The pandemic undoubtedly served as a catalyst for technology in the world of real estate and construction. Is it here to stay? Mariana Circiumaru, managing director and head of US construction for BentallGreenOak, shares her perspective as a property owner and developer navigating the balance between tech and the human touch.

As the technologies and advancements in construction have evolved to further promote efficiency, one standard has become increasingly popular in the United States: the Passive House Standard.

After building an award-winning smart building system together more than two years ago, former project partners Doug Kruser, Structure Tone project manager and mechanical specialist, John Hester, owner and chief consultant at Hester Consulting, and Michael Krall, executive director of smart buildings at JPMorgan Chase, reconnected to reflect on their experience and how the world of smart buildings has advanced since then.

Buildings, construction, and building materials account for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. As the world continues the search for sustainable solutions to
the collective carbon challenge, the AEC industry has turned back to a traditional building material: wood.

Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York City. To reduce manmade greenhouse gas emissions, NYC City Council has banned the burning of fossil fuels in any new building or any building undergoing a major renovation, starting in 2024.

As one of the largest industries in the world, construction has a direct impact on our environment. It is a pivotal time in history as our industry is now focusing in on addressing this global challenge. It is a crisis that requires innovation. At STO Building Group, we are driven to meet our clients’ needs, which are increasingly including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.

Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Gilbane, and CBRE top the ranking of the nation’s largest office sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction’s 2022 Giants 400 Report.

Since Layton Construction started using prefabricated exterior enclosure panels, they have seen significant benefits, from time and cost to safety and quality.

In an age where online orders can be delivered within hours of purchase, speed is the name of the game. Over the last five years, industrial facilities have transformed from rudimentary pick-and-pull systems to sophisticated, AI-informed structures that can move products over 40 miles per hour. With so much change in so little time, how are construction partners keeping up with the rapid changes, exciting innovations, and unfolding challenges of building in the industrial sector?

At STO Building Group, we understand the importance of a collaborative team and are committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workforce in our offices, on our jobs, and in our partnerships. Over the last year, STOBG’s Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee (DISC) has continued to drive this change within our company through corporate initiatives, while individual STOBG business units developed local approaches to D&I, focused on fostering strong relationships with minority, women, and disability owned businesses in our field.

Policies aimed at improvement are important. They declare intentions and provide guiderails and parameters for action. But action is truly where change happens.

The nation’s largest construction firms are also paying greater attention to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), according to BD+C’s 2022 Contractor Giants Report.