Reading List 08/29/26
Sinking London homes, US magnesium manufacturing, the World Humanoid Robot games, catastrophic flooding in Nepal, and more.
This week's reading list covers a variety of topics related to buildings, infrastructure, and industrial technology. In the housing and cities section, new home sales have decreased by 6.3% year over year, with the median home price now at $393,800 - the lowest since July 2021. The tallest timber building in the world, a 180-meter office tower designed by Atlassian, has surpassed the previously tallest structure at 86.6 meters in Milwaukee, USA.
Salim Furth from Market Urbanism discusses the Build Now Act and its potential consequences, noting that most places are ineligible for the funding it intends to provide to growing areas. In London, subsidence due to heat waves has caused record-breaking insurance claims, with buildings cracking as the ground beneath them sinks.
An essay in New Atlantis explores how the financialization of real estate harms the built environment, emphasizing that those who own property from afar often lack the understanding and care necessary to maintain its charm and livability. In manufacturing, the US has imposed tariffs on various Canadian goods, leading to retaliatory measures from Canada.
Canadian tariffs on US aluminum and steel products can reach up to 50%, while US aluminum and steel manufacturers are responding to increased demand from data centers. John Deere, a manufacturer of construction equipment, has full order books for its construction division due to strong demand in the data center sector. However, EV manufacturer Polestar is disappointed by recent restrictions on Chinese-owned car manufacturers, as they were falsely led to believe they would remain in the US.
Written by urgent.news from Construction Physics's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
