Technology

  • In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia.
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    Nathan Howard/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    PCL taps company vet to head burgeoning data center market

    The contractor cited the sector’s construction boom, which is projected to grow to $1.3 trillion by 2035, as a reason to dig deeper into the space.

    By • July 14, 2025
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    Permission granted by DJI
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    New construction technology releases: July 2025

    Offerings include a new drone system, a reality capture platform and project management software for construction pros.

    By • July 9, 2025
  • construction workers look at a laptop Explore the Trendline➔
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    Akachin Phonsawat via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Construction Technology

    As construction technology continues to evolve, here’s what savvy contractors need to know.

    By Construction Dive staff
  • A drone flies over a brick building with 1600 over the door and U.S. flag on flagpole in front.
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    Courtesy of Michigan Central
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    Detroit deploys drones and AI to target building efficiency improvements

    The city has partnered with startups and a tech incubator to test drone and AI technology that guides energy retrofits, saving time and money compared with traditional assessments.

    By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Updated July 8, 2025
  • geothermal hvac system, Trane Technologies, North Shore school district
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    Courtesy of Trane Technologies
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    Chicago-area school district deploys geothermal system that’s a US first

    The dynamic closed-loop system uses groundwater to reject and absorb heat to provide year-round space conditioning for a 130-year-old elementary school, Trane Technologies says.

    By Brian Martucci • July 9, 2025
  • Construction progresses on an Amazon data center in Northern Virginia on Feb. 10, 2024.
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    Gerville via Getty Images
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    Data center vacancy rates hit record low

    As AI adoption ramped up, colocation facility rental rates rose precipitously during the first three months of the year, according to CBRE research.

    By Matt Ashare • July 2, 2025
  • A picture of a desolate, empty space on Mars with brownish dirt.
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    (2025). "Mars Perseverance Sol 1549: Right Navigation Camera (Navcam)" [Photograph]. Retrieved from NASA.
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    How synthetic lichens can launch Martian construction

    The NASA-funded system can form building materials with no outside intervention, which could lead to 3D printing in space.

    By • July 2, 2025
  • A rendering of a tall, white building decked with windows on a sunny day.
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    Courtesy of White Plains Hospital
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    Project Milestones

    Suffolk starts $750M New York hospital expansion

    The Boston-based contractor will use its proprietary artificial intelligence-based steel tracking system, along with handheld scanners, to construct the project.

    By • July 2, 2025
  • An artist's rendering of 3D shapes with AI, signifying a creative display of technology.
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    BlackJack3D via Getty Images
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    Amid the hype, contractors find practical safety uses for AI

    Construction pros sort through a flood of information about artificial intelligence to find the applications that make sense for their firms.

    By • July 2, 2025
  • A rendering of the Grimes Engineering Center on the University of California campus in Berkeley.
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    Courtesy of University of California Berkeley
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    Q&A // CASE STUDY

    How XL Construction built a building on top of a building in an earthquake zone

    Cal Berkeley’s $95 million Grimes Engineering Center sits just 1,300 feet from the menacing Hayward Fault. 

    By • July 1, 2025
  • A rendering of a tall, wood-covered building looms in the foreground.
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    Courtesy of C.D. Smith / Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture
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    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 • Updated June 26, 2025
  • a software developer writes code while using an external monitor in an office setting
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    Nattakorn Maneerat via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Why agentic AI may herald golden age for procurement

    Procurement is an ideal use case for agentic AI because it’s inherently complex, data-driven and prone to human error, writes Globality’s Keith McFarlane.

    By Keith McFarlane • June 20, 2025
  • A skyline shot of Austin, Texas, with its skyscrapers, and with the Texas State Capitol building in view.
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    adamkaz via Getty Images
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    Municipalities tap AI for permitting

    Los Angeles and Austin are using the tech to cleave wait times, while Honolulu promises big upgrades and faster responses.

    By • June 18, 2025
  • People walk across a makeshift bridge with damaged infrastructure around them.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    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
  • Photograph depicts a security scanner extracting virus from a string of binary code.
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    Hailshadow via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Why cybersecurity matters for construction

    As the building industry digitizes, cyber hygiene, training and insurance are critical, a construction attorney writes.

    By Jason Kosek • June 17, 2025
  • Steam rises from a geothermal power plant.
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    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
  • Two construction workers in hardhats with a highway behind them.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    How the Texas DOT uses AI

    The department is using AI in 22 aspects of its work so far, such as predictive traffic data analysis and crash detection, and it sees potential for prioritizing infrastructure projects.

    By Dan Zukowski • June 11, 2025
  • A person in gray work clothes uses a red exoskeleton to pick up and put down heavy bags on a construction site.
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    Courtesy of German Bionic
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    German Bionic unveils ‘AI augmented’ exoskeleton

    The wearable technology leverages digital twins and artificial intelligence to monitor worker safety and act as a coach for the user.

    By • June 11, 2025
  • An aerial shot of an under-construction, wooden building amid a nest of other, fully constructed buildings.
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    Permission granted by FLOR Projects
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    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.
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    Courtesy of Denver Water
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    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
  • In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia.
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    Nathan Howard / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Amazon commits $20B for Pennsylvania data centers, training

    Funds will initially go to the construction and operation of two campuses in Luzerne and Bucks counties, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro.

    By • June 10, 2025
  • On an airport tarmac and runway, a colorful plane emblazoned with "Southwest"
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    Permission granted by Skanska USA
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    Q&A

    Adopting technology is a team effort: Skanska exec

    Getting on the same page with different groups, including legal and IT, is key to success, says the company's senior director.

    By • June 4, 2025
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    Courtesy of GlobalFoundries
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    GlobalFoundries commits $16B to expand New York, Vermont facilities

    The chipmaker said the move resulted from President Trump’s push to onshore U.S. manufacturing and expand the domestic semiconductor supply chain for companies like Apple and General Motors.

    By Sara Samora • June 4, 2025
  • A construction worker in a white safety hat and yellow work jacket.
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    Permission granted by Emergent BioSolutions
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    Sponsored by Emergent BioSolutions

    Safety leaders call for broader access to life-saving medication as construction faces opioid poisoning crisis

    Construction workers are more likely to die of drug overdose than workers in any other occupation, building the case for new safety measures.

    June 2, 2025
  • A man in a suit and an orange safety vest uses a tablet on a construction site. The user is in the foreground and clear, the background is blurred.
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    AzmanL via Getty Images
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    6 contech startups snare a collective $101M

    Safety and progress tracking, workforce management and decarbonization offerings attracted investor cash in funding rounds this quarter.

    By • May 28, 2025
  • A rendering of a large, modern hospital covered with glass, opposite a large hill covered in trees.
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    Permission granted by Motiv Studio and NBBJ
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    Q&A // ConTech Conversations

    With AI, ‘walk before you run’: Skanska USA exec

    The firm's Safety Sidekick chatbot helps employees access data on jobsite conditions to plan toolbox talks and huddles.

    By • May 21, 2025