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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
The latest data from November’s Dodge Construction Network report has revealed an 18% decline in total construction starts nationwide to an adjusted annual rate of $926.3 billion. The dip follows an October rebound that ended two consecutive months of declining figures. Total... View full entry
There is another cause of overcrowding and homelessness. It is mansionization, the demolition of older, smaller, less expensive houses by real estate speculators who quickly replace them with spec McMansions: boxy, shoddily built houses that max out the permitted building envelope. — City Watch LA
The disincentive to build multifamily and affordable housing is made worse by the popularity of these easily repeatable home designs, which also cost more to construct while taking up more space and using more water and electricity. Certain communities around L.A. County have developed effective... View full entry
[The] Los Angeles City Council put an end to the expansion of local natural gas infrastructure on December 7th when they unanimously approved an ordinance requiring that all new buildings within city limits be constructed all-electric. With this vote, Los Angeles became the largest city in the state and the second largest city in the country to mandate a definitive shift away from fossil fuels in new construction. — NRDC.org
LA City Hall had previously adopted a similar ordinance for all its municipal buildings in 2020 and passed a ban on gas appliances along with a mandate for emissions-free new constructions at the end of spring. The new building code changes are set to go into effect with the new year. A test run... View full entry
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) has increased to 9.2 months in November, the highest level since the second quarter of 2019. This reading is 0.4 months up from October and a 0.8-month increase from November... View full entry
A six month construction season is set to begin at the United Kingdom’s largest Antarctic research and operations hub. Called the Rothera Research Station, it supports leading researchers in frontier science in the region. This marks the start of the next phase of the British Antarctic... View full entry
New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his administration’s three-pronged plan to “Get Stuff Built” this month as a possible answer to skeptics who had previously doubted his ability to tackle what is becoming its largest existential challenge. True to its moniker, the plan calls for... View full entry
