Latest news with #DodgeMomentumIndex
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction planning climbs again on core sector momentum
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Signs of life are returning to planning desks across the country, as momentum builds behind large-scale projects and complex builds, according to Dodge Construction Network. The Dodge Momentum Index, which tracks nonresidential projects entering the planning stage and leads actual spending by a full year, jumped 6.8% in June. Commercial planning climbed 7.3%, while institutional planning increased 5.7%, according to the report. 'Nonresidential planning steadily improved in June, alongside strength in warehouse, recreational, and data center planning,' said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network. 'Planning momentum in other key sectors, like education, hotels, and retail stores, was more subdued.' Slower activity in those sectors is likely tied to caution around the economic outlook, said Martin. Weaker consumer spending expectations and uncertainty over project financing have caused developers to tap the brakes on new entries in those categories, she added. For example, a Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based construction company recently laid off nearly half of its workers due to delays on two major construction contracts. Yale University, among other higher education institutions, also paused 10 construction projects due to uncertainty around federal funding. Warehouse activity gained meaningful traction in June, and data center planning remained elevated, according to the report. On the institutional side, large recreational projects helped drive gains, while healthcare-related planning also continued to accelerate, according to Dodge. Despite some sector slowdowns, planning activity remains far above last year's weak June levels. The overall index jumped 20% year over year, with institutional planning up 46% and commercial planning up 11%. Even excluding all data center projects from 2023 through 2025, commercial planning would still be up 12% over the past year, and the overall index would have increased 23%, according to Dodge. A total of 40 projects valued at $100 million or more entered the planning phase in June, according to Dodge. Major commercial projects included: The $500 million Meadow Brook Technology Park data center campus in Middletown, Virginia. Phase 3 of the $300 million Project Blue data center in Tucson, Arizona. The $300 million Data City data center in Laredo, Texas. The largest institutional projects to enter planning included: The $340 million Cleveland Clinic Avon campus expansion in Avon, Ohio. The $150 million McKinney Amphitheatre Building in McKinney, Texas. The $135 million Harold Simmons West Overlook Park Buildings in Dallas. Recommended Reading Contractors say data center demand still growing, despite bubble fears Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon commits $20B for Pennsylvania data centers, training
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Tech and retail conglomerate Amazon plans to invest at least $20 billion in Pennsylvania, initially focused on two data centers in Bucks and Luzerne counties, according to a June 9 news release from the company. The two data center campuses will be located in Falls Township in Bucks County, and Salem Township in Luzerne County, according to a June 9 news release from Gov. Josh Shapiro. Multiple other Pennsylvania communities are being considered for future campuses, per Shapiro's release. Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $26 billion in the state, according to the company. Alongside the data centers, the investment will support thousands of construction jobs and other positions in the data center supply chain. The new data centers will join Amazon's growing operations footprint in Pennsylvania, which includes 23 fulfillment and sortation centers and 20 last-mile delivery stations, according to the governor's office. 'This initial investment from Amazon will create thousands of good-paying, stable jobs as Pennsylvania workers build, maintain, and operate the first two data center campuses in Luzerne County and Bucks County,' Gov. Shapiro said in his office's news release. Amazon also plans to establish a pipeline of training programs that will help Pennsylvania workers build future data centers, according to the company. These include: Amazon Community Workforce Accelerator: Training centers that support careers in cloud computing infrastructure with Amazon Web Services and its network of contractors, vendors and partners. CWA houses a variety of skilled technical trades training programs to prepare workers to build, connect, power and operate and maintain AWS data centers in this region. AWS Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship: A paid pre-apprenticeship designed for students and job seekers to prepare for entry into any one of several careers that build, connect, power and operate the infrastructure of what Amazon calls the information economy. Those who successfully complete the program will earn industry-recognized credentials and a guaranteed interview with AWS or one of its contractors. Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Workshops: Two-day certificate courses implemented at local community colleges, technical schools and universities that will train individuals in new fusion splicing — the welding together of fiber optical cables — techniques and equipment, then connect these learners to fiber-broadband employers. Amazon's investment comes amid a turbulent construction climate, where data centers remain king as other sectors flag. In April, planning for the facilities lifted the Dodge Momentum Index 0.9% even though other specialty areas fell. Amazon isn't alone in its data center building spree. Google has invested more than $17 billion in servers and data centers this year, while a joint venture of Oracle, Softbank and OpenAI committed to investing at least $100 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, which could scale up to $500 billion.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warehouse, hotel construction lift commercial planning
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Nonresidential construction planning rebounded in May after a slow April, as a sharp uptick in institutional project activity helped drive overall growth, according to Dodge Construction Network. The Dodge Momentum Index, a benchmark that tracks nonresidential construction planning and leads actual spending by a full year, increased 3.7% in May. Institutional planning surged 10.5%, led by education and recreational facilities, while commercial planning inched up 0.8%, according to the report. 'Nonresidential planning continued to accelerate in May, primarily driven by strong project activity on the institutional side of the DMI,' said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network. 'Planning momentum moderately improved on the commercial side as well, following subdued growth in that sector over the last few months.' Data center planning, which fueled most commercial gains, returned to more typical levels in May, according to Dodge. Martin added that 'increased economic and policy uncertainty' will likely persist in the near term, though said the current pipeline remains stable. Within the commercial sector, stronger activity in warehouse and hotel planning helped offset the slow pace in the office and retail categories, according to the report. On the institutional side, a surge in education and recreation projects led the gains, though healthcare planning dipped slightly. Nevertheless, planning activity remains far ahead of last year's pace, according to Dodge. The index jumped 24% compared to May 2024, with institutional planning up 47% and commercial planning up 15%. However, if the data excludes all data center projects between 2023 and 2025, commercial planning would have grown 4% over the year, and the total DMI would be up 17%, according to Dodge. A total of 33 projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning in May. Major commercial projects included: The $486 million Evolve Energy Partners data center in Warrenton, Missouri. The $366 million LEGO warehouse and distribution facility in Prince George, Virginia. The $330 million Summit Crossing data center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The largest institutional projects to enter planning included: The $500 million Honda Center renovation in Anaheim, California. The $238 million phase 2 of the Sterling Bay Pacific Center research and development building in San Diego, California. The $201 million patient tower at Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Recommended Reading Data centers, but little else, prop up construction planning Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Backlog hits nearly 2-year high despite tariff worries
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Despite the threat of tariffs, construction backlog rose to its highest level since September 2023 and contractors' confidence in their future profit margins grew, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors survey April 22 to May 6. Backlog has increased significantly over the past year for contractors with greater than $100 million in annual revenues, according to ABC. Though backlog has also risen modestly for the smallest contractors, it is down year-over-year for those with $30 million to $100 million in annual revenues. 'Nearly 22% of contractors had a project delayed or canceled in April due to tariffs, up from 18% in March, while 87% have been notified of tariff-related materials prices increases,' said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. The survey is a look into how contractors are viewing their businesses following President Donald Trump's tariff saga and the whiplash some builders have felt following the introduction of those policies. Basu said that despite these headwinds, contractors are keeping busy. Even so, there are signs that builders are bracing for the future. 'While ABC members remain upbeat about the near-term outlook, the share of respondents that expect their sales to decline over the next six months rose to 19% in April, up 6 percentage points since the start of the year,' Basu said. Although commercial and institutional construction saw a slight gain in backlog, both heavy industrial and infrastructure work dropped, a departure from the previous month's reading. In addition, profit margin expectations improved in April, as the readings for sales and staffing levels fell, though the outlook for sales is still higher than a year ago, according to ABC. The readings for all three components remained above the threshold of 50, indicating respondents expect growth over the next six months. Right now, data centers are dominating the overall construction planning market, according to the April iteration of the Dodge Momentum Index, but other segments remained subdued.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction planning falters
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Nonresidential construction planning activity fell in March, reversing recent gains made to start the year, according to Dodge Construction Network. The Dodge Momentum Index, a benchmark that tracks nonresidential construction planning, tumbled 6.9% in March, as the threat of tariffs and broader uncertainty stymied project projections. Commercial planning dropped 7.8% due to slower activity in warehouse, data centers and retail projects. Institutional planning, such as education, life sciences and healthcare projects, fell 5%, according to the report. Hesitancy around how material prices would trend ahead of President Donald Trump's April 2 tariffs likely contributed to the slowdown in future planning. The Trump administration tariffs have fueled concerns in the construction industry about rising materials costs and potential project cancellations. 'Increased uncertainty around material prices and fiscal policies may have begun to factor into planning decisions throughout March,' said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network. 'While planning data has weakened across most nonresidential sectors this month, activity remains considerably higher than year-ago levels and still suggests steady construction activity in mid-2026.' Momentum around data center planning, one of the most significant drivers of growth in recent months, slowed over the month. For example, Microsoft, one of the largest data center builders, recently announced it is slowing or pausing some early-stage data center projects, including a $1 billion build in Ohio, according to The Associated Press. Trump's tariffs could also further strain future data center investment if prices continue to rise and supply chain constraints worsen. That could potentially lead to further delays in projects. But data center planning still sits at historically high levels, according to Dodge. Even with the month's slowdown, this single building type continues to significantly prop up overall planning figures. The Dodge Momentum Index jumped 30% year over year, with commercial planning up 32% and institutional planning up 27%, according to the data. Without data center projects, however, commercial planning would have increased just 4% compared to March 2024, while the overall DMI would have climbed only 12%, according to Dodge. A total of 25 projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning throughout March. Major commercial projects included: The $400 million Logistics Land Investments data center in Bessemer, Alabama. The $340 million expansion to the Ontario Convention Center and Hotel in Ontario, California. The $300 million Project Cinco data center in Natalia, Texas. The largest institutional projects to enter planning included: The $500 million ambulatory care building at Scripps San Marcos Medical Center in San Marcos, California. The $165 million Roanoke High School in Roanoke, Virginia. The $135 million Milken Community School expansion in Los Angeles. Recommended Reading Construction planning posts smaller gains
