Top 10

Typically, I usually end my blog posts with a list… but this week I’ll flip the script and start with one. This is the 1st half of 2025 Top US Metro areas for commercial buildings and multifamily housing construction starts via Dodge. I found it interesting in a few ways, mostly performance this year vs. last. Here we go…

10. Boston, MA- It’s in the top 10 but off 10% from last year. Being 10 is better than I thought in talking to folks in that region.

9. Chicago, IL- Flat with last year.

8. Columbus, OH- The chip push was driving a lot, down 4% from last year, but really impressive to still be 8th overall!

7. Atlanta, GA- Up 5% from last year. Surviving despite no GlassBuild this year, there.

6. Phoenix, AZ- Up 3% from last year

5. Houston, TX- +4% in 2025, which will probably surprise a few folks in that area who feel like it's slower than that.

4. Miami, FL- +31%! Wow. Look at South Florida go.

3. Washington D.C.- +31%  This is a stunner to me. Good for the folks in our industry in that area. I would’ve never have guessed.

2. Dallas, TX- Up 10% which is solid, but my guess is that folks in the area would also consider that “down”.

And the leader after the first of 2025…

New York City… I am not surprised by being #1. I am surprised that they are up 41% over 2024. Wow. Maybe that trend can spread from NYC to the rest of the world!

In fact, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece this week, trumpeting the massive comeback of office space in New York. So nice to see, and it can give some hope for sure.

Elsewhere…

Architectural Billings Index

This coming week, the next Architectural Billings Index will be released, and despite the good vibes above, I still expect the index to be down and flat vs. last month.  There have been murmurs of work breaking, but has that hit the billings cycle at the Architectural level? I am guessing not.

Glass Mag review

The monthly Glass Magazine review… this is the annual GlassBuild preview, so it is loaded with info on the show and the players involved. A must-read ahead of you heading to Orlando. Plus columns from brilliant contributors like Joe Erb of Quanex and Travis Nevins of IUPAT. See it online here.

Ad of the month

Ad of the month… it never gets easier for me to choose because the marketing folks in our space keep raising their games. Four ads immediately caught my eye, but I can only pick one, and the winner in a very tough call was…. Diamon-Fusion DFI, with their Happiest Machine on Earth. My bias of Disney (thanks to Zach Perilstein’s ownership of that space) probably tipped the scales. Placing the machine in the middle of Orlando's excitement worked. Fun, creative, and eye-catching ad that surely makes the reader stop and look! So, kudos to the team at DFI for a job well done! 

Committee on the Environment Top Ten Awards

The annual Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Awards are out, and I love seeing the buildings and design. At least 7 of the 10 had a significant glazing element on them. That is better than I remember from the past. Take a look at the winners. Congrats to Vitro Architectural Glass for having worked on five of them! Nice.  Rob Struble strikes again.   

Personnel news

Last this week… a hearty congratulations to a great friend and one of the most talented players in our industry. Shelly Farmer joined the team at Glasshape as Director of Sales, Southeast USA. This really looks like a perfect match, a tremendous company and a fabulous sales professional connected together. Exciting and happy for all parties!