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“With the Federal Reserve looking to fight inflation and cool the economy by raising interest rates, economists seem to overwhelmingly agree that an economic slowdown is on the horizon. But ENR Top 400-listed general contractors say there is uncertainty looming over how the construction industry should prepare for when such a slowdown will hit and what business sectors will be most affected.
Construction industry markets are not reacting to economic developments all in the same way, explains John Cannito, president and CEO of PENTA Building Group, ranked No. 128. “Some market segments are flush with optimism and are looking to capitalize on pent-up consumer demand. Others are more cautious, with concern about a potential recession,” he says, explaining that the “two extremes” are driving owners to make decisions based on a false sense of security in experiences that do not transcend all markets.
In effect, some owners are “delaying projects that should be going forward in soft markets” and others have “unrealistic budget expectations in strong markets,” says Cannito. Managing project expectations, “advising clients responsibly and making sound business plan decisions will be important to succeeding in 2023,” he says.” You can read more predictions from top construction firms below and see ENR’s ranked list of the top 400 contractors.
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Location: Nashville, TN
Product: ALUCOBOND PLUS (MCM), PA-CLAD (Single Skin),
Equitone (Fiber Cement), Metl-Span (Insulated)
General Contractor: Yates Construction
Architect: The Rockwell Group
The W Hotel in downtown Nashville opened in the Gulch neighborhood in October 2021. The13-story, 400,000-square-foot hotel has 346 guestrooms, 50 suites, two Extreme WOW Suites, and a Presidential Suite. Additional features include a two-level underground parking garage, café, specialty restaurant, retail space, meeting and event space, and a wet deck (pool) complete with luxe cabanas, grill, and a poolside bar. MillerClapperton fabricated and installed more than 57,500 square feet of material for the project, which included Metal Composite Material, Single Skin, Fiber Cement, and Insulated Metal Panels.
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“Since 2000, the editors of Architectural Record have annually honored 10 leading young firms with the Design Vanguard award. This year’s emerging practices from across the U.S., Mexico, Germany, China, Japan, Nigeria, and Australia—each advancing issues of form, construction, sustainability, and community engagement—represent the promise of the next generation of architects.” Pictured above is a project from Kiyo Takeda who is based in Tokyo and is one of this year’s winners. He is known for incorporating natural elements as architectural elements, not differentiating between the two. You can explore more about each of the winners below, as well as view previous year’s winners.
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With all of the talk surrounding ChatGPT and everything from AI generated art to photography, it’s no wonder there is a frenzy surrounding AI’s impact on not just architecture, but many industries across the board. Some architects think of this as a deja vu of sorts as the latest technological innovations are “shoved under a blinding spotlights and touted as the next big thing.” From the advent of CAD and BIM, which moved the industry from manual drafting to advances such as 3d printing, “technology struggles to see large-scale adaptation today,” according to a story from Common Edge. Read more about what the future may hold for AI and architecture below, and for now, they recommend us taking it “with a grain of salt.”
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Recommendation: 2023 Architectural Book Awards Shortlist
Compiled By: Archinect
“The shortlist has been announced for the inaugural Architectural Book Awards. The awards were open to any book published in 2020, 2021, or 2022, with genres spanning history, biographies, buildings, practice, typologies, technical, and guides. The shortlist has been organized into three categories: Monographs, Reference Books, and History, each of which will ultimately crown its own winner.” You can view the full compilation of shortlisted publications below.
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