FRIDAY5 – July 20, 2018

Building Design + Construction recently concluded their 42nd annual Giants 300 report, which compiles financial data and business dealings from the nation’s largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms.  A number of interesting industry trends and themes bubbled to the surface, which are expected to transform the construction market in the near future.  Read about the top five emerging trends here.
 

Urban centers are often thought of as gritty and gray, but some cities express the vibrancy of the people and places through color.  A recent article from ArchDaily features cities and towns that show us how color can bring light to the day-to-day life of cities.  See which cities made the list here, including the Paris of South America. 
 

There is certainly no shortage of doom and gloom in our news feeds recently, which would appear to be enough to soften economic performance.  In addition, some business owners are experiencing anxiety about the series of recent tariffs intended on protecting domestic industries and American jobs.  Despite all of this, there is little evidence that the U.S. economy has been impacted negatively.

According to the mid-year economic outlook from Chief Economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, Anirban Basu, business leaders remain optimistic and anxious to expand by stepping up hiring and investment in emerging growth opportunities.  For now, the U.S. economic expansion remains firmly in place and the non-residential construction market appears solid.  Despite a relatively positive near-term outlook, there could be dark clouds beginning to form on the horizon.  Some economists are predicting the next downturn to begin in 2020 or 2021.  We invite you to read more from the mid-year report here.