Top Five Stories in Construction
A Bunker in the Ballroom: White House Construction Halted
Plans to transform the White House into a venue capable of hosting grand-scale international events were first announced in July 2025.
The administration stated that it was unable to host major functions honouring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.
The White House State Ballroom was envisioned as a much-needed and exquisite addition of approximately 90,000 total square feet of ornately designed and carefully crafted space.
With an initial seated capacity of 650 people, the project promised a significant increase from the 200-person capacity of the current East Room.
What's the Link Between Meta, AI & the US Concrete Industry?
Meta is streamlining the US construction industry by applying advanced AI to cement and concrete production.
According to a 30 March update on the Meta Engineering blog, the company is using "adaptive experimentation" to revolutionise material development. This method leverages Bayesian optimisation to efficiently sift through countless chemical formulations and identify the most effective mixtures.
In the post, it outlines how across the US, roughly 400 million cubic yards of concrete is poured – which is around enough concrete to pave a two-lane highway that circles the Earth multiple times.
Skyports Drones Optimise HOCHTIEF Bridge Construction
Skyports Drone Services has partnered with HOCHTIEF to provide automated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone-in-a-box aerial surveying at the Rheinbrücke Leverkusen bridge construction site on the River Rhine, north of Cologne, Germany.
Automated drone surveying can improve progress tracking, survey accuracy and project control on a major infrastructure jobs.
It also directly addresses construction pain points: keeping large projects on schedule, reducing manual site visits and spotting problems early.
US wind projects scrapped as TotalEnergies exits leases
The Trump administration continued its assault on offshore wind this week after reaching an agreement with TotalEnergies that will see the French energy giant halt the construction of all its new projects in US waters.
The Paris-based firm had been planning two wind farms on the Eastern Seaboard: one off the coast of North Carolina and the other off the coast of New York. Neither of these sites will now be completed after the US Government agreed to pay TotalEnergies back nearly US$1bn in lease fees, all from taxpayers' money.
Top 10: Construction Sustainability Champions
Businesses around the world are changing how they operate, implementing new strategies to simultaneously demonstrate positive brand image, measurable profit and climate responsibility.
The construction industry in particular requires a significant change, being responsible for almost 40% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions. To mitigate this impact, leading companies are championing sustainability.
These companies are dedicated to meaningful sustainability initiatives, either through decarbonisation strategies or by adopting circularity into their operations.
Construction Digital takes a look at the Top 10 Construction Sustainability Champions who are embedding responsible practices throughout every stage of their projects in order to blend profitability with impact.
