PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Gilbane Building Company announces the publication of the Summer 2013 edition of Construction Economics — Market Conditions in Construction. Based on an array of economic data, construction starts and material cost trends, the data continues to show positive growth for the industry. “Supported by overall positive growth trends for year 2013, I expect margins and overall escalation to climb more rapidly than we"ve seen in five years,” says Ed Zarenski, the report's author and a 40-year veteran of the construction industry. “Rates will continue to rise and borrowing costs will add potential cost to future funding of … Read more

Total construction spending cooled in June as residential building hit the pause button, while private nonresidential and public construction also declined, according to an analysis of new census bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged lawmakers in Washington to make infrastructure investment a top federal priority for the fiscal year beginning in October. “New single-family and multifamily construction both had rare slowdowns in June, while private nonresidential construction remained stuck in neutral as it has all year and the long slump in public construction worsened,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “For the rest … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Architecture Billings Index remained positive again in June after the first decline in ten months in April.   As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.   The American Institute of Architects reported the June ABI score was 51.6, down from a mark of 52.9 in May.   This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).   The new projects inquiry index was 62.6, up sharply from the … Read more