Ehituses

Ehitus on the process of building and the industry surrounding it in Estonia. The term encompasses planning, design, financing, procurement, construction, Commissioning and handover, as well as the ongoing maintenance and renovation of buildings and infrastructure. In everyday use, ehituses can refer to construction activities in a given project, to the construction sector as a whole, or to the phase when a project is being built.

The scope of ehituses includes residential, commercial and public buildings, as well as infrastructure such as roads, bridges, utilities and industrial facilities. It covers new constructions and major renovations, extensions, and retrofits. Projects typically involve collaboration among developers, architects, engineers, contractors and public authorities, with subcontractors handling specialized work.

The construction lifecycle generally follows a sequence: project concept and design, preparation of design documentation, permitting and approvals from local authorities, procurement and contracting, actual construction, testing and commissioning, and handover to the owner or operator. Building permits and adherence to construction standards and safety rules are required throughout the process. In Estonia, the regulatory framework includes the Building Act (Ehitusseadustik) and related standards, as well as energy performance and environmental requirements.

The ehituses sector contributes to economic activity and employment, and it is influenced by public investment, urban development, and housing policy. Trends in modern construction include greater emphasis on sustainability, efficiency, safety and digital tools such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and digital project management.