Construction & Infrastructure

Lisle, Ill. – September 18, 2026 -- The Morton Arboretum's "Green City Rising: People and Trees Thriving Together" concept was named a co-winner of the Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 competition, World Business Chicago announced Sept. 15 at the City Club of Chicago.

Arboretum plan beat nearly 200 submissions to reach six finalists

"Green City Rising" reimagines Chicago as a connected network of tree-centric green spaces designed to give every neighborhood a healthy tree canopy by 2050. Landscape architecture firm MKSK was named the other co-winner for its "Wonderways!" proposal to convert Chicago's boulevards into a network of climate commons.

Salisbury – September 17, 2026 -- Annual roof inspections can prevent minor issues like loose shingles and deteriorating sealant from escalating into costly structural damage, according to a new HelloNation article featuring Roofing Expert R. Sean Fahey of Peninsula Roofing Company, Inc. in Salisbury, Maryland.

Inspections target flashing, gutters and surface wear before leaks appear

The article outlines an annual roof inspection checklist that prioritizes flashing around chimneys, vents and skylights, since failures there allow water to penetrate the structure. Inspectors also check for missing, curled or cracked shingles on residential roofs and damaged sections on commercial roofs. Clogged gutters and blocked drainage points are flagged as common causes of water buildup that shortens roof lifespan.

Las Vegas – September 17, 2026 -- Reins has launched Valuation, a standalone AI-powered product that gives owner-operators in the trades a real-time figure for what their business is worth and the specific levers to increase it. The tool pulls directly from an owner's QuickBooks and ServiceTitan data to generate a current valuation without requiring a consultant or appraiser.

AI agents translate contractor financial data into a single valuation number

Valuation uses agentic AI analysis to process an owner's financial and operating records, benchmark the business against industry peers, and identify which factors are suppressing or driving company value. The system then flags the KPIs and targets with the greatest potential impact on that number.

Lexington – – September 16, 2026 -- Kentucky American Water has completed water main replacement projects in the North Limestone, Euclid and Fontaine areas of Lexington, marking a significant infrastructure investment for the region's water distribution system.

City of Lexington to handle final paving and restoration work

With Kentucky American Water's construction finished, the City of Lexington will now perform final restoration and paving in the North Limestone and Fontaine Road areas. At the city's request, Kentucky American Water will handle paving on Euclid Avenue after Sept. 18.

Project replaces aging pipes to cut break risk and improve fire safety

The initiative replaced aging water infrastructure with modern mains intended to improve system resiliency, maintain fire safety, and reduce the risk of service interruptions. The company said the work required thousands of hours of planning, engineering and construction.

Las Vegas – September 16, 2026 -- Stephanie Cherney, a Lead Area Sales Representative for KB Home in Las Vegas, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging years of sexual harassment, coercion and retaliation by the homebuilder, according to a complaint lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

Top-performing sales rep alleges coerced relationship led to retaliation

Cherney, named one of KB Home's top 10 sales counselors companywide in FY2024, remains employed by the company while pursuing the claim. The lawsuit, filed July 22, 2026, asserts violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Nevada Fair Employment Practices Act and the Equal Pay Act.

Des Plaines, Ill. – September 16, 2026 -- Chicago Faucets has joined BACnet International and launched CF Connect PLUS, a system that links electronic faucets directly to building automation systems (BAS) via native BACnet/IP integration.

CF Connect PLUS captures water temperature at the point of use, not just at centralized equipment

Unlike traditional BAS inputs that monitor centralized plumbing equipment, CF Connect PLUS uses retrofit temperature sensors installed at faucet angle stops to measure water temperature directly where it reaches occupants. That data is relayed to a CF Connect PLUS Gateway, which communicates with the BAS using the BACnet/IP protocol.

Cary, N.C. – September 16, 2026 -- Mattamy Homes, North America's largest family-owned homebuilder, has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Raleigh/Durham by Triangle Business Journal for the sixth consecutive year, placing it among 50 total honourees.

Independent survey drives the recognition

The award is based on an independent employee survey administered by Quantum Workplace, evaluating factors including employee engagement, workplace culture, trust and leadership effectiveness across Mattamy's Raleigh Division.

Leadership ties the win to workforce retention strategy

Bob Wiggins, President of Mattamy's Raleigh Division, said the recognition reflects contributions from staff across the division rather than any single team. He said the company remains focused on maintaining a supportive, collaborative culture as it continues to grow, aiming to help employees build long-term careers within the organization.

San Francisco – September 15, 2026 -- OpenSpace unveiled a new AI agent platform and mobile tracking tools at its Waypoint 2026 customer event, aiming to shift construction workflows from document-based reporting to real-time visual data drawn from more than 110,000 projects.

OpenSpace introduces AI Autolocation 2.0 to track workers' live position without GPS or beacons

The company's upgraded Autolocation technology allows field teams to see their exact position on drawings and BIM models in real time, including offline, without installing bluetooth beacons or other wireless hardware. The tool powers a new mobile interface called Site Mode, which surfaces location-specific project information and opens Field Notes directly from a user's position on the jobsite.

Westminster, Colorado – September 15, 2026 -- Trimble has unveiled four new GNSS receiver modules — the BD1090, BD1092, BD1092i and BX1092i — built on its next-generation Maxwell 8 technology, targeting OEM integrators in geospatial, marine, construction and mining sectors facing rising GPS jamming and spoofing threats.

New JammerGuard system defends against full spectrum of jamming signals

The centerpiece of the launch is Trimble JammerGuard, a comprehensive anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capability that deploys automatically and independently. Unlike conventional anti-jamming tools that counter only select jammer types, JammerGuard is designed to handle jamming broadly while authenticating that reported positions are genuine.

Bad Wildungen – September 15, 2026 -- The Bad Wildunger Fenstertage, a fixture conference for the window and facade construction industry, will move to the Wandelhalle Bad Wildungen for its 2026 edition on October 15-16, ending a multi-year run at the Holzfachschule Bad Wildungen site. Organizer Fachverband Leben Raum Gestaltung Hessen/Rheinland-Pfalz expects owners, executives and technical staff from window-building firms across Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz and nationwide Germany to attend.