'Green' concrete could be game-changer for construction industry

Microscopic flakes of graphene add strength and durability — but also raise cost and safety concerns.

Original article on NBC

Scientists have been tinkering with concrete in an effort to improve upon the world's most widely used construction material — and they’ve notched some notable successes.

New forms of concrete can trap and store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, break down pollutants from exhaust fumes, and help protect aging infrastructure by sealing cracks as they form. And now scientists in the U.K. have developed a “green” concrete that they say is more environmentally friendly than the ordinary stuff, as well as more durable and more than twice as strong.

Key Takeaways

• Prices for inputs to construction materials are 5.8 percent higher than at the same time one year ago
• “Construction backlog and other data indicate that leaders at the typical nonresidential construction firm expect their company to be busy in 2018, but that meaningfully expanding profit margins may prove challenging.”
• From March 2017 to March 2018, the producer price index jumped by 13.7 percent for lumber and plywood, 11.4 percent for aluminum mill shapes, and 4.9 percent for steel mill products.

Construction Material Price Expansion Continues in March, ABC Says

Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.

Original article on EC&M

The North Carolina Building Code Council has adopted the 2017 NC Electrical Code (2017 NEC) with an effective date of June 12, 2018. Electrical permits that are active between the dates of February 15, 2018 through June 12, 2018 shall be allowed to be regulated entirely by the 2014 NC Electrical Code or the 2017 NC Electrical Code as an alternate method of construction by notifying the local authority having jurisdiction in accordance with section 102.5 of the NC Administrative Code and Policies.

The North Carolina Building Code Council has also adopted the 2018 NC Building Code (2015 I-Codes) with an effective date of January 1, 2019. Building permits that are active between the dates of July 1, 2018 through January 1, 2019 shall be allowed to be regulated entirely by the 2012 NC Building Code or the 2018 NC Building Code as an alternate method of construction by notifying the local authority having jurisdiction in accordance with section 102.5 of the NC Administrative Code and Policies.

Key Takeaways

• Nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.3 percent in March, totaling $740.9 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis.
• February’s spending estimate was revised roughly $10 billion higher, from $732.8 billion to $742.8 billion, rendering the March decline less meaningful.
• “The upshot is that CEOs and other construction leaders should remain upbeat regarding near-term prospects despite today’s construction spending report ... At the same time, construction industry leaders must remain wary of a sea of emerging risks to the ongoing economic and construction industry expansions.”

Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.

Original article written by Mary Diduch on National Real Estate Investor

Some in the sector say they have seen around a 10 percent increase in the price of steel since the tariffs were announced earlier this month.

President Donald Trump’s recently imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum have not yet gone into effect. But they are already affecting deal negotiations, bottom lines and construction pricing in commercial real estate.

Some in the sector say they have seen around a 10 percent increase in the price of steel—a material whose prices have already been rising—since the tariffs were announced earlier this month. The price increase—and the uncertainty over future increases—has caused some to rework and reconsider planned projects.

NEW STEEL & ALUMINUM TARIFFS WILL HURT CONSTRUCTION FIRMS BY RAISING MATERIALS COSTS WHILE POTENTIAL TRADE WAR WILL DAMPEN DEMAND

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s announcement that he will impose new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products:

“These new tariffs will cause significant harm to the nation’s construction industry, put tens of thousands of high-paying construction jobs at risk, undermine the President’s proposed infrastructure initiative and potentially dampen demand for new construction projects for years to come. That is because the newly-imposed tariffs will lead to increases in what construction firms are forced to pay for the many steel and aluminum products that go into a typical construction project.

Original article written by Max Diamond on The News & Observer

North Carolina's construction industry has been hit with higher costs — and is bracing for them to go higher still — as steel and aluminum suppliers react to President Donald Trump's executive order increasing tariffs on those imports.

"Steel is everywhere in construction," said David Simpson, president of Carolinas AGC, a construction trade association. It is used in concrete, in bridges, to make the structure of buildings, for beams, in staircases, interior walls, and in hardware.

On March 8, Trump signed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum. The president has said higher tariffs are needed to avoid further weakening America's domestic steel production, and risk a steel shortage in a national emergency.

According to data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national construction industry lost 15,000 net jobs in March. This represents a significant reversal from February, when the industry added a post-recession high of 65,000 net new jobs (upwardly revised from +61,000)

Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc (ABC)

Full release

Key Takeaways

• Nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1 percent in February, totaling $732.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis.
• Public sector nonresidential spending fell 2.2 percent
• “Nonresidential spending growth remains tepid. Reasons for this trend include capacity constraints that continue to beleaguer contractors struggling to find enough skilled construction tradespeople, estimators and project managers."
• “Concerns regarding rising materials prices are also becoming more intense, particularly in light of the recent enactment of tariffs on steel and aluminum and growing fears of a trade war and materials shortages. Softwood lumber prices, which have been impacted by an ongoing trade dispute with Canada, were up nearly 16 percent over a recent 12-month period."

Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.

Key Takeaways

• Nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.1 percent in January, totaling $732.9 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking a decline from the previous 5 months of increases.
• Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending increasing 0.3 percent in January after a previously reported 0.7 percent advance in December. Construction spending increased 3.2 percent on a year-on-year basis.
• “Potential double-digit tariffs or import restrictions on steel and aluminum could wreck the budgets for numerous infrastructure projects and private nonresidential investments."

Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.