One of the most common raw materials utilised in the construction of pre -engineered buildings is structural steel.  The market for structural steel fabrication is likely to be driven by increased demand for pre-engineered buildings. The growing relevance of green building construction is another major element driving the expansion of PEB in India. When compared to the traditional building approach, pre-engineered construction has a lower environmental impact.

Present market for PEB in India

Indian structural steel fabrication market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5 percent till 2024. According to Gautam Suri, Founder Director, Interarch Buildings Products Pvt. Ltd., “Opportunities are immense for us. A lot of things are happening and progressing in the logistics, infrastructure, FMCG, infra in terms of rail, road and airports. Almost every project is shifting towards pre-engineered steel for ease in execution, delivery, better quality, minimum labour and people at the site.”

“Steel buildings are steadily witnessing an increase in their market share in the construction and civil engineering sector. Steel construction is a good option for a diversity of projects for many reasons, including durability, affordability and sustainability”, says D Raju – MD, Kirby Building Systems & Structures India Pvt Ltd.

Technology trends

Harsh Pareek, Regional Sales Director – India and SAARC, Trimble Solutions explains leveraging technologies in structural offerings saying, “Today’s world requires more than just a 3D model. Tekla PowerFab is a complete steel management software suite that provides the user with a systematic collaborative approach to manage fabrication. It not only build/integrates 3D models and does the estimation, but also takes the overall process to the next level of MIS.”

Impacts of digitalisation

Digitalisation eases more precision in designing building models.

According to Vasudev Rao, Director – Engineering, Zamil Steel Buildings Pvt. Ltd– Digitalisation has brought ease in multiple processes, including calculation and flexibility. Today you can visualise, integrate and stimulate any project. Also, in case Client want changes in design, they can be directly added and share the updated design/sketch.

Here, Gautam Suri says that in recent times, the construction sector in India has grown much and PEB in construction activities is steadily rising. PEB has taken the centre stage. Now residential projects are also using PEB methods to construct structures.

Design trends in PEB Structures and buildings

“LGSF as a technology is on the top-notch node if we look at the parameters like quality, speed and the conventional look of it. This provides us with ample opportunities to create new market streams across the industries along with category conversion,”, says Prakhar Aggarwal, Business Head, Nest-In (Tata Steel).

As per views of Vasudev Rao, “The common commercially available software are bought & validated for use in designs. Also, they use CAD/CAM for drawings and latest software for precision connections.”

The Road ahead

Conclusively, process-based construction is the need of the hour. Interestingly, LGSF Technology, PUF Technology and Modular Structures will particularly have a bright future in Indian infrastructure and construction segment. The industry believes retail market is going to be a huge market for LGSF and PUF construction.