Construction’s AI Moment — Why Contractors Are Increasingly Optimistic
December 30, 2025 —
Aarni Heiskanen - AEC BusinessA new industry research report from Dodge Construction Network in partnership with CMiC reveals a striking level of optimism among contractors about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in construction.
According to the survey, 87% of contractors believe AI will meaningfully transform their businesses, even though current adoption remains relatively low. This optimism reflects a growing recognition that AI isn’t just a buzzword, but a set of capabilities beginning to deliver tangible operational value across the built environment.
Evolving roles
One of the most interesting shifts the report highlights is how contractors envision their own roles evolving. Instead of being bogged down in repetitive administrative tasks, project teams expect AI to enable them to work more strategically, focusing on predictive insights rather than reactive fire-fighting.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Aarni Heiskanen, AEC BusinessMr. Heiskanen may be contacted at
aec-business@aepartners.fi
How to Properly Fill Out and Use the Unconditional Waiver and Release on Progress Payment Form Used in California Construction
December 22, 2025 —
William L. Porter - Porter Law GroupThis is the Second article in a series of four articles discussing how to properly fill out the four California construction releases described in California Civil Code 8132 – 8138.
Let me start by noting that in addition to practicing construction law for more than 35 years, I chaired the committee of California construction attorneys who revised those sections of the California Civil Code dealing with this release form and many other construction forms as part of Senate Bill 189 in 2010. I also wrote the first version of this release form and made it free to the public well before the new law took effect in 2012. With this background, let me note a few things about the Unconditional Waiver and Release on Progress Payment form to help you avoid mistakes that might prevent you from achieving the intended effect of the form or releasing claim rights to a greater extent than you intend.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
William L. Porter, Porter Law GroupMr. Porter may be contacted at
bporter@porterlaw.com
Deck Built, Towers Stalled: $1B Fenway Center Air-Rights Project Hits Turbulence
December 15, 2025 —
Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-RecordBoston finds itself with a nearly completed, two-acre deck built over the Massachusetts Turnpike without vertical construction rising from it—an uncommon and consequential stall for one of the city’s most complex air-rights undertakings.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-RecordMr. Gottlieb may be contacted at
gottliebb@enr.com
Outer Banks Homes Collapsing Is Just a Taste of What’s to Come
December 22, 2025 —
Mark Gongloff - BloombergOn Sept. 20, 2024, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom beach house in Buxton, North Carolina, in the heart of the Outer Banks, sold for
$580,000. On Oct. 28 this year, the house, known as
Mermaid’s Rest, collapsed
into the ocean. It was one of five homes swallowed that day by high waves churned up by an offshore storm.
Few things demonstrate how climate change is already upending lives and fortunes quite like watching somebody’s stately vacation home topple into the drink. But Outer Banks houses like Mermaid’s Rest (a striking example first dug up by the
New York Times but just one of
many such cases), are mere showroom models for the havoc that rising seas are already threatening.
First, let’s get one caveat out of the way: Barrier islands like the Outer Banks are always changing shape, regardless of the climate. Homes built on the shores of such islands have always been at risk of eventually sliding off the edge like a quarter in one of those coin-pusher arcade games.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Mark Gongloff, Bloomberg
How to Properly Fill Out and Use the Conditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment Form Used in California Construction
December 30, 2025 —
William L. Porter - Porter Law GroupThis is the third article in a series of four articles discussing how to properly fill out the four California construction releases described in California Civil Code 8132 – 8138.
Let me start by noting that in addition to practicing construction law for more than 35 years, I chaired the committee of California construction attorneys who revised those sections of the California Civil Code dealing with this release form and many other construction forms as part of Senate Bill 189 in 2010. I also wrote the first version of this release form and made it free to the public well before the new law took effect in 2012. With this background, let me note a few things about the Conditional Waiver and Release on Final Payment form to help you avoid mistakes that might prevent you from achieving the intended effect of the form or releasing claim rights to a greater extent than you intend.
At the end of this article is a copy of the form itself which includes numbers coinciding with the instructions I will give below. A live electronically fillable version of the form is available on our firm’s website (www.porterlaw.com) under the “Forms” section. It is free and you can fill it out on your screen before printing it out and signing it.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
William L. Porter, Porter Law GroupMr. Porter may be contacted at
bporter@porterlaw.com
CARB Issues Proposed Climate Disclosure Regulations
January 13, 2026 —
Michael S. McDonough, Ashleigh Myers & Karen Eskander - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law BlogOn December 9, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued
proposed regulations and a
staff report for California’s comprehensive climate disclosure laws, the
Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) and the
Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261). These proposed regulations come less than a month after the
Ninth Circuit issued an injunction temporarily halting enforcement of SB 261, at least until a January 9, 2026, hearing on the plaintiffs’ requested longer-term injunction through the remainder of the First Amendment challenge to the laws. The draft regulations would adopt some, but not all, of the provisions proposed by CARB in its public workshops on the laws to date, and notably would scale back applicability to those companies above a threshold level of sales in the state. The proposed regulations also define key terms, establish the program fee structures, explain fee enforcement and set initial reporting timelines. The written comment period begins on December 26, 2025, and ends on February 9, 2026. CARB will hold a
public hearing on the proposed regulations on February 26, 2026 at 9 a.m. PST.
Reprinted courtesy of
Michael S. McDonough, Pillsbury,
Ashleigh Myers, Pillsbury and
Karen Eskander, Pillsbury
Mr. McDonough may be contacted at michael.mcdonough@pillsburylaw.com
Ms. Myers may be contacted at ashleigh.myers@pillsburylaw.com
Ms. Eskander may be contacted at karen.eskander@pillsburylaw.com
Read the full story...
Mind The Gap!
November 04, 2025 —
Daniel Lund III - JD SupraThe U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York addressed the scope of insurance coverage for workplace injuries on a Brooklyn, New York, construction project, holding that the project owner’s insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify the owner in a personal injury lawsuit stemming from a construction accident.
The property owner hired a general contractor for a condominium project. In March 2020, an employee of one of the GC’s subcontractors was injured when a scaffold collapsed. The employee sued both the property owner at the general contractor in state court. The owner sought coverage and a defense from its commercial general liability insurer, but the insurer denied coverage, citing three exclusions: Contracted Persons, Independent Contractors, and Condominium.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Daniel Lund, PhelpsMr. Lund may be contacted at
daniel.lund@phelps.com
New California Law Requires Real Estate Agents and Brokers to Disclose AI Alterations in Listings
January 21, 2026 —
Brian Slome - Lewis BrisboisSan Diego, Calif. (December 19, 2025) - Artificial intelligence and digital marketing have become ubiquitous in real estate advertising. The widespread use of AI creates risk for consumers who don’t know whether images shown online or on the multiple listing
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