What's The Difference Between Civil Construction And Commercial Construction?
Unless you are in the construction industry, you probably won't know the difference between a commercial project and a civil project.
Even though there are some similarities, there are also some distinct differences between these types of construction.
So, what are the differences between civil construction and commercial construction?
We'll take a look at some of the key differences in the article below.
Table of Contents
- What Is Civil Construction?
- What Is Commercial Construction?
- Differences Between Civil And Commercial Construction
- Contact STEVENS For Your Construction Needs
What Is Civil Construction?
Civil construction and civil engineering create infrastructure involving anything to do with water, earth, or transportation.
Civil construction is a branch of civil engineering that handles the maintenance, design, and construction of natural and physically built environments.
These environments can include water reservoirs, subdivisions, airports, roads, railways, buildings, bridges, sewer systems, tunnels, and dams.
The civil construction industry comprises individuals, companies, and other interested parties involved in the planning, design, and creation of our infrastructure.
A typical construction job needs to be up to date on the new trends in the civil construction industry, and it needs to include planning, creating, and maintaining public infrastructure.
This can include:
- Work with governments, clients, and other relevant professionals.
- The study, evaluation, and investigation of building sites suitable for the possible creation of infrastructure.
- Adhere to the guidelines created by local government, local bodies, and clients when planning, developing, and maintaining infrastructure.
- Create infrastructure plans and get them approved by governing bodies and local authorities.
- Create cost estimates and contracts.
- Tender the contracts and hire contractors.
- Supervise and monitor the construction of the infrastructure to ensure it matches the plan.
What Is Commercial Construction?
Commercial construction is construction in the private sector.
Commercial construction companies work on projects for the building and selling of business structures like office spaces, shopping centers, warehouses, and commercial buildings.
A business owner, manager, or developer can hire a general contractor to build or remodel their commercial structures.
Industrial construction projects are overseen and built by a general contractor company.
General contractors work on various industrial projects, such as commercial and residential buildings.
The difference between these construction sectors is that residential construction projects are for individual housing projects.
A general contractor could be educated and experienced in residential projects and commercial construction projects but may only serve one of these sectors of the industry.
Some general contractors may only work in select industries, so for complex construction projects, make sure to ask your general contractor what industries they serve.
General contractors in the commercial construction industry may also hire subcontractors to work on a commercial project, such as plumbers or electricians.
Differences Between Civil And Commercial Construction
What They're Used For
The main difference between these types of construction is what they're used for.
Civil construction projects revolve around government and community projects.
A construction job in the civil construction industry could involve water structures, sewage systems, waterways, and heavy industries like shipyards.
Commercial construction is the construction of buildings for business purposes.
The most common examples of commercial construction are commercial offices, malls, factories, and stores.
Contractors in the commercial sector put a lot of effort into ensuring that their construction methods will satisfy a business that runs within the structure.
Civil contractors put their efforts into ensuring their construction design will deliver an economical, environmentally friendly structure.
It has to be a structure that the general public can count on for several decades.
Types of Projects:
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Civil Construction deals with infrastructure projects that serve the public or are funded by governments.
These include:
- Roads and highways
- Bridges
- Tunnels
- Airports
- Railways
- Water treatment plants
- Dams and reservoirs
- Power plants
- Public parks
- Utility projects (sewers, pipelines, etc.)
Civil construction focuses on large-scale infrastructure that benefits society as a whole and is often publicly funded.
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Commercial Construction involves building projects for a wide range of businesses and the private sector.
These include:
- Office buildings
- Retail spaces and malls
- Hotels and restaurants
- Apartment buildings
- Warehouses
- Hospitals
- Educational institutions (schools, universities)
- Industrial facilities (factories, plants)
Commercial construction focuses on structures used for commerce, services, or industrial purposes and is often privately funded.
Commercial construction infrastructure involves services for the entire structure, including an electrical, HVAC, and plumbing system.
The network is centralized to satisfy all the tenants in the building.
The supporting infrastructure of commercial construction is different from that of heavy civil engineering.
Civil construction is geared towards supporting specialized equipment materials that help manage a project’s complexity.
This ensures minimal disruptions and negative impacts on the community.
Commercial construction infrastructure involves services for the entire structure, including an electrical, HVAC, and plumbing system.
The network is centralized to satisfy all the tenants in the building.
The supporting infrastructure of commercial construction is different from that of heavy civil engineering.
Civil construction is geared towards supporting specialized equipment materials that help manage a project’s complexity.
This ensures minimal disruptions and negative impacts on the community.
Commercial construction is watched over by business owners and investors since their money is behind these types of construction projects.
Commercial projects look to cut costs and speed up the construction process so the owners of the commercial property can start generating revenue.
Civil construction typically mainly falls under the sponsorship of the government or larger corporations.
This means large projects can fall victim to politicization, leading to an increase in oversight and regulatory pressure.
Regulatory and Environmental Requirements:
- Civil Construction:
- Subject to stringent government regulations and environmental assessments.
- Often requires compliance with public safety, environmental sustainability, and long-term planning regulations.
- Commercial Construction:
- Also regulated, but with a stronger emphasis on zoning laws and building codes specific to the commercial nature of the project.
- Environmental requirements can be less extensive than in civil construction, though green building standards (e.g., LEED) are becoming more common.
Contact STEVENS For Your Construction Needs
It's an exciting time to be in the civil or commercial construction industry.
If you're looking to start a new construction project, you can turn to STEVENS.
Backed by over 75 years of quality, commitment, and experience, STEVENS strives to be the preferred industrial engineer and constructor of choice.
STEVENS works to provide its customers with the best services possible.
To learn more about how STEVENS can help with your civil construction project, click on the button below to see what they can do for you.
Check out our other civil construction articles:
How Can You Reduce Construction Delays?
What Is The Difference Between Commercial and Industrial Construction?
