Commercial
New York City has recently strengthened inspections of office building renovation projects following structural accidents, leading to work stoppages at multiple sites. Experts say that while this strict review is expected, its scale is unprecedented. Engineers note that under such meticulous inspections, it is almost impossible to find buildings without violations.
The U.S. subsidiary of London-based Balfour Beatty announced that the newly constructed 800-room, 17-story Grand Hyatt hotel in Miami Beach has achieved structural topping out. The project, with a contract value of approximately $385 million, is adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center and is expected to supplement meeting and banquet space, boosting the local convention and exhibition economy.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) last week approved a net metering arrangement for a 260 MW AI data center co-located with a wind farm of approximately equal capacity, providing a reference template for other co-located loads in the state. The data center is the second project planned at the site, and the developer had argued it should not be subject to the same curtailment requirements as the first project, but the commission rejected this argument. Under the July 23 order, the data center must curtail its entire load within 30 minutes during grid emergencies, if necessary via physical circuit breakers, and is prohibited from participating in paid demand response related to the arrangement.
This week's construction industry updates: Amtrak advances New Jersey Dock Bridge renovation, Sundt completes $34 million dam in Texas, Granite subsidiary Memphis Stone & Gravel opens new river material yard, and Douglaston-Little Neck Library in Queens, New York City breaks ground.
Ryan Cos. executives noted that while demand for data center projects is strong, practical constraints such as site selection, permitting, and supply chain are forcing contractors to carefully select projects and reassess construction timeline expectations.
Amazon continues to expand its U.S. supply chain network, planning to build a 4 million square foot robotic operations facility in Holbrook, New York, with an investment of $1 billion; simultaneously, it will construct a regional distribution center of approximately 1.2 million square feet in Terrell, Texas, with an investment of $98 million.
The New York Giants announced on Monday that they will expand and renovate their Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Designed by EwingCole and built by Natoli Construction, the project adds 93,500 square feet and renovates 46,000 square feet, focusing on enhancing the well-being of players, coaches, and staff, with completion expected before the 2028 season.
According to the Q2 2026 US Construction Pipeline Trend Report released by Lodging Econometrics, the total US hotel construction pipeline stood at 5,975 projects and 703,001 rooms, down approximately 4.9% and 4.6% year-over-year, respectively. Despite the overall decline, new project announcements increased by 18% year-over-year, and construction starts grew by 14%, with the luxury and upper-upscale segments reaching record pipeline highs. The report forecasts 661 hotel openings in 2026, up 1.3% year-over-year, and anticipates accelerated opening growth in 2027 and 2028.
On July 22, Skanska announced the completion of a $380 million road and utility project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The project aimed to improve public transit connections, linking four adjacent projects to alleviate congestion. Skanska also disclosed that it exceeded its goals for participation by small businesses, local enterprises, and disabled veteran-owned businesses, and supported the HireLAX apprenticeship program.
Madalyn Jennings, the only female apprentice electrician at the Hanford Vitrification Plant in Washington state, filed a lawsuit in federal court in June against former supervisor George "Buster" Elgin and Bechtel-related companies, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation that led to her termination.