Author: Laura Black
We are seeing an interesting paradox in the construction industry in 2026. Costs continue to rise, skilled trades are in short supply, and some segments of the market have softened while others like data centers and infrastructure are speeding up. Turner & Townsend’s latest U.S. construction outlook suggests national bid price escalation is forecast at 4.25% in 2026, well above historical norms, with tariffs and labor driving cost pressure. Add to all this, aging infrastructure and an aging workforce and it is the perfect storm of needing to modernize buildings and infrastructure, with limited people to do the work. This…
Welcome to Construction Safety Week 2026! We have reached an inflection point. A shift is underway when it comes to safety in the construction industry. Many companies in the industry are no longer just enforcing rules to maintain compliance. Rather, many are now completely rethinking how safety is achieved in the first place. Here at Constructech, we have been examining a trend in the past couple of years that is important to note. Process, culture, and strategy are all changing as it relates to safety. Many companies are taking a different approach. This foundation is perhaps more important than ever…
Hard hats, harnesses, and hazard signage, make some room. There is a new protective tool in town: data. Intelligence can step in and help create a much safer construction jobsite for all of those who work on it. Let’s journey back. For decades, construction has dealt with two ongoing challenges on the jobsite: keeping workers safe and keeping jobsites secure. While progress has been made on both fronts, the hard reality is traditional methods are no longer enough to meet the complexity and scale of modern projects. Enter AI (artificial intelligence). The emergence of new technologies can drive greater safety…
As Earth Day comes around each year on April 22, it prompts reflection. First established in 1970, Earth Day has grown into a global moment of awareness, uniting more than a billion people around environmental protection, climate responsibility, and the need for sustainable practices. The reality is sustainability in construction is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s becoming a baseline expectation from owners, developers, and communities alike. From reducing embodied carbon to improving jobsite efficiency, the built environment is under pressure to evolve. For today’s blog, let’s look at one specific area: waste. Construction generates massive amounts of waste, especially on…
Today, we wrap up our blog series on AI (artificial intelligence) in construction. We have already looked at opportunities and risks, how to create a holistic strategy for businesses, and how to best leverage new innovation in the industry. Today, let’s turn our attention to how to create a long-term roadmap for the continuous evolution of AI, which is no small feat for many contractors. As Peggy Smedley always says, digital transformation is a journey, not a destination. A structured long-term roadmap could help companies move from early experimentation to sustained transformation in the construction industry. Creating a Roadmap Establish…
We are in the middle of our blog series on AI (artificial intelligence) in construction, already having looked at opportunities and risks and how to create a strategy for businesses. Today, let’s turn our attention to the broader digital foundation that includes data systems, connected devices, platforms, and advanced analytics tools. For construction organizations, leveraging technology effectively means combining AI with other digital innovations to transform how projects are planned, executed, and managed. Building the Digital Foundation AI systems rely heavily on structured, accessible data. Construction companies that want to take full advantage of AI must first establish a strong…
If you joined last week, then you know we are in the middle of an AI (artificial intelligence) blog series that aims to answer one key question: AI is here, now what? Last week we identified the potential opportunities and risks. The next critical step for construction companies is developing a clear strategy. Without a defined strategy, AI initiatives can become fragmented experiments rather than true transformation that improves performance across the organization. A successful AI strategy ensures technology investments align with business goals, operational needs, and workforce capabilities. Let’s explore how to create a strong strategy. Creating a Strategy…
As most know, AI (artificial intelligence) is rapidly moving from experimentation to implementation. For construction—an industry often challenged by tight margins, schedule pressures, labor shortages, and safety concerns—AI represents an opportunity to improve productivity. Here’s the challenge: Successful AI adoption requires more than simply purchasing new software. This is precisely the reason we are starting a new blog series aimed at answering one key question: AI is here, now what? In the next few weeks, we will walk through a step-by-step guide for AI implementation. The first step we will explore in today’s blog is identifying where AI can create…
Data, data, data. We are entering a new era of work, where data is the new currency, and we have the technologies readily available to leverage this data—but do we have the infrastructure? From energy to data centers, infrastructure across the country needs to be finetuned in order to meet the needs of tomorrow’s data-driven world. Consider this: Electricity demand is projected to grow 15% to 20% by 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of data centers, electrification needs, and more growth. Much of that demand is being met by newly available renewable power sources. Many construction professionals recognize this…
Construction companies across the country are publishing new reports offering insight into the current state of the construction market. The reports examine trends such as rising material costs, labor shortages, project demand, and regional growth patterns. By sharing this data, firms aim to provide developers, investors, and policymakers with a clearer understanding of how the industry is performing and what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead. With this, we see a big shift coming for delivery methods that all contractors need to be aware of. Let’s take a closer look. The State of the Market Skanska recently released its Winter…