As history shows, its possible for sudden, disruptive and largely unpredictable technology shifts to occur. Renewable energy is one such technology shift that has in recent years been disrupting the oil economy to lead the charge when it comes to energy of the future. With plenty of sun to go around, solar has become one of the most viable energy sources evidenced by the recent spurt of multiple solar construction projects around the GCC region and the world.

Waste generated by construction does not just have a massively negative impact on the environment, it also comes with a huge economic price tag. According to a World Bank Report, construction waste from building materials accounts for half of the solid waste generated annually. Therefore, it pays for regional and global players in the construction industry to examine their waste disposal methods and make significant changes to create more sustainable ways of working.

More than a year and a half after Saudi Arabia unveiled economic reforms under Vision 2030, the Kingdom appears to be making considerable headway in planning and launching key projects that will ultimately give a much-needed boost to its construction sector.

December 2017 saw quite a windfall for the UAE construction industry – with the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) looming, the most commonly used phrase became, ‘invoice now.’ The introduction of VAT is a GCC wide phenomenon that is touted to diversify the region’s dependency on oil. According to the International Monetary Fund, the introduction of 5% VAT will translate to revenue equating to 1.6% of the GCC’s GDP. While this diversification is of particular importance to the region, the question is how it will affect the construction industry in the short, and in the long term.