1. As cities scramble for hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients, Leo A Daly offers a hotel-to-hospital solution (BD+C)
Leo A Daly is currently negotiating with several hoteliers about converting large portfolios of hotels into healthcare facilities that follow the firm’s Hotel2Hospital prototype, which would conform with design guidelines released last week to state governments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which relax some of the hospital safety standards.
2. New South Korean retail building looks like a molting insect (BD+C)
The building, Galleria’s sixth branch, has a very unique design to say the least. The facade combines multifaceted glass that appears to be breaking out from within opaque stone, as if the building was shedding its old skin and revealing the new.
3. How to convert college dorms to support the coronavirus crisis (NBBJ)
With the number of global coronavirus cases increasing each day, health centers are more burdened than ever before, witnessing severe bed shortages for critically-ill patients. At the same time, housing at many higher education institutions now stands mostly vacant — with hundreds of thousands of students home for social distancing and instruction now delivered online.
4. COVID-19's impact on the multifamily sector (BD+C)
COVID-19 is taking its toll on the U.S. vertical construction market. In a March 23-26 survey by the Associated General Contractors of America, 20% of the 659 respondents from "buildings contractors" reported projects being shut down or delayed by government officials, while 45% of those surveyed said an owner had instructed them to halt or cancel construction on a current or planned project.
5. Number of confirmed delayed projects reaches 2,550 in the U.S., 1,350 in Canada (ConstructConnect)
ConstructConnect's Delayed Project Tracker is updated daily.
6. Climate-informed HVAC increases in relative humidity may fight pandemic viruses (SmithGroup)
Indoor relative humidity is a function of seasonal climate and building HVAC. The range of 40% to 60% RH may reduce contagion and help those who are infected.
7. Construction completed on first phase of Chicago's McCormick Place into Alternate Care Facility (Walsh Construction)
"Walsh Construction is leading the temporary conversion of a portion of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility for novel coronavirus patients."
For more top stories from BD+C,
sign up for the BD+C Daily 5 newsletter
Related Stories
Market Data | May 2, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending up 0.7% in March 2023 versus previous month
National nonresidential construction spending increased by 0.7% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $997.1 billion for the month.
Hotel Facilities | May 2, 2023
U.S. hotel construction up 9% in the first quarter of 2023, led by Marriott and Hilton
In the latest United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), analysts report that construction pipeline projects in the U.S. continue to increase, standing at 5,545 projects/658,207 rooms at the close of Q1 2023. Up 9% by both projects and rooms year-over-year (YOY); project totals at Q1 ‘23 are just 338 projects, or 5.7%, behind the all-time high of 5,883 projects recorded in Q2 2008.
Market Data | May 1, 2023
AEC firm proposal activity rebounds in the first quarter of 2023: PSMJ report
Proposal activity for architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) firms increased significantly in the 1st Quarter of 2023, according to PSMJ’s Quarterly Market Forecast (QMF) survey. The predictive measure of the industry’s health rebounded to a net plus/minus index (NPMI) of 32.8 in the first three months of the year.
Industry Research | Apr 25, 2023
The commercial real estate sector shouldn’t panic (yet) about recent bank failures
A new Cushman & Wakefield report depicts a “well capitalized” banking industry that is responding assertively to isolated weaknesses, but is also tightening its lending.
Architects | Apr 21, 2023
Architecture billings improve slightly in March
Architecture firms reported a modest increase in March billings. This positive news was tempered by a slight decrease in new design contracts according to a new report released today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). March was the first time since last September in which billings improved.
Contractors | Apr 19, 2023
Rising labor, material prices cost subcontractors $97 billion in unplanned expenses
Subcontractors continue to bear the brunt of rising input costs for materials and labor, according to a survey of nearly 900 commercial construction professionals.
Data Centers | Apr 14, 2023
JLL's data center outlook: Cloud computing, AI driving exponential growth for data center industry
According to JLL’s new Global Data Center Outlook, the mass adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is driving exponential growth for the data center industry, with hyperscale and edge computing leading investor demand.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 13, 2023
Healthcare construction costs for 2023
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a three-story hospital across 10 U.S. cities.
Higher Education | Apr 13, 2023
Higher education construction costs for 2023
Fresh data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a two-story college classroom building across 10 U.S. cities.
Market Data | Apr 13, 2023
Construction input prices down year-over-year for first time since August 2020
Construction input prices increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 0.4% for the month.
