FRIDAY5 – March 16, 2018

The construction industry has had its strongest month of job growth in more than a decade, adding 61,000 new jobs in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Jobs were up 254,000 year-over-year.  

According to Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist, Anirban Basu, stable construction and a broad backlog is expected for the foreseeable future.  Read more here. 
 

With St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, we thought it would be fun to take a look at bars where texture, lighting and materials combine to evoke a unique experience that can be enjoyed by all.  ArchDaily shares 15 incredible examples of the perfect meeting place with images by prominent photographers.  Read more here.
 

For more than a century, steel has been the predominant building material in construction.  We go back in history to look at the world’s first skyscraper in the city of Chicago, which changed the course of architecture, engineering and construction forever.  The construction of the Home Insurance Building in 1884 demonstrated that steel was a viable building material and steel-frame construction, a viable technique.

However, the way we build and the materials we use have never been at a such an important juncture in our history.  With technology and new-age composite materials, the conventions of modern building are being tested.  Design is also seeing a departure from standard shapes such as circles and squares, pushing the envelope of what’s possible for structures and fabrication.  Read more here.