Built to Last, Built to Change

August 12, 2026

Civil engineering sits at an interesting crossroads right now: preparing for the energy demands of tomorrow while still holding together the infrastructure of decades past. We caught up with Pietro Galante, a civil engineer from our civil department, to discuss some of the recent trends he sees in this industry on the civil side.

A Shift Toward Alternative Energy

A shift that’s coming is more alternative sources of energy and infrastructure resilience. We see it here at KDM Engineering, as we are gaining more projects in EV charging as our world shifts more toward driving electrical vehicles. We set up more chargers so that people can use them more frequently. Solar and wind have been a trend for a long time now as we are shifting to more sustainable practices for long-term energy usage. Alternative energy practices are becoming more efficient and accessible for people, so the grid and infrastructure around it need to keep up. Our civil engineering department is setting up the foundation, literally and figuratively, for all of that to be built on top of.

Foundations for What’s Next

Usually, these projects are given to us by clients who want to build new EV chargers so people will be able to use them. We set up the foundation for it and collaborate with our other departments to figure out the rest. But building for the future is only half of the job. Civil Engineering has a lot of moving projects, and while EV work is our most recent focus, we’re also constantly updating a lot of aging infrastructure to make sure they remain reliable for the communities we serve.

The Weight of What’s Already There

Galante mentions,

“It must be updated eventually. We get better techniques for building and designing things, and better materials, so it’s not something that once it’s made, lasts forever. It must be maintained. You’ve got to come back to it eventually.”

Aging infrastructure always needs to be fixed. You can hear that a bridge was built 100 years ago and it’s still standing, and that’s true, but standing is not the same as sustainable. The electrical grid needs to be updated, water mains must be updated, so they can handle today’s demands more efficiently.

Communication Across Every Project

Holding both of those priorities together, building for what’s next while maintaining what’s already there, is not possible without real communication. As soon as a project starts, everyone talks about it and is on the same page. Having background on a project from the very beginning allows everyone to know what’s happening instead of having to spend time catching people up or missing something. Communication is the biggest thing when it comes to any project done our departments take on. That same mindset extends to how the work itself gets done. The best way to get better at the job is to learn to do things differently. There are always people who’ve done things one way for the longest time, but sometimes that doesn’t always work. There are new ways to solve problems and be flexible while still following industry standards.

Galante adds,

"Being able to switch that up and think outside the box helps.”

In the end, civil engineering isn’t just about building what’s new, it’s about making sure what’s already there can keep up.

Cover Photo by Mohamed B.

PIetro Galante

Civil Engineer