NAREDCO Conclave Positions Steel as Key to Future-Ready Cities

Steel-based construction can play a transformative role in addressing India’s urbanization challenges by enabling faster project execution, sustainable development, efficient land utilization, and resilient infrastructure, said experts during the panel discussion on ‘Urbanization by Leveraging Steel Structure Based Building Design and Architecture’ at the NAREDCO Real Estate Conclave 2026, held recently at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.

The panel brought together leading experts from the steel, architecture, and construction sectors who unanimously highlighted the need to accelerate the adoption of steel structures to support India’s rapidly growing urban centers. The discussion focused on how steel-based building systems can help optimize scarce urban land, reduce construction timelines, improve structural efficiency, and create future-ready cities.

Speaking at the session, Prasad Sawant, CTO, JSW Severfield Structures Ltd, said steel and off-site fabricated construction solutions are emerging as a key answer to India’s future urban development needs. He noted that as cities continue to expand vertically due to limited land availability, steel-based construction offers significant advantages in speed, efficiency, and scalability. He further observed that the gradual decline in availability of unskilled construction labor will make steel and precast construction methods increasingly important over the coming years.

Gian P Mathur, Founder and Managing Director, GPM Architects & Planners, said the future of urban development lies in building higher and smarter. He pointed out that steel structures help reduce site congestion, minimize material wastage, and improve overall project efficiency. According to him, while steel is often perceived as a more expensive option than conventional concrete construction, a broader evaluation of project lifecycle benefits, faster completion, and quicker utilization demonstrates compelling economic value.

Highlighting steel’s role in solving urban space constraints, Anil Arora, Executive Director (Marketing Services), Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), said steel can create opportunities for better space utilization through high-rise developments, vertical warehousing, and multi-level parking infrastructure. He noted that steel construction offers unmatched speed and scalability and can significantly contribute to addressing growing urban infrastructure requirements. While acknowledging challenges related to skilled manpower, design capabilities, and initial project costs, he emphasized that wider adoption of steel can help cities make more efficient use of limited land resources.

Addressing barriers to adoption, P K Mishra, Director General, Institute for Steel Development & Growth (INSDAG), stressed the need for stronger policy support and greater awareness of steel technologies. He said limited exposure to steel design within engineering education remains a major challenge, resulting in a shortage of professionals trained in steel-based construction. He advocated lifecycle cost-based assessment of infrastructure projects and called for Government-led policy initiatives to create a stronger ecosystem for steel usage. He added that steel and concrete should be viewed as complementary materials, with their application determined by project requirements and long-term performance considerations.

Moderating the discussion, Alok Sahay, Secretary General, Indian Steel Association, said steel is no longer merely a construction material but a critical enabler of sustainable urbanization, modern infrastructure, and architectural innovation. He highlighted steel’s advantages, including high strength-to-weight ratio, design flexibility, seismic resilience, recyclability, and faster construction timelines. According to him, steel-based construction offers a unique opportunity to address key national priorities such as land optimization, sustainability, resource efficiency, and resilient infrastructure development.

Drawing lessons from international best practices, Sahay noted that countries such as Japan have developed robust standards, certification systems, and educational frameworks to support widespread steel adoption. He emphasized the need for India to strengthen design codes, expand steel-focused engineering education, and create a larger network of certified fabricators and skilled professionals.

The panel also recommended the formation of a multi-stakeholder expert group comprising Government agencies, steel producers, construction companies, educational institutions, and standards bodies to identify measures for accelerating steel adoption in India’s construction sector. Experts agreed that policy reforms, skill development, curriculum enhancement, and industry collaboration will be critical to unlocking the full potential of steel structures.

The session concluded with a strong consensus that steel-based construction can become a cornerstone of India’s next phase of urban development, helping create cities that are smarter, greener, more resilient, and better prepared for future generations.

For more information: www.naredco.in