Some very smart people who follow the construction industry weighed in with early 2016 forecasts for the U.S. construction industry last week during a podcast hosted by CMD/iSqFt. the AGC's Ken Simonson was willing to predict activity for 2016-2017. He forecasts in ranges and sees the next two years as being solid 5-10% growth years in both residential and nonresidential construction. His outlook for public construction was gloomier, with no growth during the period. AIA's Kermit Baker sees 2015 finishing at 8.9% year-over-year growth in spending with volume cooling only slightly to an 8.2% expansion in 2016. CMD/iSqFt's economist, Alex Carrick, is tracking 2015 at a much lower 2.8% growth rate, but sees 2016 as being up 5.9% and 2017 up 4.4%. None of the economists predicted any slowdown if interest rates rise slightly and none forecast a slowdown in the next two years.

Locally, the Master Builders' Association announced its 2015 Building Excellence Awards finalists, with the winners to be announced at the Feb. 25, 2016 Evening of Excellence.  View the list of all submissions.

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