Piedmont Commits $600M to New Georgia Hospital

Piedmont Healthcare will spend nearly $600 million to build a new hospital in Newton County, Georgia, funding the entire cost itself, the health system announced Tuesday.

The project will serve as the relocation hospital for Piedmont Newton Hospital in Covington, per the announcement. The existing facility dates to 1954 and holds a license for 128 beds. Piedmont says aging physical infrastructure limits what the hospital can do.

The investment ranks as the second-largest capital project in Piedmont's history, per the announcement. It follows nearly $2 billion the organization has poured into expansion projects over the past five years.

Skanska signs $84M data center contract

Skanska has signed an $84 million contract to construct a data center in Georgia for an existing, undisclosed client, the Stockholm-based builder announced Tuesday.

The scope covers a roughly 245,000-square-foot facility with five colocation halls and administration spaces, delivering 48 megawatts of capacity. Skanska will handle civil, structural, utilities, electrical, mechanical, security, interior amenities and fit-out work.

Construction starts in November. The release sets completion for the third quarter of 2028.

Fortis Construction launches Industrial Business Unit

Fortis Construction, an employee-owned builder headquartered in Portland, Oregon, has created a new Industrial Business Unit focused on emerging energy, technology and manufacturing projects, the firm announced Monday.

Matt Laccinole will lead the unit. He brings three decades of experience directing heavy industrial and manufacturing projects and has participated in Fortis's acquisition and integration efforts, per the announcement.

"As investment accelerates in technology, advanced manufacturing and supporting infrastructure, we're well-positioned to help clients bring these transformative projects to life," Laccinole said in the announcement.

The move comes as manufacturing and tech projects increasingly carry the construction industry while other sectors lag.

NIBS chief joins NIST safety advisory committee

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has appointed George Guszcza, president and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences, to its National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee, NIBS announced Wednesday.

The committee advises NIST on investigations into building failures. Those investigations shape recommendations on codes, standards and public safety, according to the release.

Guszcza has spent his career working on disaster recovery, infrastructure resilience, healthcare facilities and emergency response initiatives, per NIBS. In the new role, he said he plans to understand the causes of building failures and translate those lessons into safer design, construction and operational practices.

Separately this week, Bechtel split from TerraPower's high-profile Wyoming nuclear project, and Virginia issued new data center rules, joining states weighing public pushback against the builds against economic opportunity. Guszcza's appointment positions NIBS to influence how the next round of federal building-failure investigations informs code changes nationwide.