The top 40 most-read stories of 2023 (1-20)

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Today is the Construction Briefing’s penultimate issue of the year and to round off 2023, we’re bringing you the top 20 articles from the last 12 months.

This is the second part of the list, after yesterday’s round-up of positions 21-40. It is made up of the articles in the Construction Briefing and on the Construction Europe and International Construction websites that received the most page views over the past year.

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20) Two contractors secure $1.5 billion high-speed rail line to connect NEOM’s The Line

A joint venture between Italian contractor Webuild and its Saudi Arabian counterpart Sajco have won a US$1.5 billion (€1.4 billion) contract to build a high-speed rail line for the NEOM region in Saudi Arabia, announced in May.

A rendering of The Line (Image courtesy of NEOM)

19) The four big takeaways from ConExpo 2023

After 2,400 exhibitors showed off new technology and construction equipment to a record-breaking 139,000 visitors to ConExpo in Las Vegas, International Construction editor Andy Brown rounded up the four big takeaways from the show.

18) What is the future for construction in Saudi Arabia?

Catrin Jones takes an in-depth look at one of the world’s most exciting construction markets, Saudi Arabia, to see what is in store for the future in the kingdom.

17) Global Construction Guide 2023

Published at the turn of the year, the Global Construction Guide showcased the world’s largest construction companies, demolition contractors, crane-owning companies, rental companies and access fleets. For the 2024 Guide, click here.

16) How the world’s biggest EV gigafactories are being built so quickly

As the world attempts to wean itself off oil, electric car makers and power storage companies are rushing to build factories capable of supplying the batteries needed. Lucy Barnard investigates how they are being built.

Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada

15) Six of the biggest bridge projects under construction and development

International Construction takes a look at six of the biggest bridge projects under development and construction, following news earlier in the year that a Chinese-led consortium would build Africa’s second-longest bridge in Lagos, Nigeria.

14) Construction productivity: What we can learn from the Netherlands

Productivity has been a perennial problem for major construction markets all over the world but in recent years the Netherlands has bucked the trend. The Construction Briefing explored the reasons why.

13) 7 construction megaprojects that severely overran their budget

We looked at seven major projects over the last few decades that not only saw delays but significantly exceeded their original projected cost. Rather than ranking these by absolute cost, they were ranked by how many times the final cost exceeded the original budget.

12) Construction megaprojects to watch in 2023 and beyond

Catrin Jones rounded up some of the biggest megaprojects in the world that were under construction in 2023.

11) Megaprojects: Two reasons why they go wrong (and four key ingredients for success)

Just outside the top 10 was an article based on an interview with Prof. Bent Flybbjerg, who claims to be the most cited scholar in the world on the subject of megaprojects and gave his thoughts on why megaprojects go wrong.

10) Crumbling UK hospitals highlight problem with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete

Before it emerged that there was also a problem with crumbing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in the UK’s schools, the Construction Briefing examined the problem with the material and its presence in UK hospitals.

A RAAC panel in cross section (Image supplied by Loughborough University)

9) The Mukaab: Huge cube city planned in Saudi Arabia

February saw Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund unveil plans for a 400m tall and 400m wide cube city called the Mukaab in downtown Riyadh.

8) Europe’s 100 biggest construction companies ranked

Mike Hayes revealed the 100 biggest construction companies in Europe, whose combined revenues passed the €500 billion mark for the first time.

7) Are electric mini excavators a better choice than diesel?

A new research paper suggested in June that electric mini excavators had become “a better choice” than diesel. This article explored the reasons why it reached that conclusion and what challenges still remain.

6) How the hierarchy of the top construction OEMs has changed over 20 years

The Construction Briefing crunched the numbers on 20 years’ worth of data from the Yellow Table to produce an animated chart illustrating how the hierarchy of OEMs has changed over that time, with some startling results.

Top 15 OEMs 2003-2022 (Image: KHL)

5) World’s top 10 construction OEMs revealed

At number five was the highly anticipated run-down of the biggest construction equipment manufacturers in this year’s Yellow Table.

4) 10 of the world’s biggest airport megaprojects under construction

As the world opened back up following the Covid-19 pandemic, airport construction projects that had previously looked doubtful were preparing for take-off. The Construction Briefing rounded up 10 of the world’s biggest.

3) 7 of the world’s most expensive construction projects

Lewis Tyler compiled a selection of interesting projects from around the world with a high price-tag, ranging from Kansai International Airport in Japan to The Line in Saudi Arabia.

2) The battle to build the Gordie Howe International Bridge

At number two was Lucy Barnard’s account of how the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America is being built, with the insight of Grant Hilbers, the most senior engineer on the project.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge seen from the Canadian side in July 2023. Photo: Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority

1) 17 of Saudi Arabia’s biggest construction megaprojects

Saudi Arabia is undergoing transformation at breakneck speed, as the Kingdom aims to reduce its dependence on oil and diversify its economy to incorporate public services and tourism under its Vision 2030 project.

While headline-grabbing projects like the 170km linear city, The Line garner huge amounts of publicity, elsewhere in the country, there is a wide array of other ambitious projects worth many billions of dollars. The Construction Briefing looked at 17 of the biggest.

A visual of the Mukaab in the New Murabba downtown area (Image courtesy of Saudia Arabia PIF)