insights Most influential engineering and construction industry trends in 2024

Robotics, electrification, alternative power sources; not long ago, these phrases would have been little other than the stuff of a good futuristic plotline. Today, they are the forces that are driving the civil engineering and construction industry into a new iteration of itself.

Global factors continue to exert pressure on the market; Net Zero ambitions maintain the industry’s undeniable push towards sustainable building practices, while post-pandemic operations continue to feel the effects of supply chain issues.

Admittedly, there are uncertainties abound in terms of fuel prices and equipment costs, but the bird’s-eye outlook for the engineering and construction industry in 2024 is positive.

Here are the engineering and construction industry trends that market insiders have identified:

How sustainable practices and technology advancements will shape construction and civil engineering in 2024

Automation, robotics, and self-driven vehicles

With ongoing advancements in industry technology, construction trends in 2024 veer towards tackling the labor shortage, increasing productivity, and reducing costs per machine with the help of construction automation equipment.

Original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) investment in robotics and automated technologies has been increasing dramatically in recent years and is only set to grow further in 2024.

Obstacle detection and self-navigation technologies are becoming more prevalent. 

Meanwhile, improvements in off-road equipment efficiency and productivity are driving sales in high-income markets like the US and Canada. 

Electrification

The electric offroad vehicle market share is growing by tens of millions every year and is expected to triple over the coming decade. EV adoption is exploding across multiple industries—with construction and engineering high among them.

The shift towards the electrification of equipment and vehicles is, in no small part, due to the ever-increasing environmental regulations being developed adjacent to the civil engineering and wider construction industries.

Alternative power sources

Construction’s dramatic technological advances extend to matters of power sustainability and are amongst the most notable green building trends in 2024. 

Construction equipment manufacturers are now proactively reducing carbon emissions by prioritizing equipment efficiency and turning towards alternative sources of power, like biofuels, hybrids, and hydrogen.

Notably, hydrogen is our planet’s most abundant element, and we now have the technology to harness it as a low-emission fuel source and a way of charging battery-powered machinery.

So promising are these recent developments, that the US Department of Energy is working on bringing forth a hydrogen fuel cell that could change the face of the construction industry forever.

Preventative maintenance

While the overall outlook for construction and engineering in 2024 is good, half of all construction companies named material costs as their number one supply chain challenge in 2023.

Due to continued supply chain disruptions and unpredictability, carrying out repairs and equipment maintenance continues to be a major source of difficulty for many construction and engineering firms around the globe.

Specialized parts for repairs can be scarce—and sometimes unavailable.

Preventative maintenance is one route that construction and civil engineering firms are taking to curb the negative effects of unpredictable supply chains.

Organizations are now, more than ever, looking to products and practices that can help keep equipment running more smoothly to prevent—or at least push out—the moment when serious, costly repairs are needed.

One example of this, cited by multinational energy corporation Chevron, is the scientific approach to oil change intervals and oil analysis.

This trend promises plentiful opportunities for sustainably-minded professionals skilled in equipment maintenance.

Influence future engineering and construction industry trends

Here at AtkinsRéalis, our market experts are poised to detect the most recent developments in construction’s digital and sustainable transformation. We provide the perfect environment for professionals who are passionate about building a better future—and are excited to do so with the world’s leading technologies at their fingertips.

Explore our jobs in the USA today to see how you can find your next professional opportunity and help shape the future of the construction and civil engineering industry.