Remembering Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry didn’t set out to build monuments. He set out to solve a riddle: why do so many buildings feel like they were designed to avoid blame instead of inspire awe? Why did architecture surrender its soul to the safe middle? Gehry wasn’t interested in the middle. He was interested in the edge, the…
The AI Boom and Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate has quietly rewired itself around the AI boom, and that shift is changing the risk profile of the entire asset class. Data centers are on track to surpass office construction as capital floods toward digital infrastructure that promises higher returns and sustained demand. Last year alone, data centers outperformed nearly every other…
NAOIP: Office Space Demand Forecast, Fourth Quarter 2025
Office Market at Pivotal ‘Normalization’ Point as Macroeconomic Factors Weigh on Economy Nationwide demand for office space experienced a large shift in momentum in the third quarter, with demand growing by 19.8 million square feet compared with negative net absorption of 14.9 million square feet in the second quarter. Although the most recent quarter was…
CarolinaPower Leaders Reflect on 25 Years in Business
It was the late 1990s when Georgia-based MetroPower decided to launch an out-of-state branch in Greenville, SC – doing business as (dba) CarolinaPower. The challenge at hand for the start-up: breaking into an established construction market with zero name recognition and minimal resources. Fast-forward 25 years and CarolinaPower has four offices across South Carolina –…
From Boom and Pause to Balanced Growth: What’s Next for the Southeast Industrial Market
After several years defined by extremes, the Southeast industrial market is showing signs of shifting toward steadier footing in 2026. The post-pandemic boom of 2021–2022 created record construction and aggressive speculative development. That momentum slowed noticeably in 2023–2024, when rising costs, tighter financing and pockets of oversupply pushed many developers to pause and reassess. Now,…
The Economic Situation and What Lies Ahead
With the books for 2025 ready to be closed and knuckles still white from the roller coaster ride generated by President Trump’s first year policy actions, and all this compounded by war, terrorist attacks, and a recovering post-COVID world, I begin this report with a summary forecast for the next four quarters. I offer thoughts…
Results of 2025 ASC Region 2 Student Competitions
Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 2 recently held its annual Student Competitions. Region 2 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico and has seen significant growth in the annual competitions. Over 300 students on 49 teams from 18 universities competed in seven different competitions. Each competition category was…
Toyota Charges into U.S. Battery Manufacturing
Toyota supercharged its multi-pathway approach to global vehicle electrification with the highly anticipated start of production at its all-new battery plant in Liberty, North Carolina. It is Toyota’s eleventh U.S. plant and the company’s first and only battery plant outside of Japan. The nearly $14 billion facility will create up to 5,100 new American jobs….
CoStar Maintains U.S. Retail Projections Through 2026
U.S. retail projections have not changed materially compared to July, according to a revised forecast from CoStar, the leading global provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets. Following positive demand and a slowdown in store closures during the third quarter of 2025, the near-term U.S. retail outlook remains unchanged from the…
Rebuilding Together: Harper General Contractor’s Commitment to Western North Carolina
Reflecting on the past year, we are reminded of the importance of building up our communities. When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in September of 2024, many of our projects and clients were immediately impacted. In the Town of Burnsville, the hurricane caused a significant infrastructure failure, leaving the town’s water system crippled. Floodwater…
