Relentless scrutiny of troubled projects for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and efforts to grow Russia's energy exports have resulted in the country forming, on Nov. 5, a national Construction, Housing and Utilities Ministry.
Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin wants more control over the country’s ambitious but troubled building program; however, it’s still unclear what programs and projects will be priorities for the new ministry, according to Leonid Zborovsky, manager of Thornton Tomasetti’s Moscow office. Local ministries of regional development likely will have less responsibility for construction, but there is no specific outline for a state building program. “Maybe this is a step toward that, but right now things are very scattered and disorganized," he says.