Construction Industry News Archives

McGraw Hill has released an update on its 2012 economic forecast for the construction industry. Although there seems to be a slight rebound on residential construction starts, the overall numbers have not improved. Rather, they have flattened out and remain low

Here are a few recent developments in in the green building industry worth noting:

The State of Delaware has passed legislation that revises the statute governing construction contracts in Delaware. Signed into law by Governor Markell on June 25, 2012, the newly named Building Construction Procedures Act contains several significant changes worth noting.

The U.S. Green Building Council has elected to delay implementation of its LEED 2012 rating system due to the high volume of comments it received to the proposed new standards. Both the name and the date to vote on the proposed changes have been changed. The new standards will now be called LEED v4 and it will be voted on in 2013.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its unemployment numbers for June. While the overall picture remains uninspiring, there was a slight bump in construction employment. This increase was driven mostly by an increase in hiring for specialty contractors in the multi-family residential sector.

Opinions vary in the construction industry as to whether the economy has turned the corner. Many report an uptick in available projects, while others say the pickings remain slim. There are any number of reports and polls to consider when reaching a conclusion about the current state of the construction economy and where we are headed. At least one more suggests the possibility of better times.