Türkiye to accelerate ‘twin transformation’ in construction sector in 2026

ANKARA

Türkiye will accelerate green and digital transformation in its construction sector next year to strengthen the global competitiveness of contracting and consultancy firms, according to the country’s 2026 Presidential Annual Program.

The initiative -- described as a “twin transformation” -- aims to expand the use of renewable resources, strengthen supply chains, and support production of low-carbon building materials at competitive costs, while pushing the sector toward higher technology capabilities.

Urban transformation and reconstruction efforts in Türkiye’s southeast, heavily damaged by the February 2023 earthquakes, will continue and are expected to drive sector activity next year.

Despite growth, the construction industry has faced cost pressures, challenges accessing finance, shortages of skilled labor, raw material supply issues, geopolitical tensions, and protectionist policies that caused market losses and fluctuations in sub-sectors.

The program highlights increased importance of carbon-neutral concrete, artificial intelligence, 3D-printed structures, recycled smart materials that improve energy efficiency, and monitoring by unmanned aerial vehicles. These technologies are expected to reduce costs and risks while requiring adaptation to new standards.

To support the transition, the government will establish a national green certification system to verify environmentally friendly buildings and settlements, and expand the number of certified structures.

Architecture and engineering curricula at universities will be updated to train qualified workers in areas such as building information modeling, circular economy practices, energy efficiency, and administrative fields including law, contracts, and project and risk management.

Research, development, and innovation activities in construction will also be encouraged under the program.

Turkish contractors have undertaken 12,627 projects worth $543.6 billion in 137 countries to date. Of these, rail projects accounted for 26.1% and road, tunnel, and bridge projects for 14.1%.

For 2026, the total project value for global technical consulting services is projected to reach $210 million, while business volume for global contracting services is expected to hit $28 billion.