Steel Tariffs Risk Supply Shortages, SAISC Warns
The Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) warns that newly imposed anti‑dumping tariffs on selected steel imports are already prompting merchants to cancel or delay orders. While the tariffs aim to protect domestic producers, SAISC says the sudden rise in duties is creating a risk of shortages, especially for specialised sizes not readily made locally. The institute recommends a phased or delayed rollout to avoid project delays and cost overruns. It also announced a Quality Certification Programme to improve traceability and standards across the steel value chain.
Kier Inducts 100-Strong Team for Norfolk Highways and Infrastructure Works
Construction firm Kier has begun work on a £700 million (≈$875 million) contract with Norfolk County Council to maintain and improve nearly 10,000 km of roads over up to 14 years. The agreement brings 100 former council contractor staff into Kier under TUPE,...
Mumbai Opens Metro Extensions
The MMRDA inaugurated two metro extensions in Mumbai on April 8, adding 5.4 km Phase 1 of Line 2B from Diamond Garden to Mandale and a 3.6 km Line 9 linking Dahisar East with Kashigaon. Line 9, the first metro line in Thane district, will run through...
Completion Nears for Mixed-Use Project at 1650 Lincoln Blvd. In Santa Monica
Developer Tishman Speyer is nearing completion of a mixed‑use project at 1650 Lincoln Boulevard in downtown Santa Monica. The five‑story building will contain 98 residential units, roughly 6,000 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space, and a three‑level garage with 206...
Construction Equipment Sales Fall 13% in FY26 on Project Delays, Weak Execution: FADA
Construction equipment (CE) retail sales in India fell 13% year‑on‑year to 71,227 units in FY26, making the segment the sole laggard in the country’s auto retail market. The decline was driven by project‑level delays, a high base from FY25 pre‑buying,...
Exit Interview: Adolfson & Peterson’s Outgoing CEO on War Impacts, Construction Costs
Adolfson & Peterson CEO Jeff Hansen announced his retirement effective June 1 after a decade at the helm, during which the firm expanded from roughly $500 million to an anticipated $2.3 billion in revenue. The company posted a 25 % revenue jump from 2020 to 2021, leveraging...
Reno Permit Issued for Residential Conversion at 223 W. Erie
Concord Capital secured a renovation permit to transform the seven‑story office tower at 223 W. Erie in Chicago into a residential building. The adaptive‑reuse plan will replace 24 office suites with 66 apartments, comprising studios, one‑bedrooms and two‑bedrooms. Ground‑level retail will remain,...
Brazil Is Undercutting African Timber — and Freight Hikes Are Making It Worse
The ITTO market report warns that African timber exporters are being squeezed by cheap Brazilian pine and rising freight costs, while demand remains weak in Europe and only modestly improving from China. In Gabon, Chinese interest in okoumé offers some...
Engineers Publish Manifesto Calling for Welsh Infrastructure Reform
The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) launched its Delivering Infrastructure 2050 manifesto on 8 April, outlining a comprehensive set of reforms for Welsh infrastructure planning and delivery. The 16‑page document urges early engagement of engineers and consultants, overhauls public procurement...
Prague to Roll Out 150 ‘EV-Ready’ Street Lamps for Charging Network
Prague’s city council approved a €4.1 million (≈$4.5 million) project to retrofit 150 streetlights with built‑in electric‑vehicle (EV) charging capability. The “EV‑ready” lamps are part of a broader e‑mobility strategy that anticipates up to 180,000 EVs in the capital by 2030, requiring...
Astana Light Metro Commissioning Nears Completion
Commissioning of Astana’s first light metro is nearing completion as train and system tests hit key milestones. The 21.3 km elevated line, featuring 18 stations from the central Nurly Zhol hub to the airport, has achieved its design speed of 80 km/h. Designed...
Angus Land Proposes £480m Mixed-Use Hotel Development Near Wellbank
Angus Land Company has lodged a £480 million (≈$1 billion) proposal to develop the “Brae of Angus” mixed‑use resort on 310 acres near Wellbank, Scotland. The plan features a 450‑room five‑star Hyatt hotel, a preserved 18‑hole championship golf course, a new golf...
Podcast | Restoring a 200-Year-Old Suspension Bridge with VolkerLaser
The Engineers Collective podcast featured VolkerLaser senior project manager Lee Jackson discussing the restoration of Whorlton Bridge, a nearly 200‑year‑old Grade II listed suspension bridge over the River Tees that has been closed since 2019. VolkerLaser dismantled the structure into thousands...
Construction Firms Slash Jobs After Biggest-Ever Cost Inflation Rise
Construction firms in the UK slashed jobs at an accelerated pace in March as cost inflation surged to its highest level since 1997, according to S&P Global. The spike was driven by war‑related price hikes in fuel, transportation and raw...
Oslo Airport Outlines New Cargo Hub Development
Oslo Airport has launched a comprehensive modernization plan that includes relocating its cargo facilities to the west side of the airfield and optimizing runway usage. The new cargo hub will free up space for passenger expansion while bolstering capacity for...
£56M Infrastructure Programme Launched Across Cumbria’s Electricity Network
SP Electricity North West has launched a £56 million (≈$71 million) infrastructure programme to replace a 47 km stretch of overhead lines on Cumbria’s West Coast. Phase one will replace 152 pylons on the 132 kV Cumbria Ring, boosting capacity and supporting rising electricity...
Zambia Copper Rail Link to Cost up to $5bn
A new 830‑kilometre railway will connect Zambia’s copper belt to Angola’s deep‑water port of Lobito, with construction slated to start this year and finish by 2030. The project’s cost is estimated between $3 billion and $5 billion, covering tracks, stations and rolling...
‘Historic’ NZ–India FTA to Scrap 95% of Tariffs on Wood Exports
New Zealand and India will sign a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement on April 24, eliminating tariffs on 95% of New Zealand wood products, including timber, lumber, pulp and paperboard. The deal grants immediate duty‑free access for most wood exports and phases out...
3DCP Predicted to Be a Multibillion-Dollar Player in Construction by 2030
The global 3D‑printed concrete (3DCP) market is set to explode, rising from an estimated $53.9 million in 2024 to $4.18 billion by 2030—a compound annual growth rate of 111.3%. Corporate giants such as Walmart are already planning to use the technology for...
Challenging Conventional Wisdom In Infrastructure
A long‑term South African study shows that 3CR12 ferritic stainless steel has outlasted carbon‑steel rail electrification masts for over four decades in a harsh marine environment. While the alloy develops a brown patina, inspections at 14, 30 and 40 years...
Five Architectural Teams Shortlisted for Barcelona Artistic Hub
Five international design teams have been shortlisted for the Liceu Mar competition, a new 9,000‑sq‑m cultural hub on Barcelona’s Port Vell waterfront that will serve as a second venue for the historic Gran Teatre del Liceu. The competition, which attracted...
Borough Yards Development Handed over to Lender Cheyne Capital
MARK Capital Management transferred its Borough Yards mixed‑use project to lender Cheyne Capital after a failed sale to True Capital Partners. Cheyne had previously provided a £123 million (~$155 million) loan to refinance the 160,000‑sq‑ft scheme, which was 75% let at the...
Investec Partners With IFC To Unlock Sustainable Building Growth And Jobs Across South Africa
Investec Bank Limited has secured a senior unsecured loan of $200 million from the International Finance Corporation to finance sustainable property developments across South Africa. The deal is bolstered by the UK‑backed Market Accelerator for Green Construction (MAGC) programme, which adds...
MultiTech Ships a Niagara Driver to Bring LoRaWAN Sensor Onboarding Into Building Automation Workflows
MultiTech unveiled a Tridium Niagara driver that lets building teams add and manage LoRaWAN sensors from within the Niagara Framework. The driver bypasses traditional middleware, custom APIs, and MQTT pipelines by delivering sensor data as normalized points ready for control...
£3.5bn Government Contracts Awarded for Global Infrastructure Projects but Supplier Names Withheld
The UK Government Commercial Agency awarded £3.5 billion (≈ $4.4 billion) of contracts across eleven lots covering defence, nuclear, infrastructure and flood‑risk services. One supplier per lot was selected, but names are hidden under Section 94 of the Procurement Act 2023 for national‑security reasons. The...
Buyers Report Construction Cost Surge
UK construction buyers reported the steepest cost‑inflation surge since November 2022, with the Input Prices Index reaching its highest level in over three years. Output continued to contract, the S&P Global UK Construction PMI staying below the neutral 50 mark...
Adani Group Plans to Invest over ₹33,000 Crore for 3 Projects in Odisha
Adani Group announced a ₹33,081 crore ($4 bn) investment in Odisha to build a thermal power plant, a cement manufacturing unit, and a data centre. The thermal plant, costing about ₹30,181 crore ($3.6 bn), and the cement unit, at ₹2,100 crore ($250 m), will be located...
Young New Yorkers Are Lining Up for Construction Apprenticeships
Young New Yorkers are lining up for union‑run construction apprenticeships as a response to a weak job market, soaring college costs, and fears that artificial intelligence will displace many entry‑level roles. Applicants gather hours before distribution, only to find 100...
Unlocking Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Through Book and Claim
Cement and concrete generate roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, making decarbonisation a critical climate priority. Existing low‑carbon technologies face high capital costs and uncertain price premiums, limiting scale. In March 2026, RMI and the Center for Green Market Activation...
Edge ScreenPro 16 Makes Its North American Debut at ConExpo
Edge Innovate introduced the ScreenPro S16 scalping screen at ConExpo, marking its North American debut alongside the VS750s waste shredder. The compact unit delivers up to 600 tonnes per hour, matching larger models while occupying a smaller footprint. It features a 4.9 m × 1.5 m...
Arcol Helps SERA Architects Boost Collaboration
SERA Architects adopted Arcol, a cloud‑based BIM 2.0 platform, to streamline its 80‑acre mixed‑use master planning project. The firm replaced a fragmented workflow that relied on SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, spreadsheets, and static PDFs with a single, real‑time, multi‑user environment. Designers...
ADB Unveils US$25 Million Fund to Advance Asean Power Grid
The Asian Development Bank has launched a US$25 million Regional Connectivity Fund to accelerate cross‑border power grid projects across ASEAN. Backed by Australia, Canada, the EU, Germany and the UK, the facility will de‑risk early‑stage studies, design work and transaction structuring...
Australia’s Timber Design Awards Turns 27 — Is Your Project Next?
The Australian Timber Design Awards celebrate 27 years of timber‑focused architecture, opening entries for the 2026 competition. Early‑bird pricing ends at 7 pm on May 29, with the final submission deadline on June 30. The program welcomes projects of any scale—residential, commercial or...
Bangladesh Plans 442 MW Solar Facility Near Coal Power Plant
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will build a 442 MW solar farm adjacent to the 1.32 GW Rampal coal plant, marking the nation’s largest solar project. The $200 million development will be financed 15% by BPDB and 85% from the government’s Power Development...
No Solid Ground: Three Approaches to Building Below Sea Level in Rotterdam
Rotterdam, sitting about one meter below sea level, confronts escalating flood risk as climate change intensifies storm surges and erratic rainfall. Architects are responding with three distinct foundation strategies: driven timber piles, rammed‑earth platforms, and poured concrete slabs, each tailored...
Czech Group Warns of SCM Shortages as Coal Phase-Out Accelerates
The Association for Alternative Building Materials (ASAM) warns that the Czech Republic’s rapid coal‑phase‑out will slash supplies of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, slag and gypsum. Production of these by‑products, which peaked at about 7.5 Mt in 2025,...
VINCI Bags Landmark £100m Morecambe Eden Job
VINCI Building has secured the £100 million (≈$125 million) Eden Project Morecambe contract, beating rival Kier. The scheme, approved last month, aims to open its first phase in early 2027 with full completion by 2028. Selected as the most economically advantageous bidder...
Birmingham Has Opened a New Tram Extension
The West Midlands Metro opened a 1.7‑km tram extension on April 5, adding Albert Street and Millennium Point stations as the first phase of Birmingham’s Eastside project. The new line links key destinations—including Moor Street railway station, the Clayton Hotel, Birmingham...
Hoang Long Commissions 2.3Mta Cement Plant in Phu Tho
Vietnam’s Hoang Long Group has commissioned a new cement plant in Phu Tho province, adding 2.3 Mta of capacity. The facility includes a 7,200 tpd clinker line and was built with an investment of about VND 5 trn (≈US$196 m). It features a six‑stage pre‑heater...
United Infrastructure Exits Housing with MBO of Homes Arm
United Infrastructure has divested its housing business through a management buy‑out led by Andrew McDonough, the former managing director of its multi‑family arm. The transaction leaves all existing projects, staff and the legal entity unchanged, while retiring the United Living...
In Safety Infrastructure, the Shift From Steel to GRP
Traditional steel guardrails are increasingly being replaced by glass‑reinforced plastic (GRP) systems due to corrosion concerns, especially in coastal and humid environments. Engineered Composites’ Engrail 51 mm box‑section modular guardrail offers a lightweight, pultruded GRP solution with a load‑bearing capacity of...
Saudi Cement Sales Slump
Saudi cement sales dropped 6.7% year‑on‑year and 21.3% month‑on‑month to 3.37 Mt, according to Al Rajhi Capital. The first‑quarter total fell 4.7% to 12.76 Mt, reflecting holiday disruptions and recent geopolitical shifts. Market leadership stayed unchanged, with Yamama Cement at 14.2% share, followed...
Nigerian Homeownership Dreams Crumble as Cement Prices Soar
Nigeria’s home‑ownership outlook is deteriorating as cement prices have surged to NGN 11,000‑15,000 per 50 kg bag (US$8‑11) by March 2026. The spike pushes construction costs beyond the reach of low‑ and middle‑income earners, inflating property prices in Lagos, Abuja and other metros....
Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliários S.A. (MLTTY) Discusses Growth Strategy, Expansion Projects and Innovation in Shopping Mall Portfolio Transcript
Multiplan Empreendimentos announced a US$1.5 billion investment plan over the next five years to expand and modernize its shopping‑mall portfolio. The company highlighted a recent decline in operating expenses coupled with rising revenues, underscoring disciplined growth. Management stressed a focus on...
COMSA Secures a Major Railway Contract in Croatia, Previously Awarded to STRABAG
Spanish construction group COMSA Corporación has been awarded a €278.8 million (≈ $307 million) contract by Croatia’s HŽ Infrastruktura to modernize, double‑track and electrify the 44‑km Hrvatski Leskovac–Karlovac railway segment. The upgrade will introduce new bridges, viaducts, station refurbishments and signalling systems, allowing...
New Rules Would Cap English Timber Buildings at Four Storeys
The UK Health and Safety Executive has opened a consultation to amend Approved Document B, effectively banning structural timber in English buildings taller than 11 metres (about four storeys). The proposal would require any building above that height to meet an...
Prestige Estates Crosses ₹30,000 Crore Pre-Sales Milestone in FY26
Prestige Estates Projects posted a record FY26 pre‑sales total of about $3.6 billion, a 76% jump from the prior year, driven by robust bookings across its key markets. The company booked roughly $927 million in the January‑March quarter alone, with strong demand...
TDOT Is Widening Tenn.'s Tourism Corridor
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is completing the third phase of a $64 million widening project on U.S. 411 near Pigeon Forge, expanding the corridor to five lanes with a center turn lane and 12‑ft shoulders. The 9.3‑mile effort, funded 80% by the...
New Five-Plot Custom-Build Scheme Lets You Create Your Own Home in Essex
A new small‑scale custom‑build development called Brambles Yard has been launched in White Colne, Essex, offering five serviced plots where buyers can personalize interior layouts and finishes within a managed‑build framework. The scheme blends the flexibility of self‑build with the certainty of...
Construction Ramps Up On Jaguars $1.4B Stadium Renovation
Construction at Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium has entered a major phase of its $1.4 billion renovation, with roughly 15% of the work completed. The project will see 27,000 seats removed for the 2026 season, including 22,000 from the upper deck, while a...