Sustainability & Resilience

  • A rendering of a tall, wood-covered building looms in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of C.D. Smith / Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Milestones

    World’s tallest mass timber building breaks ground in Wisconsin

    Neutral Edison, a 31-story mixed-use tower in Milwaukee, will break the record set by another apartment complex in the state once complete.

    By • June 25, 2025
  • Aerial view of the Jack H. Wilson Water Treatment Plant in Little Rock, Arkansas.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Central Arkansas Water
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Milestones

    $230M overhaul starts on Arkansas’ biggest water plant

    Max Foote Construction is renovating the Jack H. Wilson Water Treatment Plant in Little Rock, Arkansas.

    By • June 23, 2025
  • People walk across a makeshift bridge with damaged infrastructure around them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Targeted investment, tech can sustain critical infrastructure

    To help communities bounce back after disaster, jurisdictions must identify gaps in lifeline systems and cost-effective ways to mend them, panelists at the Building Innovation 2025 conference said.

    By • June 17, 2025
  • Steam rises from a geothermal power plant.
    Image attribution tooltip
    David McNew via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Meta signs geothermal power deal for New Mexico data centers

    The tech and social media giant entered an agreement with XGS Energy to help develop 150 MW of power generation.

    By Lamar Johnson • June 17, 2025
  • Aerial view of flooded homes following Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    New ASCE codes aim to provide vital flood protection

    The updated standards mark a major shift in approach for design and construction in flood hazard areas, according to a floodplain manager.

    By Tom Little • June 13, 2025
  • An aerial shot of an under-construction, wooden building amid a nest of other, fully constructed buildings.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by FLOR Projects
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A

    Mass timber provides options amid steel tariffs: Timberlab CEO

    Chris Evans, president of the Swinerton-owned supplier and contractor, is eyeing opportunities in this uncertain economy.

    By • June 11, 2025
  • Aerial view of the Gross Reservoir Dam in Denver, Colorado.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Denver Water
    Image attribution tooltip

    How climate modeling, AI can power innovative building

    Contractors must understand the legal landscape in order to manage risk when implementing new materials, data or processes, panelists at the Building Innovation 2025 conference said.

    By • June 10, 2025
  • The north facade of the White House is seen partially illuminated at night
    Image attribution tooltip
    Samuel Corum via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    White House unveils plan for tech-focused permit reforms

    The initiative follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the scope of environmental reviews required on major infrastructure projects.

    By • June 4, 2025
  • Natural gas fired turbine power plant with it's cooling towers rising into a cloud filled blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ron and Patty Thomas via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOE cancels $3.7B in carbon capture, decarbonization awards

    Calpine, PPL Corp., Ørsted and Exxon Mobil are among the companies affected by the decision.

    By Ethan Howland • June 3, 2025
  • A person wanders in the distance near a fence on a dry day under the blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Texas plans $20B to mitigate looming water crisis

    The cash comes as droughts intensify throughout the Lone Star State and the broader region.

    By • May 30, 2025
  • An overhead shot of a massive wooden building that stands on dirt in the middle of a bright day with clear skies.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Mercer Mass Timber
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Milestones

    Theodore Roosevelt’s $400M mass timber library rises in North Dakota

    Mercer Mass Timber, working with general contractor JE Dunn, is supplying around 1,800 cubic meters of engineered material for the 93,000-square-foot structure.

    By • May 21, 2025
  • A wind turbine against a background of a blue sky and clouds.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jezperklauzen via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Stop work order on Empire Wind 1 lifted, Equinor resumes construction

    Statements from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum imply that the restart approval was related to conversations about the state’s natural gas pipeline capacity.

    By Diana DiGangi • May 21, 2025
  • An empty Wall Street subway station
    Image attribution tooltip
    art2002 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    M&A activity cools amid instability: WSP

    CEO Alexandre L’Heureux nonetheless sees a strong year ahead for North America, he said in a Q1 earnings call.

    By • May 9, 2025
  • An aerial view of the 200-MW Big Elm solar project in Bell County, Texas
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of MIT Office of Sustainability
    Image attribution tooltip

    Policy uncertainty could trigger ‘recession’ for renewables, analyst says

    A lack of clarity surrounding tariffs and tax credits has triggered steep declines in funding for renewable energy in the first quarter of 2025, per Mercom Capital Group.

    By Emma Penrod • May 2, 2025
  • Long rows of solar panels under a bright blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Mortenson
    Image attribution tooltip
    Q&A // ConTech Conversations

    Innovate for craftworkers, and tech will follow: Mortenson exec

    Trent Mostaert, vice president of industrialization for the Minneapolis-based firm, says that a person-centered approach is key to implementing technology.

    By • April 30, 2025
  • A rendering of a rectangular, brown building on a nice, sunny day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Gilbane Building Co.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Milestones

    Gilbane breaks ground on $84M Massachusetts college modernization

    Salem State University’s BOLD project will add a geothermal wellfield to support heating and cooling of the forthcoming facilities.

    By • April 28, 2025
  • A visual rendering of Kore Power's battery cell facility in Buckeye, Arizona.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Kore Power, Inc.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Clean energy manufacturers cancel projects as Trump-era policies take hold

    Companies scrapped, closed or downsized nearly $8 billion in projects in Q1.

    By Kate Magill • April 25, 2025
  • The heads of people sitting are silhouetted in the foreground. In the background, a mockup of a new, advanced building titled the "Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center" stands.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison/Bryan Richter
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Milestones

    UW-Madison breaks ground on $420M engineering center

    The structure, which was at the center of a prolonged funding fight, will feature mass timber and sustainability components.

    By • April 22, 2025
  • Aerial view of a channel with a red ship in it leading out to a bigger body of water.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Flatiron
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Wins

    Kiewit anchors $404M floodwall project

    Part of a larger $7 billion initiative, the improvements at Port Arthur, Texas, will protect the area’s petroleum processing hub. 

    By • April 22, 2025
  • Utility poles are bent, broken and splintered
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Project Wins

    Jacobs lands $137M contract to manage US Virgin Islands rebuild

    The Dallas-based builder will guide the reconstruction of critical infrastructure across St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John, including hospitals, schools, roads and power projects.

    By • April 18, 2025
  • A large robot with a mechanical arm hefts a heavy solar panel while people in safety equipment watch.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Rosendin
    Image attribution tooltip

    Rosendin to demo robotic solar panel installers on Texas jobsite

    The electrical contractor claims the tech will triple installation speeds, enhance worker safety and help address the industry’s persistent labor shortage.

    By • April 14, 2025
  • A tall framework of a building stands under a blue sky. Timber surrounds the exterior of the structure.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Mercer Mass Timber/Watson Media House
    Image attribution tooltip

    Walmart adds mass timber to new corporate HQ campus

    Mercer Mass Timber helped erect four CLT and glulam buildings, alongside additional offices with full frames made of the material.

    By • April 7, 2025
  • Construction workers hold a water pipe.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    America’s aging water infrastructure faces new threats

    The U.S. urgently needs to increase funding to shore up facilities, experts say, as climate change and emerging contaminants like PFAS pose growing threats.

    By • April 1, 2025
  • A boat passes under a green lift bridge.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
    Image attribution tooltip

    America’s infrastructure notches first-ever ‘C’ grade

    Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act helped lift the condition of many categories in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ new report card.

    By • March 25, 2025
  • A facade of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signage on the wall of its building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Cicak via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA announces review of WOTUS rule

    Industry associations applauded the agency’s move to reduce permitting costs with its new definition.

    By Mary Salmonsen • March 19, 2025