This Week's Top Five Stories in Construction
Johnson Controls: Sustainable Innovation in Construction
The construction sector faces mounting pressure to address its substantial contribution to global carbon emissions.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, from 2023 to 2024, the global average concentration of CO₂ surged by 3.5 ppm, the largest increase since modern measurements started in 1957.
This acceleration underscores the urgent need for the built environment to adopt decarbonisation strategies that could deliver measurable reductions in operational emissions while improving building performance.
Johnson Controls, a global leader in decarbonisation, energy efficiency and thermal management, released its 2026 Sustainability Report in April 2026, highlighting progress towards sustainability targets across the construction and building sectors.
The company's approach demonstrates how technological innovation in building systems could help construction projects achieve sustainability goals while maintaining operational reliability and cost efficiency.
Energy & Construction: Why Mexican Data Centres Struggle
Infrastructure challenges threaten Mexico's data centre boom as energy constraints delay projects and risk pushing business to neighbouring markets
The construction sector supporting Mexico's data centre boom finds itself at a critical juncture as infrastructure challenges threaten to derail one of the country's most lucrative building opportunities.
Installed capacity has surged from 115.5MW in 2024 to nearly 280MW in 2025 according to the Mexican Data Centre Association (MEXDC). That is a rise of around 142% between 2024 and 2025.
Despite this stellar growth, however, the MEXDC is sounding the alarm and its frustration is pointed squarely at the government. Without adequate energy planning, projects face delays, cost overruns and in some cases complete relocation to neighbouring markets.
In a statement marking its third anniversary, the MEXDC says it has "unsuccessfully" sought to engage the Mexican Energy Ministry to jointly plan for the sector's electricity needs. Meanwhile, Mexico's neighbouring nations are building their data centre portfolio all the time, which has some of the sector's stakeholders worried that business may move elsewhere if the government does not organise itself appropriately.
Hitachi Vantara's Sustainability Roadmap for Construction
As construction companies face increasing pressure to deliver sustainable building projects and meet environmental targets, Hitachi Vantara demonstrates how embedding sustainability into facility design and operations offers a roadmap for the sector.
The company has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, Looking Ahead to the Future, which explores its progress and reveals insights valuable for construction firms designing the next generation of sustainable facilities.
Oracle Adoption of Bloom Fuel Cells to Reshape Data Centre
Oracle is reconfiguring the energy infrastructure for one of its most significant planned AI data centre projects in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
The company is deploying fuel cell technology from Bloom Energy to support the intensive demands of high-performance computing whilst navigating environmental and infrastructure challenges.
The decision marks a departure from earlier plans that relied on gas turbines and diesel generators, offering a lower-emission alternative that consolidates the site into a single, large-scale microgrid capable of supporting AI-driven workloads.
The announcement was made jointly by Oracle and its partner, BorderPlex Digital Assets.
With up to 2.45 GW of installed capacity, the facility could become one of the largest data centre microgrid deployments in the US.
The updated power design reflects a wider movement towards decentralised, on-site power generation as operators attempt to secure reliable energy for intensive compute environments.
PwC: How Construction is Helping in Decarbonisation Efforts
Construction and mining sectors could be leading the way in decarbonisation efforts despite facing some of the industry's most significant challenges, according to new research from PwC.
The consultancy's Third Annual State of Decarbonisation Report reveals that more companies are increasing their sustainability and decarbonisation ambitions (23%) compared to those that are decreasing (18%). The findings suggest that 82% of companies held steady or accelerated the timeline they needed for achieving sustainability ambitions, indicating a strengthening business case for climate action across industrial sectors.
For construction businesses, the research highlights a complex picture where substantial investment requirements are being balanced against measurable financial returns. Companies in construction and mining that allocate higher shares of capital expenditure to climate transition activities are achieving valuation premiums ranging from 15% to 59%, demonstrating the potential commercial benefits of sustainability strategies. This correlation between climate investment and market valuation represents a significant shift in how investors are assessing construction sector performance, with sustainability metrics increasingly influencing capital allocation decisions.
