Dr Sarath Obeysekera

While Sri Lanka continues debating the shortage of construction labour, countries such as Turkey are already preparing for the next generation of construction materials.

For decades, the world relied on brick, concrete, steel, and timber as the primary building materials. Today, however, advanced economies are increasingly introducing composite structural elements made from fiberglass-reinforced polymers (FRP), glass-reinforced plastics (GRP), carbon fibre composites, and hybrid materials that combine strength, durability, and lightweight characteristics.

Turkey has quietly emerged as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of composite construction products.

Companies throughout Turkey now manufacture structural I-beams, box sections, channels, reinforcement bars, bridge components, handrails, platforms, wall panels, and industrial structural members using composite materials produced through advanced pultrusion technologies. These products are lighter than steel, highly resistant to corrosion, and require minimal maintenance. (PultechFRP)

The significance of this development cannot be overstated.

A conventional steel beam may require special transport equipment, heavy lifting cranes, protective coatings, and periodic maintenance. A composite beam can often be transported and installed with significantly less effort while providing excellent resistance to moisture, chemicals, and harsh environmental conditions. (PultechFRP)

Turkey’s composite manufacturers now export structural profiles, reinforcement systems, construction panels, and industrial components throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The country has built a complete ecosystem consisting of research institutions, production facilities, testing laboratories, and export-oriented manufacturers. (Tezkom Kompozit)

The lesson for Sri Lanka is clear.

We continue to build largely as we did fifty years ago. Construction remains heavily dependent on bricks, cement blocks, timber shuttering, sand mining, and large numbers of manual workers.

At the same time, skilled labour is becoming scarce. Thousands of masons, carpenters, welders, and technicians have migrated overseas. Contractors struggle to find workers. Project costs continue to rise.

The answer is not simply to import foreign labour.

The answer is to redesign the industry itself.

Sri Lanka should adopt a national strategy promoting steel construction, prefabricated systems, and eventually composite structural technologies. Universities, engineering faculties, vocational institutes, and private industry should collaborate to develop local expertise in composite manufacturing and fabrication.

Composite reinforcement bars already offer advantages over conventional steel reinforcement in corrosive environments such as marine structures, bridges, ports, and coastal developments. Turkish manufacturers have successfully commercialized these technologies and demonstrated their practical application in infrastructure projects. (Pultra)

For an island nation surrounded by seawater, corrosion-resistant construction materials offer immense economic benefits. Ports, fisheries harbours, jetties, marinas, coastal highways, and offshore structures could all benefit from composite technologies.

More importantly, Sri Lanka has a unique opportunity to combine several industries into a single national development strategy.

A future ship-recycling industry could recover steel from end-of-life vessels.

Recovered steel could feed fabrication yards producing modular buildings and infrastructure components.

Composite manufacturing plants could produce lightweight structural elements, reinforcement systems, and prefabricated construction products.

Vocational training institutions could develop a new generation of welders, fabricators, composite technicians, and industrial workers.

Such a strategy would reduce reliance on imported construction materials, create high-value industrial employment, and increase national productivity.

Turkey’s experience demonstrates that economic development is not merely about constructing buildings. It is about creating industries that manufacture the materials used to build those structures.

Sri Lanka’s future should not be limited to importing cement, bricks, and labour.

It should aspire to manufacture steel structures, composite beams, modular housing systems, bridge components, and advanced construction materials for both domestic use and export markets.

The real challenge facing Sri Lanka is not only shortage of workers.

It is a shortage of imagination.

Countries that prosper are those that move from consuming technology to producing it. Turkey has shown how this transformation can occur. Sri Lanka must now decide whether it wishes to follow the same path.

Regards

Dr Sarath Obeysekera