Bristol Backs 28-Storey Student Tower at Cabot Gate
Bristol City Council has given the green light to Hammerson’s plan to convert underused land beside Cabot Circus into a mixed‑use precinct anchored by a 28‑storey, octagonal student tower. Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the development will feature student residences, a ground‑floor café and a dedicated youth facility. A low‑rise community building will sit nearer St Jude’s, with Bristol Horn Youth Concern in talks to occupy it. The scheme is part of Hammerson’s broader effort to diversify the retail‑centric Cabot Circus estate with greener, pedestrian‑focused spaces.
How Demographics Will Reshape the German Housing Market
Germany’s population is set to shrink by 2.5 million by 2040, yet the number of households will stay roughly stable as one‑ and two‑person homes rise. Smaller households drive demand for different sized units, creating a geographic split: cities face shortages...
Construction Insights Point Toward Increased Project Delivery Risk Driven by Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Pressures
A new Pick Everard survey shows construction firms are grappling with heightened delivery risk as inflation, Middle‑East tensions and the Ukraine war drive material and energy costs upward. While only 27% remain optimistic, 40% express concern and 4% are pessimistic,...
Call to Reopen Peak District Railway Now Used as Hiking Trail
A feasibility study for the "Peaks and Dales" line was submitted to the Department for Transport, urging the reinstatement of the former Midland Main Line between Ambergate and Chinley in the Peak District. The report argues that rail is the...
£16M GWR Property Construction Consultancy Framework Tender Issued
First Great Western Railway has launched a £16.1 million ($20.6 million) property construction consultancy framework for the Great Western Railway network. The framework is divided into seven lots—ranging from project design and SISS engineering to cost management and clerk of works—each estimated...
MVRDV Obtains Construction Permit for Low-Carbon Mixed-Use Tour & Taxis Towers in Brussels
Rotterdam‑based MVRDV has secured a construction permit for the Tour & Taxis Towers, a 126‑metre, 58,000‑square‑metre mixed‑use development in Brussels. The twin‑tower scheme combines office space, 199 residential units and public amenities, anchored by a five‑storey plinth. Using its CarbonSpace...
Hormuz Crisis Revives Thailand’s Land Bridge Plan but Business Case Still Lacking
Thailand is reviving its $30 billion land‑bridge plan that would link ports on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, a proposal gaining urgency after Iran’s virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says a special...
Austin Transit Partnership Picks Kiewit JV for Light Rail Facility
Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) selected the Kiewit Austin Partnership, a joint venture between Kiewit Building Group and Austin Commercial, as the design‑build contractor for the light‑rail system’s Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF). Although the contract value was not disclosed, the...
Construction Starts Soon On AI Movie Studio in DFW Metroplex
Construction on a $750 million mixed‑use campus in Mansfield, Texas, will begin in August 2026, featuring an AI‑enabled movie studio. The first phase, budgeted at $50 million, adds four 18,000‑sq‑ft sound stages, production offices and parking, with completion slated for 2027. Over five...
The Contractor's Guide to Bucket ROI
Choosing the right bucket for excavators and wheel loaders is critical to equipment productivity and profitability. The article explains how bucket type, size, and quality must align with material density, site layout, and truck capacity to avoid excess fuel consumption...
ARTBA Helps Lead National Push To Shape, Strengthen America's Transportation Future
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), as co‑chair of the Transportation Construction Coalition, unveiled a set of Principles for Surface Transportation Reauthorization to guide the next multi‑year highway and transit funding bill. The plan calls for inflation‑adjusted investment...
TxDOT's Brazos River Bridge Project Advances
TxDOT is advancing a $53.2 million reconstruction of the I‑69 bridge over the Brazos River in Sugar Land, now about 60% complete and slated for delivery in November 2027. The three‑phase project extends the bridge 700 feet north to avoid riverbank erosion caused...
Hepsor AS Consolidated Unaudited Interim Report for Q1 2026
Hepsor AS reported a record construction pace in Q1 2026, with 428 homes under build – up from 152 a year earlier – and total assets rising 6% to €97 million (≈$106 million). Sales revenue slumped 53% to €3.8 million (≈$4.1 million) while the net loss...
Hong Kong Expands Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Public Transport
Hong Kong’s government announced expanded charging infrastructure guidelines for electric public transport, requiring new transport interchanges to reserve space and power for fast chargers. The first interchange with ten 100 kW+ chargers opened in March 2026, supporting up to 21 electric buses...
Report: Upzoning Spurred More Housing Construction in New York
Upzoning—changing zoning classifications to allow denser development—has been shown to boost housing construction in New York and Philadelphia, according to a new Urban Institute report. In New York, seven neighborhood‑scale upzonings produced roughly 4,000 additional units over four years, while...
Competence Issues and Knowledge Gaps in Temporary Works Persist Despite Its Raised Profile
The construction industry still struggles with basic knowledge gaps in temporary works despite 50 years of guidance since the Bragg Report. Small house‑building contractors often lack dedicated coordinators and formal design procedures, leading to incidents like the HSE‑imposed £100,000 (≈$127,000) fine...
(Sponsored) Australia’s Construction Sector Faces Opportunity and Challenge
Rawlinsons Cost Management’s April Insight report shows Australia’s construction sector operating at record activity levels, with quarterly output reaching roughly $80 billion in Q4 2025. A robust pipeline of housing and multi‑year infrastructure projects fuels the boom, but labour shortages and low...
World Aquatics Makes Progress on Five Pools in Africa
World Aquatics announced progress on five new swimming pools across Africa under its “Pools for All” initiative. Construction is under way in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Lesotho, with completion expected in October 2025. An initial agreement has been signed with...
Vulcan Materials Co (VMC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Vulcan Materials reported adjusted EBITDA of $2.3 billion for 2025, a 13% increase, with margin expanding to 29.3%. The aggregates segment delivered $11.33 cash gross profit per ton and shipped 227 million tons, up 3% driven largely by acquisitions. Free cash flow...
Atlanta, Fulton County Explore Buying Former CNN Center
Atlanta and Fulton County are weighing a joint purchase of the former CNN Center, now called The Center, for roughly $200 million. The Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority would fund the acquisition with tax‑exempt senior revenue bonds, while developer CP Group...
Kiewit Dropped From Key Bridge Rebuild in Baltimore
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has removed Kiewit Infrastructure Co. from the second phase of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild after the contractor’s price and schedule were deemed unacceptable. Kiewet had completed about 70% of the design, but projected...
ACA Releases Information Sheet on Blended Cements
The American Cement Association (ACA) issued an information sheet titled “How Are Blended Cement Standards Changing in 2026?” outlining upcoming revisions to ASTM C595 and AASHTO M 240 specifications. The 2026 editions, slated for publication around August 1, tighten compositional limits for...
On Newest Atlanta Beltline Section, Big Development Ideas Sought
Beulah Heights University, one of the Southeast’s oldest Bible colleges, is marketing its 4.3‑acre campus and adjacent parcels along the newly opened Southeast Trail of the Atlanta Beltline. The property offers 400 feet of Beltline frontage in Ormewood Park, a submarket that...
ASHRAE Highlights System Performance, Workforce Needs, Building Technologies as Industry Priorities in 2026 Technical Program
ASHRAE has unveiled the technical program for its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, scheduled for June 27‑July 1. The agenda spans eight tracks—including AI in building design, building decarbonization, and workforce development—and features research‑driven sessions on data‑center cooling, resilient...
NYC’s Top Construction Permits: Week Ending April 24, 2026
New construction permits in New York City for the week ending April 24 2026 highlight a mix of high‑rise development, mid‑rise residential projects, and several demolition and alteration filings. Extell Development filed plans for an 86‑story, 1.65 million‑sq‑ft tower at 80 West 67th Street on the...
McHugh Construction, Powers & Sons Break Ground on Housing Development in Chicago’s South Loop
McHugh Construction and Powers & Sons broke ground on Southbridge 1C, a 12‑story mixed‑use building in Chicago’s South Loop. The project will deliver 80 market‑rate and affordable rental units plus a 1,500‑square‑foot retail space, designed by Gensler and developed by The...
Kiewit ‘Off-Ramped’ From Baltimore’s Key Bridge Rebuild
Kiewit Infrastructure Co. has been removed from Phase 2 of the Baltimore Key Bridge replacement after its cost proposal far exceeded the Maryland Transportation Authority's (MDTA) independent estimates. The MDTA, consulting the U.S. DOT, invoked the off‑ramp clause in the design‑build...
Last Call for Submissions: ENR Mountain States & Southwest's Top Design Firms Surveys and Preview List
ENR’s Mountain States & Southwest region is finalizing its annual Top Design Firms rankings, with the survey deadline now extended to May 11. So far, 75 firms have submitted data, and the June 22 issue will rank firms by 2025 revenue across...
The 'Amazon Effect' Is Creating Instant Demand For Office Space
Houston brokers are witnessing an "Amazon Effect" in office leasing, where tenants seek 20,000‑square‑foot spaces ready for occupancy within a month. Average lease sizes have shrunk to about 3,800 SF from 6,000 SF pre‑COVID, driving demand for move‑in‑ready spec suites that typically...
Suburban Philly Resi Conversions Rarely Pencil Despite High Demand
Office‑to‑residential conversions are booming in Center City but remain rare in Philadelphia’s suburbs despite a 25.1% office vacancy rate and strong rental demand. Suburban multifamily supply grew only 0.2% last year, while rents rose 3‑4% in Chester and Delaware counties...
GFP Separates Development Business From Rest of Firm
GFP Real Estate has spun off its development arm into a new affiliate, GFP Development, headed by Brian Steinwurtzel. The move is intended to clarify branding and give Steinwurtzel credit for his projects, which include high‑profile Manhattan conversions such as...
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass To Speed Up Permits After Meeting With Trump
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order to overhaul the city’s building‑permit process, a move prompted by a recent meeting with President Donald Trump who criticized LA’s slow post‑wildfire rebuilding. The order introduces artificial‑intelligence review, expands pre‑approved housing...
Practical Uses for Solid Rivets in Structural Projects
Solid rivets, a centuries‑old fastening technology, remain a cornerstone of structural engineering due to their simplicity, strength, and longevity. They are employed across bridges, aircraft, heavy equipment, shipbuilding, and railway infrastructure, where they absorb vibration, distribute loads, and resist corrosion....
Report: Billions of Dollars in Data Center Construction Risk Is Uninsured
Annual data‑center investment is set to exceed $300 billion by 2027, pushing individual campus values to $10‑$30 billion. Insurers can no longer provide full replacement coverage; instead they underwrite based on probable maximum loss, limiting policies to $1.5‑$3.5 billion for most projects. This...
How Northeast Weather Patterns Are Accelerating Exterior Repair Demand
The Northeast is experiencing more intense nor'easters, hail and erratic freeze‑thaw cycles, turning exterior repair into a year‑round necessity. Aging homes built before modern codes are especially vulnerable, and contractors now see call volumes rise within 48 hours of storms....
Chicago Breaks Ground on $5.7B Red Line Transit Extension
Chicago’s Transit Authority and the Walsh‑Vinci joint venture broke ground on the $5.7 billion Red Line Extension on April 24. The 5.5‑mile project will push the 24‑hour Red Line from 95th Street to near 130th Street, adding four new stations with multimodal...
Argentina’s Commuter Rail Privatisation Advances
Argentina’s government is moving to privatise the Buenos Aires commuter rail system, seeking technical assistance from the Inter‑American Development Bank to design a concession model. The 900‑km, seven‑line network carries over one million passengers daily and is currently run by...
17 Communities Join USGBC’s 2026 LEED For Cities Certification Cohort
The U.S. Green Building Council announced the 2026 LEED for Cities certification cohort, adding 17 municipalities that together represent about 2.5 million residents. The cohort follows the LEED v4.1 Existing Cities rating system and is supported by Bank of America, which...
New Holland Debuts New Electric E25X Mini Excavator
New Holland Construction introduced the electric E25X mini‑excavator, a 2.5‑metric‑ton machine that joins the 1.5‑ton E15X launched in 2023. Powered by a 102‑volt, 32.2 kWh lithium‑ion battery, the E25X delivers four to eight hours of operation and can be fully recharged...
ABS Partners Plans 400-Unit Development at Manhattan Studio Site
ABS Partners Real Estate filed a ULURP rezoning application to replace a historic studio at 515 West 57th Street with a 30‑story, 394‑unit residential tower. The 378,000‑square‑foot project will include a commercial component and 119 affordable units under New York City’s inclusionary housing...
Welsh Data Center Proposal Rejected by Local Council
Anglesey County Council rejected Carbon3.ai's plan to turn the former Octel chemical plant in Amlwch into an AI data center. The proposal, submitted in January, aimed to repurpose existing structures and leverage Wales' AI Growth Zone incentives. The decision follows...
Report: Commercial Real Estate Companies Have Installed over 1 GW of Solar Across US
The U.S. commercial real‑estate sector has surpassed 1 GW of on‑site solar, reaching 1.086 GW across 2,157 projects from more than 65 owners. Prologis tops the industrial category with roughly 311 MW, while Public Storage leads self‑storage with 111 MW. Community solar accounts for...
Bosnia, Croatia Sign Gas Pipeline Deal Despite Civil Society Backlash
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia signed the Southern Interconnection gas‑pipeline agreement on April 28, linking Bosnia’s network to Croatia’s Krk LNG terminal and aiming to diversify away from Russian supplies. The deal, backed by U.S. officials, will be financed separately by...
BMA Names Winning Bidders for R12bn Project to Redevelop Six Ports of Entry
South Africa’s Border Management Authority has awarded a R12 billion (≈$650 million) public‑private partnership to redevelop its six busiest land border posts, which handle about 80% of the nation’s cross‑border trade and passenger traffic. The contracts were split among five consortia—Baobab, Raulux,...
Canadian High Speed Line Corridor Details to Be Announced This Year
Alto, the promoter of Canada’s high‑speed rail, will announce detailed corridor plans this autumn after completing a massive public‑consultation effort. The outreach engaged over 10,000 residents, hosted 26 open‑house events, 10 virtual sessions and 32 stakeholder roundtables, generating 324,026 portal...
Study: Pavement Covers 40% of Phoenix
A new Arizona State University study finds that 40% of Phoenix’s land area is covered by pavement, an amount comparable to four times the size of San Francisco. Researchers highlight that asphalt emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that form ultrafine...
National Highways Engages Market on £166m Construction Pipeline
National Highways, the government‑owned road authority, has opened market engagement for an estates and facilities construction pipeline valued at up to £199.2 m (≈$255 m), with the core programme estimated at £166 m (≈$212 m) excluding VAT. The programme comprises 21 schemes slated to...
How Sound Transit Handles Weather on Floating Bridge
Sound Transit’s 5,811‑foot Homer M. Hadley floating bridge, the world’s fifth‑longest, now supports Link 2 light‑rail trains after the first powered crossing last September. The bridge’s pontoon design accommodates six directional movements, allowing simultaneous bi‑directional train operation while sharing space with I‑90 traffic....
Brighton to Build Europe’s First Women’s Football Stadium
Brighton & Hove Albion announced plans to construct Europe’s first stadium dedicated exclusively to women’s football. The 5,000‑seat venue at the Falmer Sports Complex will cost roughly £12 million (about $15 million) and is slated to open in 2025. Designed with sustainable...
A Tiny Town Is Building So Many Data Centers That There’ll Be Almost Nothing Else Left
Archbald, Pennsylvania – a borough of about 7,000 people – is facing proposals for six massive data‑center campuses that could cover roughly 14% of the town’s land area. The sites, each the size of a Walmart supercenter, are drawn by...