Building Structures
Buildings are typically considered commercial construction. The exception is when a building needs to contract a civil engineering and heavy construction firm for special requirements such as an unusual foundation on a slope.Ports
Ocean related projects that require dredging such as a port facility.Dams
Dams and related infrastructure such as hydroelectric power facilities and reservoirs.Bridges
Bridges require significant engineering due diligence and are therefore considered heavy construction.Roads
The construction and maintenance of roads requires specialized equipment and is typically categorized as heavy construction.Coastal Engineering
Coastal engineering projects in areas such as coastal defense and land reclamation.Waterways
The construction of canals and other man-made waterways.Transportation
The construction of high speed rail lines, subways, airports and other transportation infrastructure.Heavy Industry
The construction of large scale facilities for heavy industry such as a spaceport or shipyard.Environmental Engineering
Infrastructure for handling waste such as a sewer system or hazardous waste storage facility.Geotechnical Engineering
Projects that involve soil and rock mechanics. These are often projects that are sensitive to natural hazards on land such as earthquakes, landslides, sinkholes, soil liquefaction and rockfalls. This includes embankments, tunnels, dikes, dams and reservoirs. Geotechnical engineering can also be used to improve the stability of natural and artificial landscapes such as slopes.Energy Infrastructure
Large energy infrastructure such as an offshore wind farm.Notes
Heavy construction is a term for companies that specialize in public infrastructure that may do other projects such as unusually complex residential, commercial or industrial construction.Large buildings are often considered commercial construction or general construction. This may be counterintuitive because large buildings are certainly heavy. The reason they aren't considered heavy construction is that they don't typically require the equipment and expertise of a heavy construction firm. Industrial construction is a third category of construction that builds things like factories. In some cases, this requires a heavy construction firm. For example, large facilities for heavy industry such as ship building are certainly heavy construction.Heavy construction can also be defined by the types of equipment that is required for the project or construction phase. That is to say that construction companies that focus on public infrastructure have specialized equipment such as dredgers that commercial construction companies don't typically use.| Overview: Heavy Construction | ||
Type | ||
Definition (1) | The construction of large structures that require specialized equipment and capabilities. | |
Definition (2) | The construction of large structures that require extensive engineering and project management due diligence. | |
Definition (3) | An industry classification for construction and engineering companies that specialize in large public infrastructure projects. | |
Also Known As | Civil ConstructionHeavy Civil Construction | |
Related Concepts | ||
