Construction, Real Estate & Infrastructure

Washington – September 19, 2026 -- Operating and maintaining commercial buildings across the United States generates $609.9 billion in annual economic output and supports 3.9 million jobs, according to a new market study released by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International.

Building operations deliver $2.22 in output for every $1 spent

The 2026 Market Study, covering office, retail and industrial properties in BOMA's 79 U.S. markets, found that $274.9 billion in annual building operating expenditures contributes $344.4 billion to U.S. GDP. The same spending generates $219.4 billion in personal earnings, with total economic output reaching $2.22 for every $1 invested in operations once direct, indirect and induced activity is counted.

Deerfield Beach, Fla. – September 19, 2026 -- Aastro Roofing has signed on as a major sponsor of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce's upcoming golf tournament and as a sponsor of the Chamber's Fall Business Expo, expanding a partnership that began with its Spring Business Expo sponsorship earlier this year.

Roofing firm deepens ties with Boca Chamber after Spring Expo sponsorship

Aastro Roofing, a licensed roofing and general contracting company based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, has served Broward and Palm Beach counties for more than 11 years. The company holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and Top Rated status on Angi and Google.

Barcelona – September 19, 2026 -- Barcelona City Council will launch HOWS Barcelona – Housing World Summit, a new international congress on urban and affordable housing, running November 3-5 at the Gran Via venue alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress.

Congress assembles 100+ speakers across 20 sessions on housing crisis

Organized by Fira de Barcelona, the three-day program will feature more than 100 speakers across 20 sessions, targeting cities, housing providers, real estate developers, investors, non-profit organizations and academia. The event is positioned to become a platform for debate and innovation addressing what organizers call one of the most pressing challenges facing cities today.

Houston – September 19, 2026 -- Vortex Companies has acquired CLH & Son, Inc., an Auburn, Maine-based infrastructure contractor, expanding its self-performed rehabilitation capabilities across the Northeast United States.

CLH brings four decades of sliplining and drainage expertise to Vortex's regional platform

Founded in 1979 by Calvin Hunter and now led by CEO Travis Stearns, CLH specializes in sliplining, concrete rehabilitation, excavation and drainage improvements. The contractor has built its client base among municipalities, state departments of transportation, utilities and other contractors throughout New England, focusing on aging storm and sewer systems.

Lisle, Ill. – September 19, 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.

Boston – September 18, 2026 -- Electrified Thermal Solutions has signed an agreement with Holcim to deploy its Joule HiveTM Thermal Battery (JHTB) as part of the cement producer's electrification roadmap, marking a rare entry of electric heat into a process that has relied almost exclusively on combustion.

Two JHTB units will supply heat up to 1,800°C to a high-temperature cement process

The initial deployment consists of two Joule Hive units storing clean electricity in electrically and thermally conductive bricks, discharging heat on demand at temperatures up to 1,800°C (3,275°F). That range has been largely inaccessible to conventional electric heating technologies, forcing cement, steel and chemicals producers to depend on fossil combustion for their hottest processes.

Morrisville, N.C. – September 18, 2026 -- FloLogic, a plumbing leak detection subsidiary of Bradford White Corporation, has launched a wireless Remote I/O Module that eliminates the need for wired connections between its water shutoff systems and third-party devices.

Wireless module replaces legacy wired control panels

Previously, integrating FloLogic's leak detection and automatic water shutoff platform with external devices required a FloLogic Legacy Control Panel and a hardwired connection. The new Remote I/O module allows installers to place the unit anywhere on a property, communicating wirelessly with plumbing controls, alarm systems and home automation platforms through configurable input and output connections.

Orlando – September 18, 2026 -- The newly completed Pod Zeleným Dvorom residential development in Budimír, near Košice, Slovakia, has integrated PENETRON ADMIX crystalline waterproofing directly into its concrete foundations, eliminating the need for a separate membrane waterproofing system.

Crystalline admixture replaces membrane systems at foundation stage

PENETRON ADMIX was added to the concrete mix during batching rather than applied as a surface treatment. Once mixed, its active ingredients react with water and concrete minerals to form an insoluble crystalline network through the pores, capillaries, and microcracks, reducing permeability and blocking groundwater intrusion.

Aarhus, Denmark – September 18, 2026 -- Bygma, one of the Nordic region's largest building materials distributors, has selected Stibo Systems to build a single governed source of truth for its product master data across six countries.

Bygma consolidates product data across Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Poland

The company sells and distributes construction products to professional contractors and private customers through an extensive branch network spanning the six markets. Managing that scale requires handling large volumes of product documentation, certifications and sustainability data across multiple regulatory regimes and sales channels.

Dallas – September 18, 2026 -- Two Texas communities managed by FirstService Residential raised more than $56,000 for first-responder and veteran charities during 25th-anniversary tribute events marking the September 11 attacks.