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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
According to a recently released analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), construction input prices have fallen 0.9% in November from October readings. Additionally, nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.8% in... View full entry
Construction filled more hard hats in October, as the total job openings dropped by 52,000 from a month earlier to 371,000, or 21,000 fewer vacancies than in October 2021, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). — Construction Dive
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. While October's reading is promising, given a looming recession and labor shortages, 4.6% of all construction... View full entry
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) for November showed a steady increase of 3.8% to 207.2, marking the third consecutive month of growth following September and October’s revised totals of 182.2 and 199.6, respectively. The reported increases in planning activity were propelled by commercial... View full entry
High inflation, rising interest and plummeting stocks are taking a toll on Big Tech [...]
Despite the amount of blood on tech firms’ payroll ledgers, though, these massive cuts are not expected to affect the blistering pace of data center construction, according to industry sources.
— Construction Dive
The expected pullback from larger hyperscale data centers is nonetheless on pace to be absorbed by concurrent increases in the proliferation of smaller and more quickly deliverable colocation centers, according to recent market data. Related on Archinect: Dodge Momentum Index records... View full entry
According to a new Dodge Construction Network report, total construction starts rose 8% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.12 trillion. This is a rebound following two consecutive months of decline. Last month, nonresidential building starts gained 9% and nonbuilding starts... View full entry
The Dodge Construction Network has produced a forecast for the U.S. construction sector for 2023, in which it signals a slowdown across many typologies. Overall, the dollar value of construction starts will be $1.08 trillion, which, though unchanged from 2022, represents a 3% dip when adjusted for... View full entry
Construction staffing has nearly climbed out of the pandemic-induced hole. [...] construction reached 99% of pre COVID-19 numbers, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.
Contractors added 60,000 new employees last month, Associated Builders and Contractors reported, boosting total employment in the industry to 7.6 million. That’s the highest staffing level since COVID-19 drove one million workers off site in April 2020.
— Construction Dive
“Evidence indicates that contractors have had a somewhat easier time filling available positions recently,” Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban said in a March statement. “There are also indications that supply chain issues have improved slightly, though the... View full entry
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) continued to steadily rise in October, with a 9.6% boost to 199.7 from the revised September reading of 182.2. This increase was driven by a 13% and a 2.9% rise in the commercial building and institutional building components, respectively. As detailed by Dodge... View full entry
Construction spending in New York City will reach an all-time high of $86 billion this year, up $38 billion from 2021, according to a new report from the New York Building Congress.
The report finds that despite numerous obstacles from the pandemic and economic uncertainty, construction spending and infrastructure investment in New York City remain positive.
— Construction Dive
The influx of capital, unfortunately, has not impacted the city’s most critical area of need as it was recently reported to have fallen short of its planned goals to construct 25,000 units of affordable housing by 36%. The New York Building Congress says the shortfall will only get worse as a... View full entry
