several main barriers to faster adoption. These include higher equipment costs, a lack of charging infrastructure, and limited options for some heavy-duty applications, along with the need for new skills.
way, especially on urban construction sites. As Liebherr’s Philipp Suhm, head of technology coordination, points out, construction sites are traditionally built around ‘diesel logic’, and that while those in cities may have more charging options, temporary sites in remote locations, ports, tunnels and quarries often have no reliable electrical connection. “Even where a grid exists, it may lack the capacity to support multiple machines simultaneously,” he explains. “What drives technology selection for us at Liebherr is not ideology but operational reality. The first question is always what energy Electric equipment continues to rise in popularity on urban sites
Infrastructure issues
When it comes to cutting emissions, electric equipment is leading the Riccardo Viaggi, CECE
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ALTERNATIVE POWER
Daniel Bachmann, Liebherr is available on site and when. The technology follows from there,” adds his colleague Daniel Bachmann, managing director, Liebherr Energy Solutions. Riccardo Viaggi, CECE Secretary General, agrees that charging and refuelling infrastructure remains a major challenge, but says that the biggest barrier is not a single factor, but the need to align technology, infrastructure and economics. He adds that cost is also an important consideration, both in terms of machine acquisition and the investments needed to support new energy solutions. “At the same time, customers need confidence that alternative-powered equipment can deliver the same productivity, reliability and operational flexibility as conventional machines,” says Viaggi.
Prohibitive cost
Linda Zarai, Bellona
Linda Zarai is policy assistant for clean construction at Bellona Europa. The organisation, originally founded in Norway, is an NGO advocating for broad industrial decarbonisation, with its work focused primarily on policy advocacy. It maps existing policies, identifies where new measures are needed at local, national and EU level, and advocates for their implementation. While agreeing that charging/refuelling infrastructure and grid capacity are stumbling blocks on the road to adoption, Zarai says that high acquisition costs are a primary barrier closely tied to unpredictable market demand. “A recurring concern we hear from OEMs is that reseller customers are hesitant to buy this equipment, even when needed to participate in public pilot Philipp Suhm, Liebherr
projects for demonstrations, because they worry there won’t be enough follow-on use for it afterwards,” she explains. She adds that this is the case even where electric equipment can compete on operating costs and offers a lower TCO. This in turn discourages OEMs from scaling up to serial production, which keeps production costs elevated. Bellona’s work also focuses on regulatory barriers that can slow the adoption of emissionfree machinery, some of which it considers artificial. One example is the EU’s Energy Taxation Directive. Its policy brief identifies a number of EU policies that it believes should be reviewed to create the right conditions for emission-free machinery to scale.
Regulating for progress
The overarching strategy to become climate neutral by 2050 is enshrined in the European Green Deal, a policy roadmap published by the EU Commission in 2019. This underpins much of the legislation driving decarbonisation in construction and transport. Reg. 2021/1119, known as the European Climate Law, makes the EU’s climate neutrality target by 2050 legally binding and commits the union to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Viaggi emphasises that legislation is key to adoption. “Europe needs clear, predictable and technology-neutral policies that encourage investment in alternative power solutions and the deployment of charging and refuelling infrastructure.” He believes that regulation should recognise the diversity of construction equipment applications and avoid a one-sizefits-all approach, enabling manufacturers and customers to adopt the technologies that best meet their needs. Even in a so-called harmonised region like the EU, regulatory uncertainty adds a layer of complexity, according to Suhm at Liebherr. European regulation is accelerating the direction of travel, but the quality of the framework matters as much as its ambition. He says that companies investing in infrastructure and alternativepowered fleets need long-term planning certainty. “When policy frameworks shift frequently and permitting processes for temporary energy systems remain complex, investment decisions stall, regardless of the Liebherr A 916 E electric wheeled excavator
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ALTERNATIVE POWER
Hyundai HW155H H2 Hydrogen wheeled excavator Volvo CE ECR18 electric compact excavator PHOTO: KHL technology’s readiness,” says Suhm. Leen Stolk, customer engineering lead for Central and Eastern Europe at powertrain manufacturer Cummins, says that while infrastructure is a major factor in the adoption of lower-emission equipment, political and government priorities also have a significant influence. “Governments can change priorities, and many operate on short-term political cycles. At the European Union level, longerterm decisions can be made, but country-level priorities still vary,” he notes. According to Stolk, government policy remains one of the main drivers of change, with municipal authorities increasingly influencing the types of equipment required when projects are put out to tender. Regulation also sets the boundaries within which manufacturers must develop their technology, although practical considerations – including the application and total cost of ownership – remain important in determining which solutions are adopted.
Putting it to the test
Among OEMs, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) made an early move into electric construction equipment. Mike Stec, emerging technologies strategy and future solutions manager, works directly with authorities in cities such as Stockholm, Glasgow and London to implement the technology. During Volvo Days in Sweden, he said that contractors often have limited incentive to absorb higher costs unless there is demand from their clients or from regulators. “The reality is that adoption requires cooperation across the entire value chain. Contractors can only respond to the work being specified by clients, and if clients don’t request low-emission
Audun Garberg, Oslo Climate Agency
THE NORWEGIAN WAY Often presented as a trailblazer in low-emission construction is Oslo, Norway, where regulation and public procurement have been central to the transition. Although not an EU member state, Norway has aligned itself with the objectives of the European Green Deal and its capital city has adopted one of Europe’s most ambitious approaches to procurement. Seven years after beginning a gradual tightening of its criteria, officials say its public construction sites are now close to 100% emission-free. This means that contractors working on municipal projects here are expected to use zeroemission vehicles and construction equipment wherever practical. If suitable machines are not yet available, alternative technologies may be used, but contractors must explain why. Audun Garberg, director of Oslo’s Climate Agency (Klimaetaten), says, “It’s really fascinating to look at a how a ‘dull’ mechanism such as public procurement has played a decisive role for Oslo’s green shift.” The city is now gearing up for the next step, he says, broadening the scope of clean construction through new regulations that will require privately-owned sites within its boundaries to also transition to zero emission in a phased approach towards 2032. To achieve its mission, the city has worked with the market and suppliers to pilot and test new zero-emission machinery before rolling it out. Garberg says that an open and honest market dialogue has been key, with the city communicating new legislative change well ahead of time to give the companies time to adapt. “There is always resistance to change, but we have also found a lot of support among industry actors eager to contribute to the green transition,” he says, highlighting Norwegians’ dedication to going green exemplified by the fact that 98% of new cars sold in the country are electric. “For construction, we have not yet reached a similar point, but we are not far off. The cost of electric construction machinery is coming down, and an increasing number of machinery types are now available with zero emission alternatives.” When asked about the most important lesson Oslo can share with other European cities, he concludes, “Our advice is to have a clear mandate and stand by commitments over time. Predictability decreases risk for private actors investing in new technology. Having a plan to ramp up and facilitate private investments in charging infrastructure is also key. The market is ready, and the technology is increasingly competitive.” OSLO, NORWAY PHOTO: ADOBE ST STOCK
Leen Stolk, Cummins www.constructionbriefing.com
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solutions, contractors have little incentive to invest. Our role is to demonstrate what’s possible,” said Stec. Stec pointed to a trial in London conducted last year, which demonstrated that the cost of switching to electric construction equipment may be far lower than many contractors expect. The project brought together Transport for London (TfL), contractor FM Conway, Charge Fairy, Volvo CE’s dealer network and Volvo’s own team to compare the performance of electric excavators with diesel equivalents over an eight-week period. Carbon savings and reductions in local air pollutants were measured, as was the additional cost of using electric equipment. Viewed as a percentage of the total project cost, the additional cost proved to be less than 2%. “And that completely changed the conversation,” Stec said with satisfaction. Following that trial, TfL committed funding support for electric construction equipment over a 24-month period, while FM Conway moved quickly to expand its electric fleet. “At the start, they expected the equipment to fail, but by the end, they were convinced,” says Stec.
Hydrogen future
Also hitting the headlines is hydrogen-powered construction machinery, which is now moving closer to commercial reality. The technology can be used either through fuel cells to generate electricity or burned in an internal combustion engine, which could make the transition easier for contractors familiar with diesel equipment. “Hydrogen could play an important role for larger and more demanding applications, while also contributing to Europe’s energy security through domestic production”, says CECE’s Viaggi. “It is often seen as one of the most promising options for the longer term, particularly in applications where long operating hours, high power demands and fast refuelling are critical.” Hyundai is involved in green hydrogen production, waste-to-hydrogen systems and hydrogen combustion engines. It already offers commercially available fuel cells in passenger cars and road-going trucks and has experience of hydrogen in the global shipping market. The company believes that the technology potentially offers a far more suitable power source than batteries, particularly for larger construction equipment, as it can be used as a direct replacement for diesel, although the infrastructure remains a major obstacle. The OEM has demonstrated a secondgeneration concept of its hydrogen fuel-cell HW155H wheeled excavator, using a low-
42 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
pressure, high-density solid-state storage system designed to double storage capacity. Its 90-kW fuel cell should provide up to 12 hours of operation. Meanwhile, one of London’s largest construction projects is putting JCB’s hydrogen-powered equipment to work. The £10 billion (US$13.6 billion). Lower Thames Crossing aims to be the UK’s greenest road and its first major infrastructure project to be carbon neutral in construction. In 2025, Skanska deployed a hydrogen-powered JCB backhoe loader on the project – the first time the machine had been used outside a test environment. UK-based GeoPura will supply 2,500 tonnes of green hydrogen to the project, which it says will be enough to replace more than 12 million litres of diesel and avoid an estimated 30,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The hydrogen will be provided as a managed service covering its delivery, storage and distribution to equipment on site, while six GeoPura hydrogen-powered generators are already being used to charge batteries for electric machinery. New technologies such as hydrogen-ondemand systems, which generate hydrogen at the point of use, illustrate how the wider ecosystem continues to evolve. While currently aimed at stationary energy applications, developments such as these could influence how hydrogen is supplied to industrial users. Zero-emission construction sites ILLUSTRATION FROM BELLONA
A mixed landscape
The role of alternative power in its many forms will continue to evolve. Stolk at Cummins believes that the future will be a mixed landscape. “Each application has its own preferred powertrain depending on what the OEM builds and where the machine is shipped. Movement toward alternatives is happening in certain businesses, especially where machinery operates in enclosed areas, such as material handling or port equipment,” says Stolk. From CECE’s perspective, Viaggi says that successful adoption will depend on a technology-neutral approach that combines investment in infrastructure, supportive regulatory frameworks and solutions that are practical for the diverse needs of Europe’s construction sector. When pressed on the single biggest step policymakers need to make, he says, “I believe it is important to further explore the use of public procurement, which is a big part of construction investment, to support demand of low-carbon solutions in construction machinery.” Looking at the adoption of electric equipment in the EU specifically, Zarai is not especially optimistic regarding OEM adoption, predicting they will, “push back, much as car makers have.” She sees a better route being with cities, with the shift to emission-free equipment likely to be “an important and politically more feasible way of meeting the requirements of the Ambient Air Quality Directive.” Over the next five years, she expects “meaningful progress” to be made across European cities, pointing to developments already underway in the Netherlands, Barcelona, several French cities, the Nordics and more, where discussions are underway and pilots are in progress. If that momentum continues, Europe’s shift to alternative-powered construction equipment may be driven less by one dominant technology than by the cities, clients and regulators willing to specify it. iC
Hydrogen-powered generator from GeoPura PHOTO: GEOPURA
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AUTOMATION
A
ny discussion of autonomy in construction comes with a complication: people use terms such as automation, autonomy and autonomous construction interchangeably. However, they are better understood as points along a continuum. Automation begins with individual tasks or functions being transferred from human to machine. As more of those tasks – and the decisions associated with them – are automated, human involvement diminishes until a machine or system can perform a wider operation with little or no intervention. It is at this point that the conversation turns to autonomy. Put simply, autonomy is not an all-or-nothing proposition and greater automation does not necessarily mean that construction is headed inexorably towards a fully autonomous jobsite. “The biggest misconception about automation is to assume a fully automated job site,” says Elwyn McLachlan, senior vice president, Civil Solutions at Trimble. “In fact, it will be a gradual progression of task automation, removing the burden off operators by automating aspects of the job, and the reality will be a mixture of autonomous and humanoperated machines.” That progression starts with the task itself – and with understanding which parts of PHOTO: LIEBHERR
PHOTO: BOBCAT
44 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2026
construction work can realistically be handed over to the machine.
MINING AND QUARRYING
Few industries offer more experience of answering the question of autonomy than mining and quarrying, where automation and autonomous technologies have been deployed at greater scale and for longer than in construction. “Mining has been a leader both in early adoption and scale for autonomous machines well before agriculture and construction,” says Erol Ahmed, vice president of communications at Built Robotics. There is, though, a (considerable) caveat: the conditions that made that possible in quarrying and mining differ markedly from construction. “Mining has always been a tightly controlled environment for robots,” Ahmed says. “Where construction diverges greatly is in its need to create machines that can respond quickly, safely, and dynamically to constantly shifting conditions.” Construction conditions shift as people, equipment and materials move, while the work itself continually changes the physical environment. A trench excavated today changes where equipment can move tomorrow. What a human operator can see, interpret and respond to almost instinctively, an automated system
Mining and quarrying offer clues, but construction’s changing worksites mean autonomy will depend on specific tasks and connected workflows, writes LEILA STEED
must first detect and understand. One of mining and quarrying’s clearest lessons for construction lies in the tasks themselves. Repetitive work carried out within relatively controlled conditions is easier to automate. In construction, that makes tasks such as trenching, grading, piling, compaction and some aspects of roadbuilding particularly suitable.
TAKING THE OPERATOR OUT OF THE CAB Liebherr is developing an autonomous operating system for its wheeled loaders that enables the machines to carry out complete work cycles without an operator. Known as Liebherr Autonomous Operations, the system is designed for repetitive tasks such as loading hoppers or transporting material from one location to another. Operators set up the job through the company’s Autonomous Job Planner web application,
after which the wheeled loader uses 3D environmental sensors to identify its surroundings, material piles and obstacles and plan the work cycle. Once operating, the wheeled loader carries out the task independently and adapts automatically as its environment changes. The system does not require GPS reception or separate surveying technology. Manuel Bös, head of R&D emerging technologies at
AUTOMATION automatically steering it and controlling the cutting head to maintain the required depth and overlap. Trimble says the machine can replace work otherwise requiring two or more machines. The same principle applies to trenching. In Switzerland, construction and materials company KIBAG is using Develon’s autonomous Real-X system on a DX225LC7X crawler excavator to dig a 300m long, 6m wide and 3m deep trench during the restoration of a former quarry. Developed with Gravis Robotics, the AI-powered Real-X control system enables the excavator to perform trenching, earthworks and truck loading without an operator in the cab or controlling it remotely. But automation extends well beyond these examples. Automating construction does not depend on removing the operator from the machine: machine control, positioning systems, sensors, cameras, remote operation, connectivity and AI can all automate different elements of the work, independently or in combination.
TRIMBLE’S EARTHWORKS 3D TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN INTEGRATED WITH VERMEER’S SM55 SURFACE MINER FOR APPLICATIONS INCLUDING ROADBUILDING IN ROCKY TERRAIN AND CIVIL CONSTRUCTION SITE PREPARATION PHOTO: TRIMBLE
FROM QUARRY OPERATIONS TO WIDER DEPLOYMENT
Roadbuilding offers many good examples of how that lesson is already being applied. Trimble’s Earthworks 3D technology has been integrated with Vermeer’s SM55 surface miner for applications including roadbuilding in rocky terrain and civil construction site preparation. A 3D project model guides the remoteoperated machine, with Earthworks
Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen, said, “You don’t need any special IT skills to initiate the wheeled loader deployment. The system is very intuitive and userfriendly, and requires only a few inputs for the job.” The system also allows the wheeled loader to switch between conventional operation from the cab and fully autonomous operation. Liebherr demonstrated the technology on an autonomous wheeled loader prototype at Bauma 2025, with further field testing planned before its commercial release.
One area of the wider industry where autonomous technologies are already having a significant impact is construction materials, where operating conditions share many of the characteristics that have made mining and quarrying suitable for autonomous equipment. Heidelberg Materials has expanded its autonomous heavy mobile equipment programme to sites in North America, Australia and Europe, with around 30 autonomous vehicles planned for deployment during 2026. The expansion programme builds on the company’s deployment of an autonomous haulage system at its Lake Bridgeport quarry in Texas, US, and is part of a wider initiative to introduce more than 100 autonomous vehicles by the end of 2028. In North America, Heidelberg is extending its autonomous haulage system programme to sites in Indiana and Texas. In Australia, the company is launching its first autonomous haulage projects at quarries in New South Wales and Western Australia, while in Europe, it is trialling an autonomous wheel loader at a sand and gravel pit in northern Germany. According to Heidelberg, the autonomous systems are designed to integrate with existing fleets and use sensors, cameras and artificial intelligence to operate haul trucks and other mobile equipment in complex environments.
IT’S ALL ON A SPECTRUM
PHOTO: HEIDELBERG MATERIALS
PHOTO: DEVELON
DEVELOPED WITH GRAVIS ROBOTICS, DEVELON’S REAL-X SYSTEM HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON ITS DX225LC-7X CRAWLER EXCAVATOR FOR A SITE RESTORATION PROJECT RUN BY SWISS COMPANY KIBAG
That broader spectrum is important because the appropriate level of automation will vary depending on the work being carried out. Manuel Bös, Head of R&D Emerging Technologies at Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen, sees a need for solutions ranging from operator assistance and remote control through to autonomous operation. “Since work tasks, processes and the safety environment are so diverse, Liebherr sees the need to provide solutions on all levels from operator assistance systems via remote control solutions all the way to autonomous operations,” he says. Those levels need not be fixed even for an individual machine. Bös envisages equipment moving between assisted manual operation for complex work, remote control in hazardous areas and autonomous operation for a reduced set of repetitive tasks. It is this ability to apply different technologies where they offer most value that shifts the question from how autonomous construction might become, to where greater automation can actually deliver the biggest gains. Trimble’s McLachlan expects construction’s productivity gains AXEL CONRADS, CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER, HEIDELBERG MATERIALS
SEPTEMBER 2026 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY 45
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AUTOMATION
to come primarily from machine intelligence, connectivity and operator assistance rather than full autonomy. At Trimble, the emphasis is also moving beyond what an individual machine can automate towards how machines, people and information work together across the jobsite. “The main productivity driver will be sitelevel coordination – using physical AI, edge decision engines and connected workflows to empower operators and site managers,” says McLachlan. Ahmed, of Built Robotics, takes a similarly cumulative view. Different tasks may call for different levels of automation, but their individual gains combine across a project. “The biggest productivity gains will be cumulative: percentages of improvement across tasks that add up to big gains,” he contends.
FEEDING OFF DATA
Realising those gains across more tasks, however, raises a practical question for contractors: how much digital infrastructure and data needs to be in place before they can adopt greater automation? Noam Rotem, CEO of Dig Robotics, sees connectivity, digitisation and operational data as foundations for high levels of automation, with operator guidance and partial automation helping companies build both the infrastructure and data needed to progress further. That does not mean a highly digitised site or project is a prerequisite for automating an individual task. Built Robotics’ Ahmed says onboard sensors and edge computing can gather much of the information a machine needs as it works. What it cannot perceive must come from elsewhere. “Most critically, robots need to be told about things their onboard sensors won’t be able to detect as they work,” he says, with examples
including buried infrastructure or “a newly dug trench that wasn’t there in the morning”. As machines become better able to work with both sources of information, greater automation could begin to influence not just how existing tasks are performed, but how construction processes themselves are organised. The future may well go beyond inserting automated machines into processes designed around people and conventional equipment; greater automation could eventually change the processes themselves. “Right now, robots replace existing manual processes, and are sandwiched between manual processes,” says Ahmed. “But over time, we will rethink some workflows to be automation-first and designed around what a robot can do better or more effectively than traditional means and methods.” If the work itself begins to change around the technology, so too will the place of human knowledge, judgement and expertise within it – raising a longer-term question about how that expertise will be acquired and passed on from one generation of workers to the next.
Caterpillar is working with fleet management technology company Geotab to expand its VisionLink fleet management platform to cover customers’ onand off-highway assets. Announced earlier this year, Caterpillar says the collaboration will integrate on-highway vehicle telematics data into its VisionLink platform. The integration will allow customers to view road vehicles alongside Cat and non-Cat off-highway construction equipment. Caterpillar estimates around 30% of its customers’ fleet assets are on-highway. Ogi Redzic, chief digital officer of Cat Digital, said, “Our customers want one simple way to manage everything in their fleet, no matter where their equipment runs. “With roughly 30% of their assets on-highway, our work with Geotab lets us bring those vehicles into the picture. Customers will now have full fleet data to spot repair needs, enhance safety and compliance, and improve efficiency.”
UNINTENDED RESULTS
That question matters because much of construction’s expertise has traditionally been learned by doing, refined through experience and passed from experienced workers to those coming up behind them. As more tasks are automated over successive generations, however, some of the knowledge and judgement involved in performing them could gradually move into the technology too. The effect may therefore be generational rather than immediate. If entry-level and intermediate roles require progressively less of the technical knowledge and practical judgement through which workers traditionally develop their expertise, each generation could have fewer opportunities NOAM ROTEM, CEO AT DIG ROBOTICS PHOTO: DIG ROBOTICS
PHOTO: CATERPILLAR
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to acquire and pass on those skills. There is an irony here. Greater automation could help an industry struggling to find enough skilled workers, while over time also changing some of the routes through which those workers become skilled. As construction decides where and how automation can best be applied, preserving those routes may need to become part of the equation too. The transition towards greater automation, after all, is not simply about determining what work machines can do, but what role people will continue to play alongside them. CT
SEPTEMBER 2026 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY 47
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The EC will soon publish its proposed procurement framework
EFCA shares its wish-list ahead of the long-awaited proposal on reforming the EU public procurement framework
IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK
O
n 9 September, the European Commission (EC) is expected to publish its proposal on reforming the EU public procurement framework. In the EU, public procurement accounts for over €2 trillion (US$2.34 trillion) annually, representing 14% of its GDP, thus making it one of the Union’s most powerful tools for delivering on its strategic objectives such as competitiveness, innovation and resilience. For the construction sector, the stakes are high. Procurement influences not only how EU and national public funds are spent, but also the quality of infrastructure and other public projects, the ability of firms to innovate, and Europe’s capacity to retain highly skilled professionals.
ABOUT EFCA Founded in 1992, EFCA has member associations in 27 European countries representing over 10,000 companies and more than one million staff in engineering and related services. It is the only federation to represent the engineering consultancy industry in Europe. www.efcanet.org
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Why reform is needed
The shortcomings of today’s procurement framework are well documented. Despite the introduction of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) principle in the 2014 EU legislation, the lowest price criterion continues to dominate procurement practices. This is problematic when procuring intellectual services, especially engineering consultancy. Their quality has a decisive influence on the long-term performance, sustainability and resilience of construction projects, as well as their costs. Procurement reform should focus on quality, innovation and long-term value. A key recommendation is the recognition of ‘intellectual services’ as a distinct category in procurement. They are characterised by crosscutting knowledge, innovation and problemsolving capabilities, requiring methods and solutions above those used for standard commodities or routine services. Quality should be the decisive procurement criterion, supported by the correct application of MEAT criteria. Stronger safeguards are also needed to address low tenders, which distort markets and undermine fair competition. Simplification and digitalisation represent other key objectives. Procurement remains burdensome, particularly for SMEs. Intellectual property rights (IPR) are also a concern. Excessive contractual requirements force consultants to transfer IPR ownership, undermining innovation and investments in new solutions. Finally, the planning, design and technical solutions that ensure infrastructure
resilience cannot be properly implemented on discount prices.
Warning signs or ‘noise’?
While the EC proposal is yet to be published, a recently leaked draft might provide indications. If accurate, it would represent a huge overhaul of the EU procurement framework. Notably, the current legislative provisions would be replaced with a single one. Several elements are encouraging. Greater emphasis is placed on quality-based procurement, innovation, lifecycle costs, sustainability and resilience. It strengthens some provisions on abnormally low tenders, promotes functional requirements rather than prescriptive specifications, and increases digitalisation. Among the downsides, it proposes a horizontal framework across all sectors and contract types, without a distinct approach for intellectual services. More importantly, the proposal on quality vs price risks being only a change in form, not substance, as compared to the current focus on the lowest prices. The reform represents an opportunity to rethink how public procurement contributes to Europe’s competitiveness. The economy can only be strengthened by rewarding knowledge, innovation and professional skills that create better infrastructure, more resilient public services and greater value for taxpayers. The success of the forthcoming reform should be judged on whether it enables public buyers to secure the best outcomes for society over the iC long term. INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
49
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
D
One of the most complex sections is at Neubaugasse station, where a new interchange to the existing U3 line is being built 35m below street level. The station involves a series of confined underground structures, including station tubes, cross passages, escalator tunnels, ventilation tunnels and crossing structures. Doka said it developed 3D-planned formwork solutions tailored to the geometry of each section. The systems being used include its heavy-duty supporting system SL-1 and largearea formwork Top 50. Markus Kravutske, site manager for ARGE U2 17–21, said, “The complex structures along the U2 extension demand bespoke solutions and close collaboration across all project partners. Doka provides the technical expertise and customised formwork solutions needed to meet these challenges.” According to client Wiener Linien, the completed U2xU5 expansion will create capacity for an additional 300 million passengers a year. The first phase of the U5 (Karlsplatz to Frankhplatz) is scheduled to open in 2030, as is the U2 south extension to Matzleinsdorfer iC Platz.
Where is it? Vienna, Austria Estimated cost? €2.3 billion (US$2.67 billion) Did you know? The project will add 11 kilometres of track and 12 new stations
IMAGES: DOKA/WIENER LINIEN, SIMON WÖHRER
oka is supplying formwork systems for several underground stations and tunnel sections on Vienna’s U2xU5 metro expansion project in Austria. The project involves the extension of metro line U2 and the construction of U5, which will be Vienna’s first fully automated metro line. Doka has been supporting the ARGE U2 17– 21 consortium, led by Strabag and Porr, since 2021. Its work started at Matzleinsdorfer Platz station and now also includes Reinprechtsdorfer Straße, Pilgramgasse and Neubaugasse. The scheme involves the construction of new tunnel and station structures in a dense urban environment, where tunnel tubes, shafts, cross passages and escalator tunnels meet at different angles. Doka said it is providing 3D planning, preassembled formwork units, formwork travellers and tailored systems for the tunnel structures in the station areas. At Matzleinsdorfer Platz, around 50,000 people are expected to benefit from the new connection to the urban railway. The company is also supplying formwork traveller systems for the Matzleinsdorfer Platz turnout structure, including widening sections where two tunnel tubes merge into a single structure.
50 INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | SEPTEMBER 2026
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