Follow this tag to curate your own personalized Activity Stream and email alerts.
During the construction of the university’s new engineering building, Cabeza-Lainez found that calculating the area of a roof with straight lines resting on a semicircle was impossible just by using pi. After 30 years of research, [he] published a paper about his discovery in ScienceDirect [...] Both articles present his proposal of a number psi (Ψ), with a value of 3.140923, close to pi but which can be applied to a versatile geometric form that he calls an antisphere. — El Pais
According to El Pais, mathematician and architect Dr. Cabeza-Lainez had to develop his own proprietary calculation software in order to prove the equation. He has also published a book on solar light transfer and says the application of psi in various forms can lower costs associated with... View full entry
New data from the U.S. Commerce Department indicates a rebound in the single-family housing starts for February in what could be a sliver of hope for the market still reeling from historically high-interest rates. According to Reuters, the data shows a positive (7.6%) increase in single-family... View full entry
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) in February increased by 1.9% to 203.0 from the revised January reading of 199.3. Last month, the commercial component of the DMI rose 1.4%, and the institutional component increased by 2.9%. The rise in commercial planning was driven by a nearly 20% growth in office... View full entry
In 2021, 12.1 per 100,000 construction workers in New York state died on the job, a 9% increase from 11.1 the year before, according to a new report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.
The total number of workers who died in the state increased to 61 in 2021, up from 41 in 2020, reported NYCOSH, a membership organization that represents workers, unions and health and safety professionals.
— Construction Dive
The Committee also found that one-quarter of all workplace fatalities across New York state took place on construction sites, a repeat of the figure contained in the Deadly Skyline Report for 2020. Latino workers accounted for 25.5% of the deaths recorded, keeping pace with a larger grisly... View full entry
Total construction starts took a turn in January, falling 27% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $865.6 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Last month, nonresidential building starts fell 38%, residential starts decreased by 20%, and nonbuilding starts declined by 16%. Compared... View full entry
The latest billings data from the American Institute of Architects has found there to be a continued albeit slower decline in the demand for design services across January 2023. The reduction is the fourth month in a row where billings declined versus the previous month. According to the latest... View full entry
The price of construction materials rose 1.3% in January 2023 alone, according to new data by Associated Builders and Contractors. In addition to being 1.3% higher than December 2022 figures, the prices are also 4.9% higher than this time last year, the smallest annual increase since January... View full entry
A new report by Dodge Construction Network has revealed that the Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) fell 8.4% in January to 201.5 from the revised December reading of 220.0. Last month, the commercial component of the DMI fell 10.0%, and the institutional component decreased by 4.7%. The weakness in... View full entry
New data from the American Institute of Architects has found there to be a continued decrease in the demand for design services across December 2022, continuing a trend that began two months previously. According to the latest Architecture Billings Index for December, the billings score was... View full entry
According to a new Dodge Construction Network report, total construction starts jumped 27% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.185 trillion. This figure is a rebound from a dip in November, which saw an 18% decline. Throughout December, nonresidential building starts increased... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects has published a forecast for nonresidential construction spending for 2023 and 2024, in which it projects positive though modest growth. The AIA Consensus Construction Forecast was computed as an average of nine separate forecasts for nonresidential... View full entry
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will boost activity in the civil construction space in 2023, according to Dodge Construction Network.
Dodge expects civil construction starts, such as public transit, roads, bridges, EV charging stations, water-related projects and power plants, to total $281 billion in 2023, a 16% jump from last year.
Dodge’s forecast assumes that 85% of infrastructure money will be spent by 2027.
— Construction Dive
Highway and bridge constructions are expected to jump by 20% each to $94.4 and $26.6 billion, respectively. Starts on water management projects are also expected to jump by 14% to $68.8 billion, according to the DCN. The network’s Chief Economist, Richard Branch, pointed to federal... View full entry
In December, the Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) improved 6.6% to 222.2 from the revised November reading of 208.3. The DMI’s commercial component rose 8.4% and the institutional component increased 2.7% last month. Commercial planning in December was driven by increases across office, warehouse... View full entry
According to a recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), national nonresidential construction spending rose 0.9% in November. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending in this sector totaled $930.1 billion for the month. Across the... View full entry
Data taken from the latest American Institute of Architects (AIA) report shows a continued decrease in the demand for design services industry-wide in November as economic concerns for the new year loom. The new Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for the month was 46.6, down from... View full entry
