Skanska, DPR & Morgan: Top 5 Construction Stories This Week

How Sir Robert McAlpine Is Redefining Responsible Building

In 2020, Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM) launched a five-year sustainability strategy built on four pillars: Carbon, Resource Efficiency, Ethical Procurement and Social Value. 

Five years on, the contractor has published a report detailing what that ambition delivered.

"Five years ago, we set a clear ambition for the future of sustainability at SRM – and then we set about to deliver it, embedding sustainability into how we design, procure and deliver,” says Simon Richards, Sir Robert McAlpine’s Sustainability Director.

Balfour Beatty VINCI Launches HS2 Apprenticeship Route

Balfour Beatty VINCI is backing a new fast-track training programme designed to help unemployed residents in the West Midlands secure careers in construction.

The long-existing powerhouse duo are partnering with the British government-owned company HS2, which is responsible for the construction of the new high -speed railway of the same name, and Mace Dragados, to deliver the initiative.

It offers unemployed residents the chance to gain practical skills, health and safety accreditation and access to apprenticeships on one of Europe's largest infrastructure programmes.

Skanska: Capacity Crunch Defines Construction Market Outlook

Skanska has released its Summer 2026 Construction Market Trends Report, offering a fresh view of the forces shaping the US construction industry as it enters the second half of the year. 

The report finds that underlying demand remains stronger than expected, but growth is heavily concentrated in a small number of sectors. 

Data centres, infrastructure, power generation, advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical production and select healthcare markets continue to draw significant capital investment.

Inside DPR’s Tallest Tower in Texas Project

DPR Construction's Waterline tower stands as a reference point for how complex, mixed-use high-rises can be delivered ahead of schedule.

Rising 1,025 feet in downtown Austin, the 74-story building is the tallest in Texas.

Construction was completed in 48 months, two months ahead of a planned 50-month schedule.

Spanning 2.7 million square feet across a footprint of more than three acres, the tower integrates residential, hotel, office, retail and parking into a single vertical destination, connecting to the Waterloo Greenway's 13-acre Confluence urban park at ground level.

What is Morgan Sindall’s RICS-verified CarboniCa platform?

Whole life carbon assessment has long been one of construction's most technically demanding challenges, requiring specialist resources that many firms simply don't have. 

Morgan Sindall Group's CarboniCa platform was built to change that. 

The cloud-based system identifies building elements likely to drive higher emissions and recommends lower-carbon alternatives for clients, designers and supply chains. 

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has now validated it against the second edition of its Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) for the Built Environment professional standard.