This Week's Top Five Stories in Construction

MWC 2026: How Huawei’s AI is Revolutionising Construction

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, Huawei delivered a clear message: the intelligent transformation of traditional industries, from cement to chemicals, has crossed into a new phase. 

In light of this, Construction Digital sat down with Charles Li, President of Huawei’s Chemical & Building Materials Business Unit (BU), to explore how AI is shifting from an assistant to a core production driver – ushering in a new era of efficiency, safety and sustainability.

“I believe that 2026 is not only the deep-water zone of transformation but also a singularity moment for industry development,” Charles says.

“In recent years, most AI applications have been concentrated in auxiliary production scenarios, such as detecting whether employees are wearing safety helmets. The biggest change now is that AI is moving from a supporting role to a leading role, truly penetrating core production systems.”

That shift is already catalysing measurable progress. At Conch Cement, Huawei and partners are deploying an optimisation solution that integrates industry mechanisms with AI foundational models. 

“By analysing more than 100 characteristic parameters – such as raw materials and processes – in real time, it precisely controls the free calcium range,” Charles adds.

“This has reduced coal consumption by 1%, saving about US$250,000 annually per production line.”

AI and Data Centres Drive Skanska’s 2026 Market Outlook

The US construction market is entering a "cautious transition" defined by a sharp divide between booming tech infrastructure and cooling traditional sectors.

According to the Winter 2026 Construction Market Trends Report from Skanska, the industry is grappling with significant volatility in material pricing and a tightening labour market.

“As we begin 2026, the US construction market is navigating a period of cautious transition, with modest overall growth expected amid high borrowing costs, material inflation and persistent labour shortages,” says Steve Stouthamer, Executive Vice President of Project Planning at Skanska USA Building.

How Apto is Hyperscaling Data Centre Campus

Apto has officially announced a significant capital injection into the European digital infrastructure market, revealing plans to invest up to €2bn (US$2.3bn) in a new hyperscale data centre campus in Madrid. This development marks a pivotal expansion for the company and highlights the growing importance of Spain as a key node in the global data network.

The ambitious project will be situated on a 195,000m² site in Fuenlabrada, located approximately 14km from the city centre of Madrid. Upon completion, the campus is projected to stand as the largest data centre development within the Madrid cloud region, catering specifically to the high-capacity needs of hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises.

Modern Forklifts: Driving Construction Efficiency

Efficiency plays a large role in the construction world. Forklifts have long been a fundamental component of providing this trait in material handling on jobsites, with recent advancements further revolutionising their role.

Today’s machines boast enhanced power, cutting-edge safety features and intelligent technology that elevate productivity to streamline operations and ensure a safer working environment.

They are more indispensable than ever in optimising construction processes for the following reasons.

UK Construction Gets Roadmap As Net Zero Standard Launches

The construction sector is responsible for a significant portion of global emissions, consuming half of all extracted materials and generating more than a third of waste worldwide. Now the UK construction industry has a definitive framework to measure and verify its progress towards net zero carbon buildings, following the launch of version 1 of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS) in partnership with Bureau Veritas.

According to the World Green Building Council, buildings worldwide account for approximately 40% of energy and process-related CO₂ emissions, 50% of all extracted materials, 33% of water consumption and 35% of generated waste. The new cross-industry Standard aims to provide construction professionals with clear, performance-based criteria to reduce these impacts and eliminate greenwashing from net zero claims.