Each Monday, we'll let you know what's coming in the week ahead, including important residential and commercial report releases, as well as our feature articles.
Fire Prevention Week feature article — Oct. 11
Sunday marked the start of Fire Prevention Week 2016. In our feature article on Tuesday, Oct. 11, we'll hear from contractors about how they reduce the risk of fires during the construction process. Industry experts will also share the role that design and building codes play in creating a more fire-resilient structure.
Design-build laws feature article — Oct. 13
With Missouri's passage of new design-build legislation this summer, half of U.S. states now allow the delivery method to be used on public projects. However, that means that the remaining states still have laws on the books preventing the increasingly popular design-build method. In our feature article on Thursday, Oct. 13, we'll explore what legal questions can arise in the design-build debate, as well as what advocates are doing to overturn those regulations.
Construction material price report — Oct. 14
The monthly Producer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be released on Friday, Oct. 14. That afternoon, the Associated Builders and Contractors will offer its take on the data, and we'll cover both reports in a combined story.
Last month, the BLS reported that August construction material prices dropped 0.2% between July and August. August's price dip came after four months of increases and one month of unchanged results in construction industry inputs in the Producer Price Index.
ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu predicted after last month's report that rising U.S. interest rates and the strong U.S. dollar will suppress price hikes moving forward, especially related to energy inputs. Will Friday's report echo Basu's predictions, or will prices bounce back?
