Construction companies have been hit by what the AGC referred to as “a double whammy” due to rising fuel and material costs, which have had an impact on input costs overall. While many construction firms are absorbing a lot of the cost increases, there is no telling how long this can be sustained, as demand remains weaker in most segments besides data centres.

Petroleum products have been the hardest hit. The producer price index for diesel fuel more than doubled over the past year, up 115.2 percent, impacting transportation costs and the costs of materials like liquid asphalt. Tariffs have also wreaked havoc on metal prices. Aluminum mill shape prices were up 25.2 percent year-over-year, while steel mill products were up 27.6 percent and copper and brass mill shapes up 30 percent. Steel availability and pricing have been a challenge, with order books for some materials full through spring 2027, which impacts existing orders and limits the new orders that can be taken.

“Public policy uncertainty and instability impedes construction activity. Full stop. Having a new transportation bill is necessary before states plan for and launch major projects that boost demand for construction and create opportunities for economic growth,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, Chief Executive Officer of the AGC. “Resolving trade disputes will ease the price uncertainty that slows private construction.”

The post U.S. construction input costs rise YoY<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Benjamin Hatton is a materials science and engineering professor at the University of Toronto and leads the Hatton Lab for bio-inspired materials and design. The lab is working on a window concept that borrows from creatures like squid, octopus, and krill and their ability to respond to the sun’s rays, moving pigments within their cell structures to change colours.

Hatton is working to design a pigment-shifting window that responds to light, letting winter light and heat in, scattering it for even distribution to keep buildings naturally lit, while blocking the summer sun and the heat it generates.

The panels are designed to move liquids containing additives (carbon black to absorb light and titanium dioxide to scatter it) through channels carved into thin plastic sheets, enabling improved performance without the need to replace the entire window. The goal is to develop a thin application for existing windows that sticks to the window like a fluid-infused sticker to support retrofit rather than replacement. The technology could be controlled by AI but first it has to be scaled for use.

Separate prototypes are being tested in buildings on campus, while a lab with a dedicated simulation room is currently under development. The research is promising. In 2023, research showed through simulations that one version of the windows with three fluid layers could reduce building energy use for heating by 75 percent, electric lighting use by 20 percent, and total operational energy use by 43 percent versus the best available electrochromic technology on the market, which is typically used in airplanes (though extremely costly and unlikely to be used in an entire building retrofit, especially where there is variable climate).

The post Pigment shifting windows in design at U of T<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

The funds will be used to collect data about wind speeds and ocean surface conditions, setting the stage for additional research related to the conditions of the ocean floor, which are set to commence next year.

About $5 million will be used to deploy a network of floating light detection and ranging (LiDAR) buoys to measure wind speeds and ocean conditions, while an additional $3 million will support modelling activities such as plans for transmission lines, as well as underwater surveys for potential cable routing. The remaining funds will go toward subsea drilling to better understand the sea floor conditions.

If approved, the first phase of the project, valued at around $60 billion, could generate five gigawatts of electricity, doing so as soon as 2033. Nova Scotia requires only 2.4 gigawatts to supply the entire province. Close to $40 billion of the first phase spend is slated for turbine infrastructure, while $20 billion is targeted for transmission projects.

“Even at this level of ambition, the project could provide electricity for up to 1.5 million homes here in Canada,” Federal Energy Minister, Tim Hodgson, said during a news conference at Halifax harbour. “That’s three times the number of homes in Nova Scotia and creates an incredible export opportunity for Nova Scotian Power.”

The goal of this investment is to provide information upfront to improve the quality of bids, giving potential project partners valuable information about the subsea and what it will cost to bring the project to life. Nova Scotia Premier, Tim Houston, said the funding will reduce development timelines by at least a year.

If all phases of the project come to fruition, Wind West could generate upwards of 60 gigawatts of electricity. The excess electricity produced could be used to supply 27 percent of Canada’s total energy demand.

The post Ottawa announces $100 million for Nova Scotia wind project<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

This marks the manufacturer’s first entry into Europe’s sub-80hp backhoe loader segment. The EU Stage V engine uses a diesel oxidation catalyst and diesel particulate filter, without requiring selective catalytic reduction or AdBlue.

Featuring an extendable dipper arm with inline cylinder design for optimal visibility and reach, the front loader offers mechanical parallel lift and has a range of attachments to chose from. It also features a load-sensing hydraulic system with a variable displacement pump, a Powershuttle transmission, digital instrument cluster, LED working lights, Bluetooth radio, and air conditioning as part of the standard package. Additional options include Ride Control, hydraulic breaker lines, a bi-directional auxiliary hydraulic circuit, and a choice of loader buckets.

Likewise, Case’s new electric mini tracked loader, the TL100EV, expands its electric utility machine range for use in landscaping, urban use, and farming applications. With a tipping load of 1.3 tonnes, it uses three independent electric motors, two for ground drive and one for hydraulics, which promotes low noise and zero emissions. Attachments can be used via a Common Industry Interface coupling system.

The TL100EV comes in two track configurations: a narrow track version and a wide track version. The narrow-track version measures 890mm wide, or 914mm with a bucket, while the wide-track version measures 1,026mm, or 1,067mm with a bucket. Non-marking rubber tracks are available for indoor work.

Case has also updated its 221G and 321G compact wheeled loaders for greater operator comfort and visibility, chiefly a redesigned door featuring additional side glazing and a lowered front console, which improve sightlines, as well as ergonomic changes that were previously integrated on larger models.

A new deluxe cab has become the standard, as well as the seat-mounted control console, adjustable steering column, and improved control layout. Front windscreen glazing has increased by 20 percent, while glazed door surface area has increased by 71 percent. A redesigned right-hand door, additional side glazing, and a lowered front console are intended to improve sightlines.

Both the 221G and 321G are available in 20 and 40 kph iterations, while the 321G offers a choice of standard Z-bar kinematic or an Extended Reach (XR) loader arm.

The post Case CE launches new equipment, expands capabilities<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Permits for multi-tenant buildings also experienced growth, coming in at $5.8 billion, while the total value of permits for single-family homes was down to $2.6 billion. The value of non-residential building permits crept lower by $29.8 million to $5.1 billion.

Commercial construction plans were down $380 million to $2.2 billion, while the industrial sector experienced gains of $317.3 million, totalling $1.1 billion. Institutional building rose $32.9 million to $1.8 billion.

The post Building permits up $1.1 billion in August<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

The coalition has committed $280,000 in grants for five projects, awarded in conjunction with Falls Church, Virginia-based HITT Contracting, to provide an opportunity for construction firms to partner with the school on tech-focused initiatives. Funding amounts are allocated on a per-project basis.

One such project is a platform that will help builders connect on tech advancements in construction in a digital commons that operates much like Reddit. Membership gives access to a portal where conversations can be had and where funds can be allocated to support the research that membership is interested in, making it a true industry-led, membership research model.

From its Smart Construction Lab in West Falls Church, Virginia, which is currently under construction, the coalition will develop a template that supports different kinds of research. The initiative will be piloted and tested with ABC members at different levels later in the year and once feedback is obtained, the coalition hopes to have the system ready for deployment in February, working and ready for March/April.

The post Virginia Tech coalition plans digital commons for builders<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

In addition to corporate members, the coalition includes the National Association of Home Builders, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, SkillsUSA, and Carhartt.

The new partnership has a goal to train one million new skilled trades workers over the next decade, which seems to be an industry trend as private employers seek to address the skilled dearth in the market in new ways. The coalition intends on changing the perception of careers in the skilled trades while investing and scaling proven training methods that will support talent development through training to employment.

In June, Meta introduced a similar effort dubbed the American Workforce Academy, followed by Google, which promised $50 million to support labour unions and construction associations in workforce development efforts across 20 states.

“The next industrial revolution won’t be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by the millions of skilled trade professionals who power, connect, and move this country forward,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO, in the announcement.

The post Lowe’s Foundation seeks to train 1M workers<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as analyzed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, overall, construction input prices were up 1.2 percent month over month in August, sitting 8.9 percent higher than the previous year. Steel mills, especially, saw prices increase 23.4 percent since August 2025, while iron and steel were up 17.9 percent over the same period. Crude petroleum increased 34.9 percent, while switchgear and copper wire, which are critical for data centre construction, were up 12.3 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively.

Between elevated oil prices and the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S. persisting, there are many geopolitical factors driving prices higher, which is causing developers to reconsider projects.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) September survey shows that around 55 percent of contractors reported abandonments or delays in the past six months, with one-third of respondents citing increasing costs as the reason.

“Construction firms are being squeezed by tariff- and war-induced materials cost increases, even as they boost wages to attract personnel,” said Ken Simonson, AGC Chief Economist, in a release. “Those cost increases, according to our latest survey, are a major reason project owners are cancelling, postponing or scaling back projects.”

The post Construction material costs up<p class="company"></p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.