Civil Engineering in Portugal is entering a phase of renewed opportunity — driven by infrastructure modernisation, housing needs, mobility, and sustainability.

In a new opinion article, Antónia Lopes analyses these key themes and explores how innovation is redefining the future of the sector.

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Read below or on our Linkedin.

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Aging infrastructures need structural monitoring, more preventive maintenance and rehabilitation. We can mention the railway sector where trains and metros have limited roads, and usually take longer than car. For example, from Porto to Lisbon, it is a 3hour journey either by car or train. Metros in Portugal, have a few lines in each city where they are implemented. Also, there is still a lot of dependence on buses.

Building new infrastructures requires investment, space and specific intervention. Portugal is currently under pressure regarding housing. There is a lot of demand, and a few offer, mainly from aging housing – which brings very high prices in all the country, not only in the urban areas. More incentives regarding new infrastructures should exist, for all, and everywhere in Portugal.  New infrastructures should also have a public purpose, like schools and hospitals, bringing safety and trust for all users.

Last but not least, sustainability is never too far… Reducing the carbon footprint of construction, promoting energy efficiency, and using sustainable materials are some examples of challenges that Portugal needs to accompany. The effort on R&D must be constant to find those new solutions, mainly promoted by the private sector and supported by public measures.

There are many other ways to boost the development of Civil Engineering: digitalization and technological innovations, the training of the skillset and its recognition on the working market, the weight of bureaucracy, that makes simple things, bigger.

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