Reflecting pool and fire-resistant architecture at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, showcasing landscape design and campus planning that helped protect the site during historic wildfires.
  • Building, Design & Architecture, Health, Safety, and Compliance

When Wildfire Put the Getty to the Test

How fire-resistant design and year-round planning helped protect two iconic campuses.
Construction workers silhouetted on a large commercial jobsite at dusk, illustrating the 2026 construction labor shortage and the efficiency mandate facing megaprojects and skilled trades.

The Efficiency Mandate: Why 2026 Is the Year Construction Runs Out of People

  • Construction & The Economy, Project Management & Efficiency
As megaprojects surge and the workforce thins, builders will have to create capacity through efficiency, not headcount.

Capital isn’t the problem. Projects aren’t the problem.

The problem is bodies.

Over the next decade, the U.S. will need roughly 650,000-725,000 construction and extraction workers every year just to fill open roles and replace people retiring or leaving the industry.

That’s not to grow capacity. That’s just to keep the lights on.

At the same time, demand is tilting toward the most labor-hungry, skill-intensive projects the industry has ever seen:

  • AI-driven data centers.
  • Grid and transmission buildouts.
  • Clean-energy and storage projects.
  • Semiconductor fabs and advanced manufacturing.
  • Plus, the unfinished business of housing and traditional infrastructure.

In 2026, those curves intersect: an aging workforce, a smaller pipeline of young workers and a wall of megaprojects all competing for the same electricians, linemen, pipefitters and supers.

There’s no plausible hiring plan that closes that gap.

That’s why 2026 isn’t just going to be “another busy year.” It’s the start of what you could call the efficiency mandate: If each worker isn’t effectively doing the work of 1.2-1.5 traditional workers — without burning out — projects will slip, get de-scoped or never break ground.

This is what that means in practice.

Why is the labor problem structural, not just “a hot cycle”?

This isn’t just another tight market that will ease after a rate cycle. Structural forces — demographics, replacement needs, immigration dependence and a thin pipeline of young workers — mean the industry is running out of experienced people faster than it can bring new ones in. That imbalance defines the next decade.

Is this different from every other “skilled labor shortage” headline you’ve seen for 30 years?

Yes. For a few reasons.

Replacement demand dwarfs new job growth

U.S. construction employment today sits around 8.3 million workers, including roughly 3.4 million in residential. The raw growth story doesn’t look explosive; the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects only single-digit percentage job growth over the next decade.

But that’s not the real issue.

The real issue is replacement demand:

  • The BLS expects about 650,000 openings per year in construction and extraction roles through the mid-2030s, mostly to replace people retiring or leaving the occupation.
  • NAHB/HBI’s labor market analysis pegs it even higher: around 723,000 construction occupational openings per year right now, implying more than 2.1 million hires needed just in 2024-26.
  • ABC’s modeling says the industry needed about 500,000 additional workers in 2024, and a similar order of magnitude in 2025-26, on top of those replacement needs.

The math is simple and ugly: Replacing today’s workforce is a much bigger job than adding new positions.

“Openings are down” is not the good news it sounds like

If you look at job openings data, you’ll see a story that, at first glance, looks like relief. Open construction job postings have fallen from roughly 375,000 in mid-2024 to about 245,000 in mid-2025. That’s a big drop. It’s also misleading.

At the same time:

  • Overall construction employment remains near record highs.
  • The unemployment rate in construction is hovering near historic lows.
  • National contractor surveys still show 70-80% of firms struggling to fill hourly craft roles, especially in mechanical, electrical and civil trades.

In other words, we’re close to full employment for skilled craft labor. Openings are dropping not because there’s suddenly plenty of talent, but because many contractors are posting fewer jobs they know they can’t fill and stretching the people they have.

Demographics are destiny

The age profile is even more telling:

These aren’t interchangeable heads, either. The workers retiring are often your most experienced supers, foremen and specialist trades. When they walk off the job for the last time, you don’t just lose a pair of hands; you lose institutional memory and productivity that took decades to build.

Immigration is the quiet keystone

On top of that, construction is highly dependent on immigrant labor:

  • Immigrants make up roughly 25-30% of construction workers nationally.
  • In key trades — roofers, drywallers, laborers, carpenters — immigrants account for a third to more than half of the workforce in many markets.
  • In states like California and Texas and fast-growing metros, those shares are even higher.

Any tightening or uncertainty in immigration policy isn’t an abstract political debate for this industry but directly caps the maximum achievable headcount, especially in the trades that already feel tightest.

Put all that together and you get a simple conclusion: This isn’t just a hot cycle where “we’ll hire once rates fall.” The constraint is structural and baked into demographics and policy for the next decade.

How are four megacycles colliding over one shared talent pool?

Over the next several years, multiple policy- and technology-driven buildouts hit at once: data centers, grid upgrades, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Each needs overlapping trades in overlapping regions. Instead of balanced cycles, contractors face stacked megacycles that all pull from the same shallow talent pool at the same time.

If the labor side of the equation weren’t bad enough, look at what’s arriving on the demand side.

1. Data centers and AI’s power appetite

You don’t need to be in the tech world to feel the ripple effects of AI. Data centers already used about 176 TWh of electricity in 2023, roughly 4.4% of total U.S. power demand. Updated federal and independent studies now project that number could reach 325-580 TWh by 2028, or 6.7-12% of total U.S. demand.

Private-sector forecasts like Goldman Sachs are even more aggressive, projecting data centers could hit about 8% of U.S. power demand by 2030 and require tens of gigawatts of new generation capacity.

All of that must be designed, permitted and built:

  • Hyperscale and colocation campuses
  • Substations, high-voltage lines and interconnections
  • Cooling infrastructure and high-density MEP systems
  • Supporting roads, water and utilities

These are complex, coordination-heavy projects with intense demands on mechanical, electrical and civil trades.

2. Grid modernization and transmission

At the same time, the grid those data centers rely on is being rebuilt in real time. The U.S. Department of Energy’s transmission needs analysis concludes that to meet reliability and clean-energy goals, the country must effectively double regional transmission capacity and increase interregional transfer capacity fivefold by 2035.

That translates into:

  • Tens of thousands of new line miles over the next decade
  • Hundreds of billions of dollars in capital expenditures
  • Thousands of substations, towers, foundations and associated civil work

Federal programs are already moving money: multibillion-dollar grid resilience grants, transmission facilitation loans and direct federal support for marquee lines. Those aren’t hypothetical white papers; they’re construction pipelines.

3. Clean energy and storage

Then layer in the clean energy buildout: utility-scale solar, onshore and offshore wind, storage, hydrogen hubs and more.

Analysts tracking the Inflation Reduction Act estimate:

  • Hundreds of new clean energy projects announced in its first couple of years.
  • Hundreds of thousands of construction job years generated during buildout alone.

Again, these need line workers, civil crews, steelworkers, electricians and commissioning specialists — the same people AI data centers and the grid are trying to hire.

4. Semiconductors and advanced manufacturing

Finally, there’s the semiconductor wave. CHIPS-backed fabs in Arizona, New York, Texas and Ohio are already confronting labor shortages severe enough to delay timelines. We’ve seen:

  • High-profile fabs pushing production dates out by several years.
  • Public commentary from project sponsors citing a lack of skilled construction workers, especially for high-purity process piping, power distribution and controls.

Fab projects, like data centers, demand the best of the best: highly experienced mechanical, electrical and process trades, plus tight QA/QC and commissioning.

Now put all four together: data centers, grid, clean energy, fabs — plus ongoing housing and infrastructure backlogs. They all want the same people, in the same timeframe, often in the same regions.

That’s the 2026-30 collision.

Why doesn’t “just pay more” solve the labor crunch?

Raising wages helps but can’t overcome time, geography and policy. Apprenticeships still take years, workers can’t instantly relocate to every hot market and immigration rules sit outside contractors’ control. Compensation becomes table stakes, not a silver bullet, in a market where the total pool of skilled labor is capped.

In a textbook market, high demand and short supply should mean one thing: Pay more. Problem solved. Reality isn’t that simple.

Yes, wages have moved:

And yet the shortages persist, for reasons that aren’t fixable with a line item in a budget:

  • Training takes time: You don’t turn a new hire into a journeyman electrician in 18 months, no matter what you pay.
  • Work is geographically sticky: Projects don’t neatly line up where the workers are. Convincing specialized trades to move across the country at scale is slow and expensive.
  • Immigration policy is out of contractors’ control: The industry can’t unilaterally expand the pool of eligible workers.

There are also early signs of cooling in a few regions — more applicants here, fewer job openings there — but that’s cyclical noise on top of a structural trend. If your plan is simply “we’ll pay up when things get tight,” you’re already behind.

How are rework and bad data draining hidden capacity?

Even before the crunch peaks, many projects effectively operate with smaller crews than they think. Time lost to rework, poor information flow and mismatched documents quietly burns a double-digit share of available hours. In a world where new people are scarce, recovering that wasted capacity becomes existential.

Even with today’s workforce, the industry is leaving a massive amount of capacity on the table.

Productivity has flatlined

Global construction productivity has grown at about 1% per year over the past two decades — roughly one-third the rate of manufacturing and well below the broader economy. In many advanced economies, including the U.S., construction labor productivity has stagnated or declined since 2000.

That would be annoying in a balanced market. In a market with structural labor tightness, it’s lethal.

Rework is a phantom workforce

Look at rework and bad data:

Translate that into people: If an average project team is losing 10-20% of its time to rework, hunting for documents or fixing coordination errors, that’s the equivalent of phantom crews you’re paying for but not actually getting. In a world where you can’t conjure up an extra 10% headcount, the only rational move is to stop wasting the 10% you already have.

What does the efficiency mandate look like in practice?

The efficiency mandate is less about heroic overtime and more about redesigning how work flows. Firms that standardize, digitize and industrialize — through BIM, coordination, prefab and lean planning — unlock more value from every hour on site. Those choices determine who can still deliver complex work when the talent pool tightens.

“Be more efficient” is meaningless. The question is: How? The data and the leading case studies point to a clear answer: standardized, digital, industrialized workflows that unlock more output per worker without asking people to simply sprint harder.

BIM and model-based coordination

When BIM is used consistently — not as a one-off experiment — contractors report:

  • Dramatic reductions in clashes and RFIs
  • Fewer constructability problems in the field
  • Lower defect rates at handover
  • More predictable schedules

That is pure capacity. Less time fixing what shouldn’t have been built in the first place means more time building what matters.

Prefabrication and modular

Industrialized construction isn’t theoretical anymore. On the right types of projects, the numbers are well established:

  • 20-50% faster delivery for suitable projects.
  • Up to 20% cost reductions in some modular case studies.
  • Hospital projects that moved more than 150,000 work hours off site, cut more than two months from the schedule and still reduced overall cost once you count rework and safety benefits.
  • Data center and health care jobs where 70% of complex piping or MEP assemblies were prefabricated, shrinking onsite headcount and congestion.

Again: That’s what making each worker “count for more” looks like in the real world.

Lean/IPD and digital planning

Lean construction and integrated project delivery aren’t just management buzzwords. In projects where they’re taken seriously, documented results include:

  • Schedules 30% faster than traditional delivery
  • Double-digit reductions in total labor hours
  • Lower peak onsite crew counts
  • Higher safety performance

When pull planning and Last Planner systems move from sticky notes on a trailer wall to digital environments tied to actual model and schedule data, those gains become repeatable instead of a one-off success story.

Put it all together and you get the heart of the efficiency mandate: Firms that combine BIM, prefab, lean/IPD and structured data can realistically get 1.2-1.5 times the effective output per worker on complex projects. In a structurally tight labor market, that isn’t a nice differentiator. It’s survival.

How should construction really think about automation and AI?

Robotics and AI are best understood as amplifiers sitting on top of strong digital foundations, not magical replacements for crews. Where data is clean and scopes are repetitive, they can meaningfully shift labor curves. Where workflows are messy, they mostly expose underlying problems instead of solving them.

Then there’s the current obsession: robotics and AI. They matter. But not in the way the marketing suggests.

Where robotics is paying off

Real projects — not glossy concept videos — show robotics moving the needle in specific scopes:

The pattern: Robots do well on repetitive, physically demanding tasks where there’s a strong digital model and clear tolerances.

Where the hype runs into the wall

You don’t hear as much about the pilots that stall out. But they’re common:

Survey data is telling: Optimism about construction robotics is high, but actual adoption has dipped in some studies, as contractors pull back to a smaller number of well-chosen use cases instead of chasing every new demo.

AI as a force multiplier for knowledge work

AI is already proving its worth in less glamorous but more fundamental ways:

  • Progress tracking: comparing 3D scans to BIM to automatically flag deviations, delays and billing issues — something that would otherwise soak up scarce VDC staff.
  • Predictive scheduling: using historical performance, weather and resource data to surface likely schedule risks weeks before a human would see them.
  • Estimating and document search: reducing the time preconstruction and field teams spend digging through drawings, RFIs and emails to figure out what’s current and what’s not.
  • Safety and quality monitoring: computer vision systems that spot PPE noncompliance or installation defects at scale.

The common denominator is obvious: None of this works without clean, standardized, current project data. AI doesn’t rescue bad workflows; it amplifies whatever you feed it.

How are leading builders already closing the efficiency gap?

Large builders are already operating on a blunt assumption: they can’t simply hire their way through the next decade.

Instead, they’re quietly redesigning how work gets delivered. That means shifting hours offsite, tightening coordination through BIM, standardizing data environments and focusing automation on a small number of high leverage use cases that move schedules and margins. Their project results offer a preview of what’s becoming the new baseline.

If all this still sounds theoretical, look at what’s happening on the industry’s most complex work:

  • On large, multi-building data center campuses and similarly fast-moving programs, leading builders are increasingly leaning on scan-versus-BIM comparison and AI-assisted deviation detection to maintain quality and schedule when internal VDC capacity can’t keep pace with field progress.
  • Automated reality capture handles monotonous documentation, allowing superintendents and project engineers to focus on coordination and problem-solving instead of clerical work. In preconstruction, AI-assisted estimating and standardized data environments are reducing friction and compressing timelines before crews ever mobilize.

The motivation isn’t trend-chasing but structural. These firms can’t simply triple their VDC staff or double their superintendent bench.

The same logic shows up in how industrialized construction is being applied across data centers, health care and hospitality.

Multi-trade prefabrication is shaving weeks off schedules. Hundreds of thousands of labor hours are being shifted offsite, reducing peak headcount, congestion and safety exposure. Volumetric modular systems are delivering finished components faster and with far less onsite disruption.

Again, the through-line is clear: when you can’t find more labor, you change where and how the work happens.

On major infrastructure and complex building projects, builders are also combining lean delivery models, BIM and digital twins to tighten feedback loops between design and construction. By continuously comparing as-built conditions to design intent using drones, sensors and model-based workflows, teams are reducing rework, improving material efficiency and compressing project durations without adding headcount.

Why isn’t this pure doom — and what’s still different this time?

Short-term signals can be confusing — local slowdowns, softer openings data, mixed technology results — but they sit on top of deeper trends that don’t reverse quickly. Leaders must read both layers at once: acknowledge regional cooling where it exists without mistaking it for a return to the old, labor-abundant normal.

To be fair, there are countersignals:

All true.

But those nuances don’t change the underlying structural picture:

You might get temporary pockets of relief. You won’t get a return to the world where you could always solve problems by “adding a few more workers.”

What hard choices does 2026 force construction leaders to make?

As projects and people diverge, 2026 becomes a forcing function. Owners, general contractors and trades all must decide whether they will privilege partners and practices that create capacity — through digital coordination, prefab and smarter planning — or hope the market loosens. Those choices shape who can even bid certain work.

In 2026, the stories you tell yourself about staffing will collide with reality. Practically, that means a few hard choices.

If you’re an owner or developer

You can’t just pick the lowest bidder and assume they’ll “figure it out.” You need to ask:

  • How standardized and digital are their workflows?
  • How do they handle coordination, rework and data?
  • Can they realistically staff this project in this market, or are they gambling?

Soft factors like BIM maturity and prefab capability are now directly tied to your schedule and risk profile.

If you’re a GC or EPC

You must decide whether you’re going to be a capacity creator or a capacity victim. That means:

  • Treating BIM, structured data and digital collaboration as core operations, not side projects.
  • Identifying where prefab and modular can be standard practice, not an exception.
  • Choosing a small number of automation and AI use cases tied to real bottlenecks — progress tracking, scheduling, layout, documentation — and doing the change management to scale them.
  • Investing in training so your people can operate confidently in this environment.

The firms that do this will bid — and deliver — projects their competitors literally can’t staff.

If you’re a trade contractor

Your choice is stark:

  • Become the partner who can integrate with model-based workflows, prefab assemblies and digital QA/QC, or
  • Become the shop that only makes sense on smaller, less time-sensitive work.

There’s a lot of business in both lanes. But you can’t pretend they’re the same.

Where does Bluebeam fit in the efficiency mandate?

Bluebeam doesn’t manufacture robots or design fabs; it quietly shapes how information moves. When drawings, markups and reviews live in a single, structured environment, teams waste less time chasing clarity and fixing preventable errors. That document layer is often the fastest, least disruptive way to unlock real capacity.

None of this is about a single tool solving a structural problem. The firms winning the efficiency game are doing it with systems: people, process, data and technology working together.

But if you strip away the buzzwords, a few foundational needs show up repeatedly:

  • Teams need clean, current documents everyone trusts.
  • They need standardized markups, layer conventions and workflows so data can be reused — not recreated — across scopes and phases.
  • They need fast, transparent review cycles that don’t leave junior staff guessing which version is “real.”
  • They need digital guardrails that help a less experienced engineer, coordinator or foreman perform closer to how a veteran would.

That’s where a platform like Bluebeam sits: not as the robot or the AI “brain,” but as the collaboration and data-quality layer that makes those bigger moves possible.

If rework and bad data are burning the equivalent of whole crews off your projects, then tightening up how drawings are shared, reviewed, marked up and standardized is one of the fastest ways to create capacity without hiring a single extra person.

What’s the bottom line for construction in 2026 and beyond?

The industry isn’t running out of projects or capital; it’s running out of time and people. Firms that treat efficiency as a strategic mandate — re-engineering how they coordinate, document and deliver work — will still have room to grow. Everyone else will find that the real constraint is no longer negotiable.

In 2026, the industry’s binding constraint isn’t going to be money. It isn’t going to be projects.

It’s going to be people.

You won’t hire your way through a decade where:

  • A third or more of your workforce retires.
  • Immigration inflows are uncertain.
  • Data centers, the grid, clean energy and fabs are all demanding the same scarce trades you need.

The only lever left with enough throw is efficiency — real, structural efficiency, not just working longer hours. The companies that treat 2026-30 as an efficiency mandate — and industrialize how they plan, coordinate and build — will get to say yes to the best projects and deliver them.

Everyone else will be stuck bidding work they can’t reliably staff.

Create capacity without adding headcount.

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Aerial view of an active construction site with tower cranes and multi-building development, illustrating rising AEC technology investment amid ongoing workflow integration challenges.

AEC Technology Outlook 2026: Industry Investment Climbs, but Integration Challenges Persist

  • Construction & The Economy, Technology & Innovation
New Bluebeam research reveals firms accelerating digital adoption while struggling to fully connect their tools.

Digital adoption in the construction industry is accelerating, but progress remains uneven. According to the Bluebeam AEC Technology Outlook 2026, most architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms are investing in new tools, yet many continue to wrestle with disconnected systems, inconsistent workflows and persistent pockets of paper-based processes. Below is a closer look at the report’s core findings.

What does the 2026 outlook reveal about AEC firms’ technology investment?

The 2026 outlook shows a sector eager to modernize but still far from fully digital. Firms are accelerating investment, yet many continue to rely on hybrid workflows that mix paper and digital tools — a disconnect that limits efficiency and prevents truly connected project delivery.

Most firms remain committed to modernization, according to Bluebeam research. Eighty-four percent plan to increase their technology investment this year, and 67% say digital tools are improving productivity. Still, only 11% of respondents consider their organization “fully digital” across all project phases. Hybrid workflows persist, especially during design reviews and project handoff, where printed documents remain part of everyday practice.

This widening gap between adoption and integration underscores a familiar theme: tools are being purchased, but they aren’t yet delivering seamless, end-to-end project continuity.

Why has integration complexity overtaken cost as the industry’s top barrier?

The shift toward integration as the top barrier signals a maturing digital landscape. Firms have the tools they need, but those tools rarely communicate. As workflows expand across platforms, interoperability — not procurement — has become the limiting factor in achieving reliable, connected project data.

Twenty-three percent of respondents cited integration as their primary barrier. Disconnected platforms lead to duplicated work, isolated data and reduced confidence in project information. And while firms are adopting more tools, many still function as standalone solutions.

The report notes a turning point: success now hinges on system-to-system connectivity rather than software acquisition.

How is technology influencing AEC workforce attraction and retention?

Technology is becoming a defining factor in how AEC firms compete for talent. As younger workers expect modern tools and streamlined processes, organizations are reevaluating how digital capabilities shape employee experience. Yet limited training investment remains a major obstacle, widening the gap between expectations and on-the-job readiness.

Digital tools are increasingly tied to workforce strategy. Forty-four percent of firms now view technology as a contributing factor in winning and keeping employees — a shift driven by younger workers’ expectations for modern tools and efficient workflows.

Yet training remains limited. Sixty-five percent dedicate less than 10% of their technology budgets to upskilling, even as 19% cite a lack of skilled digital talent as a barrier. The report suggests usability and training will emerge as critical differentiators in a tightening labor market.

What impact is AI delivering, and why is broader adoption still slow?

AI is beginning to prove its value in practical construction workflows, delivering measurable efficiencies for early adopters. Yet concerns around trust, data governance and integration keep adoption cautious. Firms are looking for AI that fits naturally into existing processes rather than experimental tools that introduce risk or complexity.

Early adopters report meaningful benefits:

AI Impact Snapshot

Metric ReportedResult
AI usage among firms27%
Firms reporting ≥$50k savings68%
Firms saving 500–1,000 hours46%
Common concernsCompliance, data ownership, responsible use

Despite the ROI, adoption remains measured. The report concludes that firms prefer transparent, integrated AI focused on tangible outcomes — not experimental features or opaque automation.

What separates the firms making the most progress in 2026?

Leading firms succeed by treating digital transformation as a connectivity challenge, not a software acquisition race. They focus on unifying workflows, improving usability and building teams that can fully leverage the tools they already own. This shift enables more consistent data flow and stronger project outcomes.

These organizations are finding momentum in connected ecosystems — not in the breadth of their software stack but in how well tools work together. As interoperability improves, teams gain more reliable data, fewer manual steps and greater confidence across project phases.

Download the Full Report

The AEC Technology Outlook 2026 includes:

  • Regional digital maturity data
  • Benchmarks for AI, integration and training
  • Insights from more than 1,000 AEC professionals
  • Recommendations for improving workflow connectivity

Download The Report
Split-screen illustration showing outdated, paper-based 1990s construction supply chain workflows on the left and a modern AI-powered, digitally connected construction site on the right. The left side features a worker reviewing paper plans from 1999 amid stacked materials, while the right side shows automated, networked construction logistics with digital nodes and organized shipping containers—symbolizing how AI is modernizing construction supply chains.

Why Construction’s Supply Chains Still Run Like It’s 1999 — and How AI Might Finally Fix It

  • Project Management & Efficiency, Technology & Innovation
Manual processes are still draining time and money from projects, and AI may finally give teams the edge they need.

Across construction, one complaint echoes from project to project: the workload is climbing while the workforce is shrinking.

The labor shortage already stretches teams thin — and supply chain chaos piles on more pressure. A May 2025 industry poll found that 71% of respondents cited material availability and supply chain issues as the leading cause of construction project delays. No wonder owners and project managers scramble daily to keep things moving.

Something has to give. And for some, that means turning to agentic AI — not to replace people, but to relieve pressure on human teams and squeeze more value out of the resources they have.

That’s where Ojonimi Bako and Nick Selz come in.

From Walmart and Google to Construction

Bako, a mechanical engineer, spent years refining Walmart’s e-commerce strategy and operations before starting his own construction business. That’s when he ran headfirst into the industry’s messy supply chain reality.

His idea: merge his expertise in retail logistics with Selz’s background in systems design at Google. Together, they built Kaya AI, a platform aimed at fixing construction’s most painful bottleneck.

“Between our tech and construction backgrounds, we saw a massive problem in the construction supply chain space,” Selz said. “So many processes are manual, time-consuming and prone to human error. Meaningful insights that could have a measurable impact on projects often go unnoticed.”

AI That Thinks Like a Project Team Member

Kaya AI is designed to facilitate better collaboration and communication between stakeholders — general contractors, project managers and executives alike.

“The thing I love and find so interesting about the supply chain is it’s an incredibly collaborative workstream,” Selz said. “The different stakeholders on projects are actually on the same team.”

The stakes are real: if a generator lands on site four weeks early, nobody benefits. “Better collaboration and coordination are in everyone’s best interest.”

Here’s how it works:

  • Kaya AI digests construction data: drawings, specs and equipment lists.
  • It cross-checks for missing items and connects equipment lists to scheduling and submittals.
  • The result: a holistic view of what needs to be onsite, when and with which approvals.

And instead of asking crews to learn yet another system, Kaya uses autonomous AI agents that communicate by text, phone or email. To suppliers and contractors, it looks like the usual lead-time confirmation requests, but behind the scenes, AI is handling the heavy lifting.

Meet Jarvis, the AI Assistant

One example is Jarvis, Kaya AI’s project management agent.

“Jarvis helps customers identify schedule risk sooner,” Selz said. Project managers often miss the dependencies between fabrication, shipping and the submittal approval process. Jarvis surfaces those risks in real time.

“For example, when the lead time changes, Jarvis gathers that data and alerts you via text with a new submittal approval date.”

While the platform includes a web-based app and dashboards, Selz says most stakeholders still interact through everyday channels.

“It works with the communication channels they’re already using, meaning they don’t have to learn a new system or download another app.”

Kaya also integrates directly with scheduling and submittal software, cutting down on re-entry and manual work. Users can even generate calls, emails and texts to release project data or validate lead times. “That is saving folks a tremendous amount of manual work.”

From Pilot to Billions in Active Projects

Founded in 2023, Kaya AI was accepted into the Suffolk BOOST Accelerator and quickly found traction.

“We’re now the most quickly adopted software in Suffolk’s portfolio,” Selz said. Client projects span everything from single-family homes to data centers. “Everyone has issues with the supply chain, and we’re grateful we’re able to help.”

Following its official 2024 launch, Kaya now manages supply chain coordination across billions of dollars in active construction projects.

Selz sees it as more than a business opportunity. “Ultimately, I think integrating tools like AI can enable teams to do more with the same number of workers. That’s going to be imperative to the survival of the industry.”

The Human Factor

Still, Selz is quick to note: AI won’t replace people in construction.

“There’s too much complexity and risk in construction to turn any project over to AI. This is about how to capitalize on the strengths of AI, such as its ability to analyze data, recognize patterns and expand your team’s capabilities. That gives humans time to focus on the higher-order strategic work and relationships that this industry is built on.”

The Hard Truth

Supply chain headaches are crushing projects. AI alone won’t solve them. But platforms like Kaya AI point to a smarter path forward — one where machines crunch the numbers and humans focus on building.

Because if construction keeps running supply chains like it’s 1999, the industry’s survival is what’s really at risk.

See how Bluebeam can streamline your projects.

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A digital illustration of a multi-story building highlighting sections of plastic-based materials in bright orange, symbolizing hidden plastics in construction and their environmental impact.

The Hidden Plastic Problem in Construction—and How to Fix It

  • Health, Safety, and Compliance, Sustainability
Why AEC professionals must confront plastics on the jobsite, and the steps they can take to reduce them

By 2050, construction could outpace packaging as the world’s top user of plastics, bringing serious risks to people and the planet. But AEC professionals have the power to change that trajectory.

Plastics on the Jobsite

Walk any jobsite and you’ll find it: PVC pipes stacked high, vinyl flooring ready to roll, paint cans lined up. Hidden in plain sight, plastics are becoming construction’s dirtiest secret.

While exact data for 2023 is still emerging, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that in 2019 the world generated approximately 353 million metric tons of plastic waste. Packaging alone accounted for roughly 42% of that total—the single largest contributing category.

According to OECD-based analysis, building and construction currently account for roughly 17% of global plastic use. If left unchecked, demand for construction plastics is projected to nearly double by 2050—to about 150 million tonnes—surpassing the level of plastic packaging production in 2019.

The damage doesn’t stop at disposal. Plastic building materials pollute at every stage: fossil fuel extraction, manufacturing, installation and use. That means greenhouse gas emissions, microplastics and toxic additives—all putting workers, communities and the environment at risk.

Certifications and standards aren’t keeping pace, which means the AEC community is left holding the line.

Why We Keep Using Plastics

“Cost remains a key driver of plastic use in buildings,” said Teresa McGrath, chief research officer at Habitable.

That’s critical in affordable housing, but the long-term cost may be steep. Plastic is lightweight, flexible, low-maintenance and easy to install. On paper, the embodied carbon can look lower than materials like brick or cement fiber siding. But plastics often fail on durability, meaning more gets used—and wasted—over time.

Just one example: Construction accounts for roughly 60-70% of PVC use, despite its toxicity to humans and the environment. Of course, it’s preferable to the lead pipes it’s replaced to transport water. Still, the European Union is phasing out PVC, although it’s widely used in the US.

In many cases, plastics aren’t obvious—from the acrylics and polyurethanes in paint to the polypropylene in carpet to the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in vinyl flooring and siding—leading Habitable to title its policy brief “Buildings’ Hidden Plastic Problem.”

“In latex acrylic paint, the binders are all plastic,” McGrath said. “Engineered wood, like plywood and MDF, is bound together with a plastic binder.”

Why Plastics Fail Us

Several years ago, Habitable researchers ranked building product types from best to worst in terms of human health and environmental concerns. The colorful scheme runs from green to yellow to orange to red.

“Plastics were almost always the most hazardous at every lifecycle stage,” McGrath said.

The reasons are many:

  • Fossil fuel roots. Plastics are made from oil, gas and coal—and use fossil fuel energy in their manufacture.
  • Toxic chemicals. Researchers have expressed concerns about potentially hazardous chemicals in plastics, many of which haven’t been identified, let alone studied.
  • On-site hazards. One of the top causes of workplace asthma is installing spray foam, which contains isocyanate, a highly reactive chemical compound.
  • Fire risk. All plastic is extremely flammable, requiring the addition of flame retardants that create harmful gases when they burn, putting firefighters and building occupants at risk.
  • Microplastics. Wear and tear of paints and coatings contributes to a sizable portion of microplastics in the ocean, along with loss of raw plastic material used to manufacture extruded building products.
  • Persistence. Plastic lasts essentially forever in landfills.

Why Recycling Isn’t the Answer

On many construction sites, plastic waste is commingled with other demolition debris and sent to transfer stations. There, it may be sorted for recycling or product take-back, converted into refuse-derived fuel or—if deemed low-value—sent to landfill.

Despite recyclability labels, only 9% of plastic actually gets recycled, with 19% incinerated, 50% landfilled and the rest burned, dumped or leaked into the environment, according to the OECD.

The US discards about 1.1 million tonnes of plastic from carpet annually. Nationally, only around 5% of that is recycled—and just 1% is recycled back into new carpet. California outperforms the national average, achieving roughly 21% recycling in 2020 and reaching 35% in 2023.

In collaboration with Habitable, global design practice Perkins&Will analyzed flooring in K-12 schools—specifically a case study of a 185,116-square-foot building. The firm found that over the school’s 60-year lifespan, carpet, vinyl and rubber flooring together generate about 71 tons of plastic waste. Carpet typically contributes the most, followed by vinyl and rubber.

Cutting Plastic at the Source

The best solution is assessing plastic use at the start and considering alternatives.

“Start reducing plastics by creating a baseline from your last project,” McGrath said. “Get the Informed® color ranking for all of the products you used and see where there are opportunities to improve.”

“Start as early as possible in your design and be intentional about the product types you’re choosing,” she added.

From there, engage with the supply chain to discuss availability, cost and performance of nonplastic materials, and benchmark your before-and-after progress.

“We’re working with USGBC on an integrative design credit that’s focused on plastics reduction,” said McGrath. “You would discuss your goals around plastic reduction as a team during the charette phase and do a before-and-after benchmark at the product type level.”

The Bottom Line

Plastic isn’t just a packaging problem—it’s a building problem. And it’s one the industry can solve. Every choice matters: what you specify, what you install and what you push back on.

The future of sustainable construction isn’t plastic, but what we build instead.

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Aerial view of Finland’s Tammela Stadium in Tampere, a mixed-use urban design project by JKMM Architects that integrates a modern football pitch with residential apartments, retail spaces, and public amenities, showing how stadiums can revitalize neighborhoods instead of isolating them.

The Next Stadium Boom: Finland Just Showed Us How to Do It Right

  • Building, Design & Architecture
Finland’s Tammela Stadium proves that the next generation of sports arenas can anchor neighborhoods—not drain them

Half of America’s pro sports venues will be antiques before long. Stadiums get swapped out on a 30-year clock, and with the last big booms in the 1970s and early 2000s, another round of wrecking balls is on the horizon. Taxpayers? They’re done funding billionaire playgrounds. Teams still need a place to play. Fans still crave the lights and noise. So, what’s the smarter play?

Look 4,000 miles east. In Tampere, Finland, JKMM Architects pulled off something that doesn’t just host matches—it fixes a neighborhood. Tammela Stadium is Finland’s first hybrid football stadium, welded to housing, shops and street life. JKMM founding partner Samuli Miettinen told us how they did it and why the rest of the world should pay attention.

A Stadium That Actually Belongs to Its Block

“The Tammela Stadium project was driven by the city of Tampere’s ambition to revitalize the historic Tammela district with a new, multifunctional city block,” Miettinen said. “Our goal was to create a high-quality football stadium that also functions as an active part of the urban environment year-round. We wanted to provide more than just a sports experience—we aimed to create a stadium that belongs to the neighborhood, with a strong identity and vibrant street life.”

They didn’t just tuck a grocery store under some bleachers. JKMM built five residential buildings—256 apartments in total—into the stadium footprint. Some lucky residents can literally watch a match from their balconies. At street level? A supermarket, restaurants, pubs, wellness services and an underground parking deck to keep the narrow streets clear.

“Our key strategy was to respect and enhance the existing urban fabric and community,” Miettinen said. “The stadium is not an isolated monument but part of the city block, with the roof arching gracefully over the buildings and public spaces. We separated the stadium and housing structures technically but unified them architecturally. Space efficiency was maximized by layering uses vertically and placing complementary functions close together.”

This isn’t a shiny alien spaceship dropped into a neighborhood. It’s a stadium woven right into the city’s DNA.

Engineering Headaches Worth Having

Pulling off that blend meant wrestling with physics and logistics.

“One of the main structural challenges was designing the extensive roof structure and the complex interaction between the stadium and residential buildings,” Miettinen said. “The eastside stand features a suspended steel canopy supported by four large pylons with cables, while the west stand is structurally supported by vertical columns integrated with the building mass beneath. Ensuring the roof does not cast shadows on the pitch or nearby schoolyard added further complexity.”

That asymmetry saved materials and money without breaking the aesthetic. Sequence mattered too:

“Residential cores were largely built first, followed by stadium wall structures,” Miettinen said. “Coordinating the roof installation—especially the eastern canopy and its steel cable suspension—was particularly complex. What made the construction of the suspended end canopies challenging was that the connection between the glass walls and the canopies is flexible, allowing the canopy to deform under the weight of the snow load. For this reason, the lower ends of the main glass walls are hinged, allowing the angle of the glass walls to change.”

And then there was bureaucracy. “Mixing residential, retail and stadium uses on eight city plots demanded careful negotiation and urban planning,” he said. “Involving city residents in the planning process was a positive experience, although a complaint about the detail plan delayed the start of the project by two years.”

Still, Miettinen stayed bullish: “The shared vision for a dense, livable city block was key to moving forward,” he said. “I believe that everyone involved in the project learned how to build a sustainable and functional densifying city.”

Meeting UEFA Rules Without Ruining Anyone’s Sleep

Sports federations don’t bend, and neither do neighbors who want quiet nights.

“Reconciling strict football federation standards with complex urban, residential and acoustic requirements was no small task,” Miettinen said. “For example, the stadium had to meet UEFA standards for pitch dimensions, safety and crowd flow while ensuring residential noise levels never exceeded 35 dB by day and 30 dB at night. This meant using high-performance soundproof windows and structural separation techniques to guarantee a high-quality playing environment alongside comfortable living conditions.”

It worked. “The community response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Miettinen said. “Residents appreciate living in a vibrant, well-connected neighborhood and the variety of commercial and wellness services at street level enhances daily life. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the space functions for a wide range of events—from youth tournaments to corporate gatherings and even concerts—showing its adaptability beyond just football.”

What the Next U.S. Stadium Boom Should Steal from Finland

The moral isn’t complicated: stop dropping billion-dollar cathedrals in asphalt seas. Start stitching venues into the life of the city.

“A key lesson is the value of integrating cultural facilities like sports venues deeply into the urban fabric rather than isolating them,” Miettinen said. “Hybrid multifunctionality, when carefully designed, can activate a neighborhood and create resilient, lively urban spaces and synergies between stakeholders.”

For AEC pros, that means denser projects, uglier zoning battles and trickier engineering. It also means smarter collaboration—digital tools to coordinate architects, engineers, planners and community voices before the first footing is poured. Because when the next stadium wave hits, the winners won’t be the flashiest renders. They’ll be the ones that fit their cities like they’ve always been there.

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Josh Sergent, in full U.S. Air Force combat gear, stands with two local Afghan children wearing red jackets during a patrol mission, symbolizing his service abroad before transitioning into a career in construction and customer success at Bluebeam.

From Guarding Nukes to Guarding Projects: How Bluebeam’s Josh Sergent Found Mission Beyond the Air Force

  • People & Project Spotlights
One veteran’s journey from high-stakes patrols to customer success shows how mission and teamwork never really end—they just evolve

At 19, Josh Sergent sat alone in a small building in an undisclosed location at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. For hours, he stared at alarms and video feeds, trained to stay alert when everything around him was quiet.

The work demanded vigilance. The harder test was endurance—fighting fatigue at 3 a.m., knowing what he was guarding mattered more than his comfort.

Today, Sergent is in Charlotte, North Carolina, helping clients optimize their workflows in Bluebeam. On the surface, the two roles couldn’t be more different. Still, both hinge on the same discipline: focus on the task, trust the process, block out the noise.

For Sergent, the mission didn’t end when the uniform came off.

The Mission: From Vaults to Villages

After Incirlik, Sergent’s career grew more demanding. At Shaw Air Force Base, he soon received orders sending him to Afghanistan. He joined the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and a Quick Response Force known as the “Reapers.”

One day he was behind the wheel of a convoy truck, the next behind a .50-caliber machine gun. His team patrolled 20 miles of dangerous terrain outside Bagram Airfield, searched for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), raided Taliban weapons caches and responded after rocket or mortar attacks, moving to the suspected launch sites to find who was responsible. One mission stretched 36 hours when vehicles failed and chaos didn’t let up.

Josh Sergent (second from right) served with the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Afghanistan, where missions ranged from 36-hour patrols to building trust with village elders. The teamwork and discipline he relied on then continue to guide his career today in customer success at Bluebeam.

For Sergent, the heart of the job wasn’t just surviving patrols. It was connection.

“The most important part of our mission was building rapport with local village elders to deter Taliban infiltration,” he said. Winning trust, he learned, was as critical as carrying firepower.

In the dirt and disorder of those deployments, Sergent forged the mindset that still drives him: focus on the mission, adapt to the mess, lean on your team.

The Hardest Transition

When Sergent left the Air Force in 2015, he thought the hardest days were behind him. After all, what could compare to sleepless nights in Afghanistan or 36-hour convoys?

The answer surprised him: civilian life.

“Going from a rigid chain of command to the corporate world felt ambiguous—you’re suddenly fending for yourself,” he said. For six years, he had lived in a system where the mission was always clear. On the outside, he had to navigate job applications, interviews and offices where rules weren’t written down.

He admits he underestimated himself. “I sold myself short coming out of the military; I didn’t realize how marketable my experiences really were.”

Employers often misunderstood what veterans brought to the table. That disconnect left him questioning where he fit and whether his skills had a place in the civilian world.

Finding Ground in Construction

Sergent didn’t have a roadmap after the Air Force. What he had was determination to stay useful.

That led him into construction, where he worked as a project engineer, safety coordinator and assistant project manager before moving into estimating.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it was grounding. The jobs gave him structure and a tangible way to see progress. And it was here, in the middle of takeoffs and document chaos, that Sergent discovered Bluebeam.

“Bluebeam was cathartic for me as an estimator—headphones in, doing takeoffs, managing documents—it’s just a great tool,” he said.

After years of career uncertainty, the software gave him a sense of order.

That spark eventually led to something bigger. Earlier this year, Sergent spotted an opening at Bluebeam for a customer success manager role. His mix of construction experience, sales background and mission-first mindset lined up perfectly.

A few months in, he sees the same teamwork and discipline he relied on in the Air Force translate directly to helping customers succeed.

Redefining the Mission at Bluebeam

For Sergent, joining Bluebeam wasn’t just a career move. It was a way to reconnect with something familiar: mission and team.

In the Air Force, success meant safeguarding people and critical assets. In construction, it meant keeping projects moving. At Bluebeam, it’s about making sure customers have what they need.

“At the end of the day, whether in the Air Force or at Bluebeam, it’s about working toward a shared mission,” he said.

What stands out isn’t just the technology but the people. The teamwork he first experienced in basic training—learning to work with people from every background toward a common goal—shows up daily in customer success.

Josh Sergent (bottom left) with his unit in Afghanistan, where he served as part of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. From convoy patrols to building trust with local communities, those experiences of discipline and teamwork continue to shape his mission-first approach at Bluebeam today.

Listening, problem-solving, adapting on the fly: the skills that defined his military years now define his work with customers.

Sergent also hopes his story nudges other veterans to see their own value more clearly. “Don’t sell yourself short. The discipline, problem-solving and teamwork you learn in the military are directly translatable,” he said.

It took him years to realize how marketable those skills were. Now, he’s proving it by example.

Veterans Day Reflection

Looking back, Sergent doesn’t frame his story around battles or medals. What he values most is the continuity—the way a mission-first mindset carried him from a security bunker in Turkey, to convoy patrols in Afghanistan, to construction sites and now to customer calls at Bluebeam.

The stakes have changed, but the approach hasn’t. Stay disciplined. Trust your team. Adapt when things break down.

This Veterans Day, Sergent’s story is a reminder that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. For many veterans, the mission simply evolves—into parenting, new careers and helping others succeed. For him, what’s forged in the military doesn’t just survive in civilian life. It thrives.

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U.S. Army veteran Jessica Haffner smiling with her brother in uniform during deployment, highlighting her military service before her career in customer success at Bluebeam.

From Fuel Convoys to Customer Success: How Jessica Haffner’s Perspective Powers Her Mission

  • People & Project Spotlights
One veteran’s journey from tactical fueling to guiding Bluebeam customers shows that service doesn’t stop when the uniform comes off

At 22, Jessica Haffner stood in the dust of Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, watching a convoy roll in when a Marine stepped out—and she recognized him instantly.

Her older brother had arrived in the same war zone where she was stationed. Two siblings from rural Washington, reunited by chance amid an active conflict, rifles slung and alarms still echoing.

Today, Haffner is in Spokane, Washington, helping construction teams through Bluebeam workflows. On the surface, the two moments couldn’t be further apart. But both hinge on the same lesson: resilience, gratitude and understanding that everyone carries unseen battles.

For Haffner, the mission didn’t end when the uniform came off. It just shifted.

From College Uncertainty to the Army

Haffner had raced ahead in school, finishing her associate degree through Washington’s Running Start program while her classmates were still in high school. By winter of 1998-99, she was between quarters, unsure of her path and out of tuition money.

The Army’s offer was clear. “I enlisted in January of ’99 because the Army was offering $50,000 for college—and at 18, that sounded life-changing,” she said.

Jessica Haffner served as a petroleum supply specialist in the U.S. Army, hauling fuel across Europe and into conflict zones. From driving tankers through Germany to guarding gates in Kosovo, she learned patience, resilience, and perspective—lessons she now brings to her role guiding customers at Bluebeam.

Military service ran in her family—grandfather, father, uncles, brother. But for a woman, it was still unusual. Enlisting felt both practical and daring, a leap anchored by tradition.

Driving Fuel Trucks, Guarding Gates, Gaining Perspective

As a petroleum supply specialist, Haffner hauled thousands of gallons of fuel across Germany, set up deployable tank farms and kept heavy equipment running. The work was critical, demanding precision and calm.

Then came Kosovo. Assigned to the Big Red One, one of only a handful of women in a combat-ready unit of more than 1,000 men. Much of her deployment meant guarding Camp Bondsteel’s gates, patting down local women and checking buses for explosives.

“One minute you’re driving fuel trucks through Germany, and the next you’re in Kosovo with a rifle on your shoulder, realizing how fragile everything really is,” she said.

The deployment also brought that improbable reunion with her brother, a reminder of both family ties and the unpredictability of war.

Finding Her Footing Back Home

Leaving the Army was a shock.

“I came home with hazmat certifications, a military CDL and four years of experience, and I still couldn’t get a job. That was a wake-up call,” she said.

Haffner moved back in with her mom, picked up odd jobs, groomed horses and saved while finishing her physics degree and later earning an MBA. Those lean years taught her humility, persistence and how to start over when the path forward isn’t obvious.

Lessons That Stick

Patience, resilience, empathy—Haffner leans on them daily. “Patience and perspective—those are the two things the Army gave me that I still use every single day,” she said.

Navigating male-dominated environments is familiar territory, whether in construction tech or combat units. And while some veterans miss rigid command structures, Haffner found freedom in ambiguity.

In the Army, Jessica Haffner learned to adapt to any environment—whether hauling fuel or standing watch in the field. That same resilience now drives her work helping Bluebeam customers navigate challenges with patience and perspective.

“I didn’t function well saluting bad ideas just because of rank,” she admits. That realization shapes how she approaches colleagues and customers—listening first, solving problems collaboratively and knowing when to trust her instincts.

Serving in New Ways

As an enterprise customer success manager at Bluebeam, Haffner applies the same mission-focused mindset that kept convoys moving. Instead of tankers, she now fuels projects, helping customers adopt technology, troubleshoot challenges and succeed.

Off the clock, her service continues. Earlier in her career, Haffner volunteered with Conservation Northwest, helping document wolf populations in the Selkirk Mountains. Today, she supports the Spokane Humane Society and leads community yoga through her Yoga in the Wild project, which combines hiking, meditation and yoga on local trails. With training in trauma-informed practices, she strives to make every class inclusive and welcoming, holding space for individuals who may carry experiences of trauma.

“Teaching yoga is one way I try to give back—to hold space for people carrying things you might never see,” she said.

Veterans Day Reflection

For Haffner, Veterans Day is personal. Her brother, a career Marine, has deployed four times and still gets the calls no one wants—news of Marines lost to suicide.

“Veterans Day reminds me that for many, the battle still isn’t over. My brother has buried Marines who died by suicide years after the war,” she said.

That reality shapes her outlook. Whether she’s answering a customer email, teaching her kids—a son, 15, and a daughter, 10—about service, or guiding a yoga class, Haffner carries the perspective forged in Kosovo: service doesn’t always wear a uniform. It evolves—into family, community and the quiet work that helps others move forward.

“The mission never really ends; it just changes shape,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a convoy. Sometimes it’s a customer call. Sometimes it’s holding space for someone who’s hurting.” 

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Illustrated split view of old vs. modern US airport design, showing outdated maze-like concourses on the left and a sleek, efficient terminal with clear signage and passenger amenities on the right, symbolizing America’s airport rebuild and modernization.

From Runway to Rebuild: The Architectural Evolution of US Airports

  • Building, Design & Architecture
Billions of dollars are reshaping US airports after decades of decline, with new terminals built for efficiency, resilience and civic pride

Airports are among America’s most visible public works—and for decades, they’ve been an international punchline.

In 2014, then Vice President Joe Biden famously called LaGuardia “a third world airport.” Meanwhile, global peers like Singapore’s Changi and Seoul’s Incheon were topping passenger satisfaction rankings with gardens, fast security and seamless design.

That gap is driving what Airports Council International–North America estimates as $151 billion in capital needs over the coming years—the largest sustained wave of US airport modernization in decades.

The Jet Age

In the 1960s, airports were built as architectural flexes. Eero Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center at JFK, with its winged concrete shell and sunken red lounges, was more stage set than terminal. The LAX Theme Building went full sci-fi with its flying-saucer design. These weren’t just transit spaces; they were symbols of Cold War optimism and civic ambition.

The Gray-Carpet Years

Deregulation in 1978 changed everything. Flying got cheaper, passenger numbers spiked and design budgets dried up. Corridors were stretched, concourses bolted on and after 9/11, security zones swallowed space that was never designed for them.

By the 2000s, US airports had a reputation problem. J.D. Power’s 2010 study logged its lowest satisfaction scores since the index began, with complaints about long lines, poor amenities and confusing layouts. LaGuardia became the shorthand, but it wasn’t alone—“beige carpet, bad food, long lines” summed up the American airport experience.

The Rebuild

That cycle is finally breaking. Analysts project more than $150 billion in upgrades, backed by federal grants through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. And travelers are noticing. J.D. Power’s 2023 satisfaction index rose to 780 out of 1,000, a three-point gain despite record volumes, driven by better terminals, food and baggage claim. LaGuardia, once dead last in satisfaction, has climbed back to the large-airport average after its overhaul.

Major rebuilds now underway:

These aren’t just cosmetic upgrades. Priorities now include shorter walks, clearer navigation, better air circulation and resilience against the next shock—from touchless security to energy redundancy.

A New Barometer

Airports have always mirrored national ambition. The Jet Age terminals broadcast optimism; the gray-carpet years exposed neglect. Today’s multibillion-dollar rebuilds mark the US finally treating airports as civic infrastructure on par with highways and bridges.

J.D. Power’s redesigned 2024 study reinforces that shift: 60% of travelers said they enjoyed their time in the airport, and 59% said it reduced travel stress—a remarkable shift from a decade ago. Top performers included Minneapolis–St. Paul, Detroit and Phoenix in the mega category, with John Wayne (Orange County) leading large airports and Indianapolis topping medium airports.

No, these projects won’t rival Changi’s butterfly gardens or Doha’s art museums. But if the next generation of travelers finds fewer choke points, cleaner air and terminals that reflect the cities they represent, then this rebuild era won’t just be about new terrazzo floors. It will mark whether America can still build public spaces that matter.

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