Search

The article reports on the performance of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors in the U.S. Also cited are the challenges facing contractors post-coronavirus pandemic including the limited labor resources and growing project costs, the 13.3% increase in the total revenue of said contractors in 2023 from 2022 figures, and some of the top companies like Emcor Group Inc., Comfort Systems USA Inc., and Acco Engineered Systems.

The article discusses trends and insights in the concrete market as discussed by industry experts, including a focus on sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint in , increasing demand for eco-friendly concrete solutions, and the integration of smart technologies into concrete structures for real-time monitoring. It also mentions the challenges related to labor shortages and supply chain disruptions and discusses strategies to attract skilled professionals in the industry.

The article focuses on the increasing interest in alternative project delivery methods to mitigate risks caused by cost volatility. Topics include the rise in design-build and construction management-at-risk revenue, the need for trust in adopting collaborative delivery methods and the challenges and benefits associated with alternative project delivery.

The article provides an outlook for the construction industry in 2023. Topics include economic factors that will continue to affect the industry such as inflation, rising interest rates and a possible global recession, Dodge Construction starts forecast for 2023, the decline of housing starts after years of strong growth due to higher interest rates, and the projected increase in highway and bridge work by the end of 2022.

The article offers information on the Covid-19 backed supply chain disruptions faced by the U.S. construction industry. It mentions that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) poised to bring an influx of federally funded projects into the industry, specialty contractors expect a continuing strain on industry resources such as labor and equipment.

The article offers information about the recycling, upcycling and the shifting dynamics of demolition. It mentions that technology has long played a critical role in the demolition space for project management, improved safety, more efficient material sorting and, of demolition. It discusses the increasing use of investigative robotic equipment to better evaluate structural integrity of a collapsed buildings.

The article reports that the Detroit Red Wings hockey great Gordie Howe was beloved in his native Canada and in his adopted U.S. home. Topics include considered a new international bridge connecting both places try to create similar goodwill for border traffic, but the project's public-private partnership team and the Canadian government authority it is working for will have to join together to shift lines and mount a comeback in the third period of its construction.

A contractor's project manager requested a payment of $735,000 to be sent electronically for a warehouse project. The request was forwarded to the bank's escrowed funds disbursement agent, who required the project manager to fill out a form and notarize it. The funds were sent to a bank account belonging to cyber thieves impersonating the project manager. Construction projects are vulnerable to cyber crime, and generative artificial intelligence has made these crimes easier. The theft has led to a legal dispute between the owner, contractor, and the disbursement agent. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index, which has seen a notable increase this quarter, reaching its highest level since Q1 of 2022. This surge in confidence, up by six points to a nearly stable rating of 46, reflects a more positive outlook for the construction industry in the short-to-medium term.

The Gateway Development Commission has chosen MPA Delivery Partners as the delivery partner for the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, which will create a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York City. MPA, a joint venture of Mace North America Ltd., Parsons Corp., and Arcadis of New York Inc., will provide project management services for Gateway, including risk management, cost and schedule assurance, safety and quality management, and innovation and value engineering. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2035, with plans to rehabilitate the North River Tunnels by 2038. The delivery partner method has been successful in other large projects, such as the 2012 London Olympics. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that economic growth will continue but challenges with labor, materials and inflation persist. Topics include economic recovery has resumed following the setback in the third quarter, and construction should follow suit; and supply chains have been tripped up by burgeoning retail demand and COVID-19 impact on manufacturing.

The article focuses on specialty contractors struggle to keep work moving through unprecedented market shortages and disruptions.

The article addresses economic performance of the construction industry in the U.S. for the third quarter of 2021. Topics discussed include concerns about the Delta variant of the Covid-19 and its impact on the industry, according to Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Data & Analytics, performance of the single-family market, according to Branch, and decline in lumber prices.

This section offers news briefs on the U.S federal and military construction industry as of September 2021. The Haskell Co. has completed the General Instruction Building (GIB) design-build project at Camp Guernsey in Wyoming. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) will host the annual Federal Contractors Conference (FedCon) at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the supply chain at major seaports and inland ports.

Structural and civil engineer Omar Hernandez, a Dominican native who is Ansara's heir apparent, caught the BHI bug on the HUM project, which he worked on from 2010-13. A public hospital in Pestel, not built by BHI, was badly damaged, but its solar microgrid system, recently installed by BHI, "stayed working the entire time", says Jim Ansara, BHI's managing director. Desrosiers, a BHI project manager with a background in facilities management, was also hand-delivering critical surgical supplies to Saint Boniface Hospital in Fond-des-Blancs, built by BHI for the nonprofit operator, Health Equity International. During one of their many late night talks, "Jim said he couldn't just build HUM and walk away, he needed to continue to help", says Walton, who calls himself BHI's "co-founder in absentia" because he had full-time job commitments until 2016, when he became CEO for three years. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses construction advances, green innovations, and fuel changes in warehouses. It notes need for smarter layouts, automation fine-tune warehouses for enhanced performance; warehouse vacancies at all-time low with continuously rising rents; and machine intelligence to power fourth industrial revolution. It notes automatic monitoring and reporting to improve operations and result in creation of better customized products with reduced costs.

The article offers information on top 400 contractors chosen by the journal "ENR" and their strategy to be less impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include partnership among a group of construction contractor on turnkey COVID-19 prevention protocols for all companies to use, how virus prevention methods changed productivity among firms and adoption of cloud-based applications by project managers to bolster remote business operations for many firms.

The article reports on the selection by the U.S. Navy of eight contractors including Absher Construction Co., Haskell Co., and Macnak Construction LLC for its indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity multiple award construction contracts in the Northwest region.

The article presents the periodical's Construction Industry Confidence Index on the recession risks in the U.S. It mentions the construction executives' faith in the economy. It discusses the supply chain issues have pushed companies to reshore and near-shore, leading to an explosive growth in the manufacturing sector.

The article presents the interview with Cheri Hanes, Construction Risk Engineer at AXA XL, and Andrea Woods, Executive Vice President & Corporate Counsel at Nabholz Construction. Topics include the environmental, health and safety issues are your association facing in a COVID-19 world, and the rotate shifts and breaks for workers and subcontractors to limit the number of people gathered in one area at a time.

COVER STORY SPECIAL SECTION ECONOMICS As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes in the U.S. and restrictions on work and other interactions l are lifted, the construction sector's rebound is underway, with some markets bouncing back faster than others, analysts say. Consultant Rider Levett Bucknall reports that construction costs have increased 2.9% in the second quarter, the largest quarterly growth that the firm has recorded in its 20 years of data analysis. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on the declining confidence of executives in the construction industry due to fears of a recession in the U.S. Also cited are the declines in the journal's Construction Industry Confidence Index and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Billings Index, and the pessimistic views of construction managers and general contractors on the industry in 2023.

The article highlights a report which shows that a pessimistic short term outlook, with 40.9 percent of respondents seeing a declining construction market three to six months from now, up from 33.3 percent last quarter. It discusses that the Confindex fell 2.8 percent between Q2 and Q3 of 2022, down to a rating of 103. The "current confidence" index also fell, down 5.4 percent to a 106 rating, and the "financial conditions" index tumbled 6.5% to 101.

The article reports on chances of completion of construction of Goose Creek Independent School District's (GCISD) new technology center despite issues due to rain, budget and soil condition. Topics discussed include views of Matt Flood, chief technology officer (CTO) of GCISD, on the same, encompassing warehouse for receiving technology equipment, and weather delays due to hurricane and rainfall.

The article discusses that the U.S. military has continued to build up its presence in Guam, the U.S. Navy selected seven contractors on March 14, 2023 to compete for construction projects under a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts.

The article informs Skanska, a construction group in the U.S. is leading a $108-million, 179,000-sq-ft renovation and expansion project at Bon Secours–St. Francis Medical Center in Midlothian, Virginia.

The article reports that Confindex quarterly survey from the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) reflect a growing pessimism among Choef financial officers in general and civil contractors and subcontractors about markets and business conditions. Topics include the accelerating energy transition from fossil fuels as a factor; and the Federal Reserve to slow the economy without driving it into recession.

The article focuses on the increasing need for cyber insurance in the construction industry as the likelihood of cyber attacks and resulting disputes over payments rise.

The article focuses on the joint venture between Turner Construction Company and Yates Construction, which has been selected by Panasonic to build its new manufacturing plant in the U.S.

The article informs that Korean solar manufacturer QCells has announced a 2.5 billion U.S. Dollars investment in building a complete solar supply chain in the U.S., including a 3.3 gigawatts capacity plant in Bartow County, Georgia.

The article presents the discussion on U.S. executives at leading general contractors, subcontractors, and design firms on ENR's top lists. Topics include CFOs from general and civil contractors and subcontractors about markets and business conditions; and slowing immigration and more aggressive enforcement of existing laws relating to undocumented workers draining an already shallow labor market.

The article reports on the expansion projects launched by space launch firm United Launch Alliance (ULA) and rocket parts manufacturer Beyond Gravity in north Alabama, including ULA's receiving warehouse and finished goods staging facility.

The article reports on the contract awarded by Intel Corp. to Bechtel as general contractor of the first stage of its semiconductor fabrication plant projects in Ohio.

The article reports that the long awaited Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been passed, but construction market confidence has continued to dip among industry executives. It mentions that the ENR's Construction Industry Confidence Index dropped to a rating of 60, down five points from Q3. Confidence in the U.S. economy as a whole plunged even further, down 11 points to a feeble 50.

The article focuses on Elmhurst Group, a Pittsburgh-area developer, started collecting bids for a new mixed-use building last November, the price of the steel frame, roof and cladding panels for the $14-million project came in $382,000 higher than expected a big enough disappointment to give Elmhurst pause. Topics include the materials costs for the project were running above what was originally calculated, and the company decided to rebid the steel portion months later to get a lower price.

A rating of 100 indicates a stable market; higher ratings indicate market growth. The measure is based on 207 responses from industry execs to surveys sent between May 14 and June 21 to U.S. companies on ENR lists of leading general contractors, subcontractors and design firms. COVER STORY SPECIAL SECTION CONFIDENCE INDEX The first six months of 2021 have seen big materials cost hikes, increasing labor shortages and uncertainty over federal action on a major infrastructure package. [Extracted from the article]

The discusses several U.S. construction news. It mentions that Space Perspective has been planning to construct a spacecraft assembly plant at the Space Coast Airport and Spaceport in Titusville, Florida. It discusses that MycoWorks has been planning to construct a fungal-based biomaterials manufacturing plant in Union.

The article presents several news including The Tennessee Valley Authority has been considering building a solar farm outside Courtland, Alabama; and the city of Bentonville has been planning a roadway improvement project in Arkansas.

The article offers information that federal officials has been working to help Afghan Evacuees to settle in the U.S. It mentions that Baltimore and Philadelphia district real estate teams joined to establish facilities similar to the Expo Center near the new airport, along with mentions that U.S. Army Corps has brought in portable toilets and mobile shower units.

The article offers industrial news briefs including Nucor Corp. is planning to construct a steel melt shop at one of its five existing bar mills; and NABB Group is planning to construct an electrical equipment research and development, production and office campus in New Berlin.

The article focuses on factors including the global pandemic and political polarization, there is increasing demand from virtually all construction markets, according to researchers at Oxford Economics. Topics include the uptick in equipment orders, however, is causing a concerning backlog for many manufacturers, and the global supply chain issues that started last year continue to manifest in disruptive ways from shortages of key components and delivery delays to soaring transportation.

The article focuses on removal of an industrial facility to make way for new construction may seem a common challenge in environment, until a very short timeline and adjusted scope push limits of possibility. Topics include the multinational retail conglomerate and development partners sought to build a new warehouse and distribution center, and the general contractor needed to cut the demolition time in more than half to meet the client's scheduled opening date.

SOUTH CAROLINA Oshkosh Defense is planning to establish a plant at the Flatwood Industrial Park in Spartanburg, where it will assemble zero-emission battery electric and low-emission internal combustion engine fleet vehicles. ESC Brands will use the facility to produce cleaners, sanitizers, disinfectants, pet care products, insect repellents and specialized coatings using its proprietary technology. WEST VIRGINIA ESC Brands LLC is planning to establish a sanitization products manufacturing and distribution facility in Bluefield. [Extracted from the article]

Manchin's bill would boost spending for decarbonization technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and production of "blue" hydrogen (produced with natural gas using CCS) to be used as an alternative to natural gas or other fossil fuels. PHOTO (COLOR): ENERGY AGENDA A committee has approved Sen. Manchin's bill to boost clean-energy infrastructure to provide better paying jobs.. Clean-energy advocates, construction groups and labor unions, not always on the same side in policy issues, are watching closely as White House and Senate negotiators try to strike a deal on a $1.2-trillion bipartisan infrastructure package before the August congressional recess. [Extracted from the article]

The good news is that construction of data centers, warehouses and distribution centers are off the charts. Warehouses and distribution centers alone used to have almost no impact on the commercial building sector. SOURCEBOOK Manufacturing construction was hit hard during the pandemic, Steve Jones, senior director of industry insights and research for Dodge Data & Analytics, told ENR's FutureTech conference. [Extracted from the article]

This article presents news briefs related to the construction industry as of October 11, 2004. Ware Malcomb has been awarded a contract to design three tilt-up warehouse buildings on Lots 5, 6 and 9 at the Camarillo Ranch Business Park in Camarillo. The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Center for Science& Exploration has selected Cesar Pelli & Associates to design a state-of-the-art science center that would be built on a site overlooking the Connecticut River in Hartford. Horner & Shifrin Inc. is providing design services for the new Highway 54 pump station for the City of Jefferson City.

This article presents news briefs, related to the U.S. construction industry, as of July 19, 2004. Alter Group Ltd., has announced plans to develop two mega-sized distribution centers totaling more than 1.35 million sq. ft. in Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga. Georgetown University selected Einhorn Yaffee Prescott to design the renovation of the School of Foreign Services, Mortara Center for International Studies academic center. The project involves the complete rehabilitation of 7,900 sq ft on the first and second floors. Vollmer Associates LLP, has been selected by the Riverlife Task Force of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to provide additional design development and prepare construction documents for phase 1 of the Monongahela Wharf Landing, a 2,600-ft-long promenade along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

The article discusses that president Joe Biden is moving to fill more vacancies in key sub-Cabinet positions. Topics discussed include the White House on April 9 picked Doug Parker, chief of California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as assistant labor secretary to lead the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott said Parker "understands what it takes to protect workers on job, during COVID-19 pandemic.

The article presents statistics on topics related to the construction industry in the U.S.