What it would take for an 80-story wood tower to rise in Chicago

A research project to explore mass-timber at new heights is raising plenty of questions — including if, and when, the high-rise might come to fruition.

By Hallie Busta • July 12, 2017

Caterpillar invests $2M in Fastbrick Robotics

The partnership will allow Fastbrick to more quickly commercialize its technology and give Caterpillar a stake in the growing construction robotics space.

By Emily Peiffer • July 12, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

Construction Technology

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

By Construction Dive staff

Pavegen debuts energy-harvesting street in London

An app lets pedestrians see how much energy their steps have produced while rewarding them with discounts at stores they've walked past.

By Mary Tyler March • July 12, 2017

Swiss researchers are building a high-tech house

Researchers at ETH Zurich will design and construct a three-story house that will use emerging technologies in its construction and operation.

By Joe Dyton • July 12, 2017

3 ways new technology will impact homebuilding

Reducing reliance on skilled labor and amplifying home sales pitches are just a few of the ways industry leaders say digitization could change the way we build.

By Hallie Busta • July 11, 2017

Alphabet lab turns out new geothermal company for residential heating and cooling

Dandelion will operate as a standalone company outside of Google's parent company, offering geothermal heating and cooling to residential customers. 

By Robert Walton • July 7, 2017

Meritage Homes makes smart tech standard in new homes

More builders are including smart-home products and systems as part of their standard feature packages in response to consumer demand.

By Joe Dyton • July 6, 2017

Thyssenkrupp debuts cable-free, maglev elevator system

The Multi system allows groups of elevator cars to move vertically and horizontally through a new 807-foot-tall test tower in Rottweil, Germany.

By Emily Peiffer • July 5, 2017

Q&A: Why construction's role in smart cities is key

We spoke with Elizabeth Heider, Skanska USA's chief sustainability officer, about why a long-term approach is crucial to resilient design.

By Emily Peiffer • July 5, 2017

Balfour Beatty: Construction sites will be human-free by 2050

As more technology hits the job site, its human operators will have to get smarter, too, adding a host of new abilities to crews' skill sets, according to the report.

By Hallie Busta • July 5, 2017

Construction tech startup Aproplan secures $5.7M in funding

The company has signed an agreement with Belgium's 60 largest construction firms, which are using its software to help digitize the industry.

By Mary Tyler March • July 5, 2017

What is a smart city? 8 industry leaders weigh in

Public and private sector leaders might not agree on the definition, but they can agree on the need to develop new solutions to tackle growing challenges.

By Emily Peiffer , Kristin Musulin • June 30, 2017

TN DOT to use accelerated bridge construction in Nashville

Use of the expedited method will require closing the road completely during work but will keep the construction timeline well under one year.

By Hallie Busta • June 28, 2017

Bots on the job: The past, present and future of robotic builders

From bricklaying arms to load-bearing exoskeletons, a host of high-tech helpers are headed for the job site.

By Jean Thilmany • June 28, 2017

Construction contract awarded for MI autonomous vehicle test site

The American Center for Mobility project, near Detroit, had its property taxes waived for 15 years and has raised roughly half of the $110 million needed for completion.

By Hallie Busta • June 28, 2017

UPDATE: Los Angeles City Council approves plans for $1B Lucas Museum

The 300,000-square-foot project, which features an adjacent parking structure topped with an 11-acre green roof, is slated for completion by 2021. 

By Emily Peiffer • June 28, 2017

Michael Bloomberg unveils $200M 'American Cities Initiative'

The former New York City mayor is looking for solutions to problems that cities face — and the selection criteria include the idea of transferability for other areas.

By Cody Boteler • June 28, 2017

Pittsburgh announces $5.6M plan to streamline permitting

The city will pay software company Computronix to develop a single platform that can be used by multiple agencies and allow applicant tracking.

By Kim Slowey • June 27, 2017

Caterpillar leads funding round for financial analysis software

The equipment maker's venture captial arm led an $11 million Series A funding round for Alight, which serves the mortgage and mining industries.

By Joe Dyton • June 27, 2017

Jacobs Engineering wins 10-year PA traffic management contract

Services for the Schuylkill Expressway will include preliminary and system engineering, design, right-of-way acquisition and construction consultancy.

By Kim Slowey • June 27, 2017

Fundrise launches tool for crowdfunding housing

Launching in Los Angeles, the investor group's eFunds help to develop housing in high-density areas using a large volume of small investments.

By Joe Dyton • June 27, 2017

Tests reveal more details about Tesla's solar roof

Performance and installation information about the hyped solar roofing system has been limited, but the latest tests show power capacity and installation specs.

By Joe Dyton • June 23, 2017

Net-zero energy home construction is on the rise

The number of units built using the method, which requires projects to offset energy use with onsite renewables, increased 33% from 2015 to 2016, says one report.

By Joe Dyton • June 22, 2017

Cornell Tech's Bloomberg Center aims for net-zero energy

The Morphosis-designed building on New York's Roosevelt Island will generate the energy needed to power its operations from on-campus sources.

By Hallie Busta • June 21, 2017

How Passive House is reaching beyond its housing roots

The building method got its start in single-family but has expanded to a host of projects, spurring green-building leaders to push advocates to raise their game.

By Hallie Busta • June 21, 2017