Review Engineering Days China 2025

6th International Chinese-European Precast Concrete Conference

Construction technology and sustainable development in the construction industry as a key topic

The Engineering Days 2025 in Beijing once again provided an excellent platform for discussing the latest developments in the precast concrete industry.

The well-attended event in Beijing was once again a great success!

Over 300 industry leaders present at the event and more than 3,000 participants online discussed the future of the precast concrete industry. The focus was on innovation, sustainability and industrialisation – with concrete solutions for the ‘dual carbon’ goals.

As a high-quality platform for dialogue between politics, science and industry, the forum offered insights into the latest technological developments, international best practice examples and concrete approaches to decarbonisation and digitalisation in the construction industry.

As an expert speaker at the forum, Christian Prilhofer (Prilhofer Consulting) presented on the topic:

"Prefabrication in the Post-Covid Era -How to make sustainable buildings profitable and ready for the market"

The presentation outlined how industrial prefabrication and efficient, sustainable construction can be successfully introduced to the market.

The main aspects of the presentation were:

• Industrial construction + sustainability = profitable solutions for builders, architects and investors
• Adaptation of standards, new organisational structures and further training for skilled workers are changing the future of the construction industry 
• Integrated and smart construction will significantly shape the global trend

Construction industry in transition

The construction industry is facing major uncertainties:

Rising energy prices, high interest rates, negative press coverage and the introduction of CO₂ pricing are creating a difficult market environment. At the same time,  the productivity of traditional construction methods is very low, so that new solutions have to be developed to enable economical and sustainable construction.

Industrial construction & new business models

A key solution is the industrial construction. While prefabricated construction has mainly been used for floors, walls, stairs, and balconies up to now, new business areas are now emerging.

In future, integrated business models (full-service providers), where planning, production and completion are understood as a holistic process, will shape the construction industry. This will significantly reduce construction costs and make construction projects more efficient. 

Digitisation and data in the construction industry

Companies in the construction industry that provide data in a ready-to-use format are ensuring their long-term success. Digital twins will be mandatory in the future, and the data generated must be available for production. As availability increases, so does the pressure to use it. After all, industrial production is impossible without data.

Artificial intelligence in the construction industry

AI is increasingly being integrated into construction processes – but it does not work without data. In prefabrication, digital data can be used easily in automated factories, while its direct use on the construction site still faces great challenges. The digital transformation of construction processes is inevitable, driven by ongoing demographic changes, global developments and climate change.

While precast production can use data effectively, construction sites still have considerable difficulties in using it, as information is often only available in drawings.

Comparison: in-situ concrete vs. prefabricated construction

Industrial prefabrication ensures quality, speed and sustainability

Prefabricated construction (prefabrication) impresses with its consistently high quality, as the components are manufactured in the factory regardless of the weather and are simply assembled on the construction site. Construction times are shortened by up to 60%, which reduces construction costs and significantly speeds up the handover of the building. The consumption of material/energy resources is reduced, while at the same time lower manpower requirements are achieved. Precast concrete elements produced in the factory are more environmentally friendly, as there is much less dirt, dust and noise on the construction site during assembly.

In-situ concrete construction: costly and not very sustainable

In-situ concrete, on the other hand, is weather-dependent, prone to errors and very time-consuming (pouring, curing and drying process), consistent quality cannot be guaranteed, combined with higher resource consumption. In-situ concrete is less environmentally friendly, as far more companies and workers on the construction site cause noise and dust nuisance to the adjacent neighbors over a longer period of time. Scaffolding is also required for multi-storey buildings. In general, three to four times as many workers are needed and materials have to be stored on the construction site, which increases the risk of theft. All of this increases construction costs enormously compared to precast concrete construction.

Practical examples - building with precast concrete elements

International projects show how successfully these approaches can be implemented. Gamuda in Malaysia is already using modern precast production.

Residential construction in Austria and villa projects in Thailand (Pruksa) also show that industrial construction methods and intelligent processes lead to high efficiency and quality in all building types.

Gamuda (Factory 2)

Right after completion of IBS factory 1 end of 2016 Gamuda placed a consecutive order with Prilhofer Consulting to develop an even bigger 2nd factory. This 2nd factory has been designed by Prilhofer Consulting for an annual output of 1.6 million square meters of precast panels and 16,000 PBU (prefabricated bathroom units).
Modern precast concrete production in Malaysia

The Engineering Days China 2025 were a complete success

The international exchange during the Engineering Days China 2025 on intelligent construction processes and innovative approaches in the precast industry was of great value and offered exciting insights into the global development of the industry.

A big thank you to the organizers and all participants! Further information on the Precast Concrete Congress in Beijing/China can be found here: http://en.engineeringdays.com.cn/