Nonresidential Construction Spending Increases Slightly in September, Says ABC

National nonresidential construction spending was up by 0.5% in September, 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 $883.9 billion for the month.

Spending was down on a monthly basis in 11 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was up 1.0%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 0.3% in September.

“The disconnect between contractor confidence, which remains elevated according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, and nonresidential construction spending continues,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While nonresidential construction spending is below February 2020 levels, many contractors report operating at capacity. This has much to do with worker and equipment shortages.

“Many projects under construction in America began prior to the rapid increase in borrowing costs that started earlier this year,” said Basu. “With interest rates on the rise and the economy expected to slow, nonresidential spending will likely decline further, at least in segments vulnerable to economic downturns. Contractors that focus on public construction work stand to be in far better shape given recent federal legislation and excess pandemic relief funds waiting to be spent by many state and local governments.”

Nonresidential Spending Growth Table — Courtesy ABC.

Nonresidential Spending Growth Graph — Courtesy ABC.

Multidisciplinary design and construction firm Epstein turned 100 in 2021. Two of its Directors discuss the firm's future, and what other AEC firms can learn from Epstein's experience. Darrin McCormies, Director of Industrial Services, and Ed Curley, AIA, Director of Architecture + Interiors, talk with BD+C's Rob Cassidy.

Arsenal Yards, a seven-building, million-sf initiative on the site of a 1980s-era shopping mall in Watertown, Mass.,

Multifamily Housing | May 25, 2022

9 noteworthy multifamily developments to debut in 2022

A 1980s-era shopping mall turned mixed-use housing and a mid-rise multifamily tower with unusual rowhomes highlight the innovative multifamily developments to debut recently.

Coronavirus | May 20, 2022

Center for Green Schools says U.S. schools need more support to fight COVID-19

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council released a new report detailing how school districts around the country have managed air quality within their buildings during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regulations | May 20, 2022

Biden’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge aims to reduce COVID-⁠19 spread

The Biden Administration recently launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge that calls on all building owners and operators, schools, colleges and universities, and organizations to adopt strategies to improve indoor air quality in their buildings and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Caltech Resnick Sustainability Resource Center

Building Team | May 20, 2022

Caltech breaks ground on a new center to study climate and sustainability

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) recently broke ground on its Resnick Sustainability Resource Center.

former Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California

Laboratories | May 20, 2022

Brutalist former Berkeley Art Museum transformed into modern life science lab

After extensive renovation and an addition, the former Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley campus reopened in May 2022 as a modern life science lab building.