Construction Digital

FieldAI's autonomous robot, now deployed on McLaren Construction's UK sites. Credit: FieldAI McLaren Construction has partnered with FieldAI to deploy autonomous quadruped robots across its UK construction sites. The deal marks FieldAI's entry into the UK market, after deploying tech across hundreds of sites in Europe, Asia and North America.

Three major infrastructure players have committed funding to skilled trades training programmes within weeks of each other. Compass Datacenters donated a US$12.6m building to Texas State Technical College (TSTC), following Meta's US$115m America's Workforce Academy announcement and Google's US$50m AI Opportunity Fund pledge. The construction industry has faced a shortfall of more than 500,000 skilled trade professionals each year, according to Compass Datacenters.

The biggest stories in construction to break this week A Martin Marietta aggregates quarry. Credit: Martin Marietta Martin Marietta Materials will buy Lhoist North America in a cash-and-stock deal worth US$13.5bn, the company has announced. The deal will create the biggest producer of lime and limestone in the United States at a time when demand for limestone is growing rapidly.

Infrastructure operators face technical questions about material substitution rates and water systems as construction projects adapt to new environmental requirements. Urban areas present particular challenges due to impermeable surfaces and heat-absorbing materials that intensify climate impacts. Dense populations and vehicle concentrations compound these effects.

An aerial view of SIN01 in Sines, Portugal. Credit: Start Campus Start Campus identified an opportunity on Portugal's Alentejo coast in 2020. A decommissioned coal-fired power station owned by EDP had left behind industrial land in Sines and existing seawater intake infrastructure. The Lisbon-based developer saw the foundations for what could become one of Europe's largest data centre projects.

A render of JetZero's planned Greensboro campus. Credit: JetZero A manufacturing campus covering 8 million square feet across 600 acres has begun construction in Greensboro, North Carolina. To put the scale in perspective, the facility is equivalent to approximately 140 football pitches. California-based JetZero announced a US$4.7bn investment for the production facility in 2024, a project that could create more than 14,500 jobs, according to the company.

A Martin Marietta aggregates quarry. Credit: Martin Marietta Martin Marietta Materials will buy Lhoist North America in a cash-and-stock deal worth US$13.5bn, the company has announced. The deal will create the biggest producer of lime and limestone in the United States at a time when demand for limestone is growing rapidly.

Holtec International and EDF, the world’s largest nuclear operator, have submitted a joint proposal to the UK Government for the deployment of Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors at Cottam in Nottinghamshire. Credit EDF EDF and Holtec International have submitted plans to the UK Government for a small modular reactor (SMR) development at Cottam in Nottinghamshire. The site is a 900-acre brownfield location where a coal-fired power station operated until decommissioning in 2019.

AECOM has been appointed lead engineering consultant on the potential redevelopment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), one of the world's largest and most active sporting venues. The firm will work alongside lead architects Architectus, Foster + Partners and MANICA to support a AU$15m (US$10.6m) business case for a project estimated to cost AU$2bn (US$1.4bn).

AECOM secures nine lots on the UK Government CPS2 Framework. Credit: Getty Images AECOM has secured a position on nine lots within the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) Framework. The global company held five lots when it was first appointed to the framework in 2021. The framework has a total value of US$4.7bn.