Construction spending — March 1

The Commerce Department will release January construction spending results on Tuesday, March 1. Last month, the department announced spending inched up 0.1% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.116 trillion

December's results failed to meet expectations, as economists had predicted spending would rise 0.6%. On the positive side, 2015's total construction spending reached its highest level in eight years, according to the Associated Press.

Will Tuesday's results show a strong increase in spending, or was December's disappointing gain — after a dip in November — a sign of a worrisome trend?

Construction insurance feature article — March 1

In our feature article last month exploring the legal ramifications of the New York City construction crane collapse in February, we touched on some types of insurance that can help get a company through that type of catastrophe without having to go out of business. Now, we want to take a step back and look at construction company insurance overall.

In our feature article on Tuesday, March 1, we will talk with the experts to delve into the types of coverage that contractors are required to carry, the optional coverage plans that can offer more protection, and some general practices that can help contractors reduce their overall risk. 

CoreLogic Home Price Index — March 1

CoreLogic will release its January Home Price Index on Tuesday, March 1. Last month, CoreLogic announced home prices rose 0.8% between November and December. That bump in prices was significantly higher than CoreLogic's prediction during the previous month of no change between November and December. 

CoreLogic President and CEO Anand Nallathambi said he expects price growth to slow in the coming months due to ramped up single-family construction and improved inventory conditions, especially in urban areas and the coasts. However, he added, "In the short and medium term, local markets with strong employment growth are likely to experience a continued rise in home sales and price growth well above the U.S. average."

In its November report, CoreLogic predicted home prices would rise a slight 0.2% between December 2015 and January 2016. Will Tuesday's report affirm CoreLogic's prediction?

Skyscraper debate feature article — March 3

In January, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat said the number of "megatall" buildings — those taller than 1,968 feet — will double in number from three to seven in the next five years. The CTBUH also announced that more skyscrapers were built in 2015 than in any previous year on record.

Although some experts have said that new innovations in material and technology will encourage the trend toward more megatall development, others have reported pushback against the race to build to new heights.

"More and more opposition groups are forming (against skyscraper developments), and even developers and architects working on skyscrapers appear defensive and even somewhat apologetic," London architect Barbara Weiss told Dezeen. In fact, the CTBUH predicted the "era of the megatall" building will be over by 2020.

Are skyscrapers a benefit to a city and community, or are they eyesores that take away from the character of a neighborhood? In our feature article on Thursday, March 3, we'll bring in expert perspectives on both sides of the complicated debate.