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.
Design and Construction Week coverage — Jan. 10-13
We're heading for warmer waters this week as we travel to the annual Design and Construction Week, in Orlando, FL, from Tuesday, Jan. 10 to Thursday, Jan. 13. Stay tuned for our coverage of the latest housing market data, new residential construction products, design trends and more. To connect with us at the show, email Construction Dive Editor Hallie Busta or follow along on Twitter.
"The Dotted Line" series: The role of architects — Jan. 10
Our monthly series "The Dotted Line" continues this year, with the latest installment on Tuesday, Jan. 10 exploring the changing role of architects in projects.
As construction companies become more involved in the design aspect of their projects, some architects believe they're being left out of the design and construction processes. We'll take a look at how this shift affects liability, cost, schedule and the final product.
EB-5 program feature article — Jan. 12
EB-5 visas offer the chance at a green card for those willing to invest $500,000 or more in U.S. developments. However, the process has been abused by some developers, leaving some investors to become more skeptical of the program and some lawmakers to consider doing away with it altogether.
Construction material price report — Jan. 13
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the monthly Producer Price Index report on Friday, Jan. 13. Last month, the BLS reported that construction material prices fell 0.5% between October and November. November marked the steepest decline in construction industry inputs to the PPI since February.
However, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu cautioned that the recent easing in material prices might be "the calm before the storm," as he expects energy prices to continue rising in the near future, cutting into contractors' bottom lines.
Industry insiders have predicted that material costs will climb in 2017 after several years of relatively flat growth. Will Friday's report show that 2016 ended the year with a bump in prices?
