Architecture Billings Index Ekes out Small Gain

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Coming off a modest increase after two consecutive months of contraction, the Architecture Billings Index recorded another small increase in demand for design services.  As an economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9-12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the November ABI score was 50.6, essentially unchanged from the mark of 50.8 in the previous month. This score reflects a slight increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 59.5, up from a reading […]

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BuildSteel Provides Educational Resources for Building Professionals Using Cold-Formed Steel Framing

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PITTSBURGH, Pa., – BuildSteel, a newly launched collaboration of steel and construction industry organizations, provides educational resources for building professionals on the uses and benefits of cold-formed steel framing. The www.BuildSteel.org website serves as an educational center, continuously updated with new content and examples showing how steel framing can be used to meet the growing demands placed on building today’s low- and mid-rise structures. Building owners, architects, contractors and engineers may not fully understand all of the design, economic and sustainable benefits provided by cold-formed steel. The BuildSteel site will fill that gap by providing a wide variety of tools […]

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Balfour Beatty to Build New Blackbaud Corporate Campus in Charleston

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Holder Properties has selected Balfour Beatty Construction to build a new corporate campus for Blackbaud in Charleston, South Carolina. Headquartered in Charleston since 1989, Blackbaud is a provider of software and services for the global philanthropic community. Blackbaud’s new corporate campus will consolidate its Charleston operations into one location situated on 13 acres in the Daniel Island community. Balfour Beatty has been contracted to build the project’s first phase consisting of a four-story, 172,000-square-foot office building and 650-space surface parking lot. Once complete, Blackbaud’s campus will provide a modern workplace for its employees, featuring a coffee and […]

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Dodge Momentum Index Jumps in December

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NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Dodge Momentum Index increased 2.9 percent in December to 136.7 (2000=100) from its revised November reading of 132.8. The momentum index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. After trending upward over the course of 2016, the index is now at an eight-year high, although still more than 25 percent below its previous peak reached at the end of 2007. December’s gain was due to a 5.7 percent increase in the […]

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Almost Three-Fourths of Construction Firms Plan to Expand Headcount in 2017

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Seventy-three percent of construction firms plan to expand their payrolls in 2017 as contractors expect private and public sector demand to grow in all market segments, according to survey results recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage Construction and Real Estate. Despite the general optimism outlined in Expecting a Post-Election Bump: The 2017 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, many firms report they remain worried about the availability of qualified workers and rising health and regulatory costs. Contractors had a positive outlook, on net, for all 13 market segments included in the survey. Respondents are most […]

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