Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations, and comes from Latin constructio (from com- “together” and struere “to pile up”) and Old French construction. To construct is the verb: the act of building, and the noun is construction: how something is built, the nature of its structure.

In its most widely used context, construction covers the processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure and industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design, and continues until the asset is built and ready for use; construction also covers repairs and maintenance work, any works to expand, extend and improve the asset, and its eventual demolition, dismantling or decommissioning.

As an industry sector, construction accounts for more than 10% of global GDP (6-9% in developed countries) and employs around 7% of the global workforce – over 273m people. The output of the global construction industry was worth an estimated $10.8 trillion in 2017.

History of construction

The first huts and shelters were constructed by hand or with simple tools. As cities grew during the Bronze Age, a class of professional craftsmen, like bricklayers and carpenters, appeared. Occasionally, slaves were used for construction work. In the Middle Ages, the artisan craftsmen were organized into guilds. In the 19th century, steam-powered machinery appeared, and, later, diesel- and electric-powered vehicles such as cranes, excavators and bulldozers.
Fast-track construction has been increasingly popular in the 21st century. Some estimates suggest that 40% of construction projects are now fast-track construction.

Construction industry sectors

Industrial assemblage of a thermal oxidizer in the United States of America
In general, there are three sectors of construction: buildings, infrastructure and industrial. Building construction is usually further divided into residential and non-residential. Infrastructure, also called heavy civil or heavy engineering, includes large public works, dams, bridges, highways, railways, water or wastewater and utility distribution. Industrial construction includes offshore construction (mainly of energy installations), mining and quarrying, refineries, chemical processing, power generation, mills and manufacturing plants.

There are also other ways to break the industry into sectors or markets. For example, Engineering News-Record (ENR), a US-based construction trade magazine, has compiled and reported data about the size of design and construction contractors. In 2014, it split the data into nine market segments: transportation, petroleum, buildings, power, industrial, water, manufacturing, sewer/waste, telecom, hazardous waste, and a tenth category for other projects. ENR used data on transportation, sewer, hazardous waste and water to rank firms as heavy contractors.

The Standard Industrial Classification and the newer North American Industry Classification System classify companies that perform or engage in construction into three subsectors: building construction, heavy and civil engineering construction, and specialty trade contractors. There are also categories for professional services firms (e.g., engineering, architecture, surveying, project management).

Building construction

Building construction is the process of adding structures to areas of land, also known as real property sites. Typically, a project is instigated by or with the owner of the property (who may be an individual or an organisation); occasionally, land may be compulsorily purchased from the owner for public use.

1-Building construction

a- Residential construction
b-Non-residential construction
c- Infrastructure construction
d- Industrial construction

2-Construction processes

a- Planning
b- Finance
c- Legal
d- Procurement
e- Traditional or Design-bid-build
f- Design-build
g-Construction management
h- Design
i-On-site construction
j- Commissioning and handover
k-Maintenance, repair and improvement
l- Demolition

3-Industry scale and characteristics

a- Economic activity
b-Construction GVA by country
c- Careers
d- Unskilled and semi-skilled workers
e-Skilled tradespeople
f-Professional, technical or managerial personnel
g-Safety
h-Sustainability