TheJobWalk E.35

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! U.S. hotel construction slows amid market shifts, while Meta progresses in Alabama, JetZero takes off with a $4.7B aerospace facility, Virginia receives a $4B boost from AstraZeneca, and Greece builds Europe's largest smart, green city, The Ellinikon. Plus, ex-Waymo engineers secure $80M for BEDROCK. Let's dive in!

NEWS
US Hotel Construction Starts Decreasing

The number of hotel’s under construction in the U.S has gone down for the sixth month in a row, according to new data from CoStar, a top real estate research company.

In June, there were 138,922 rooms being built- a drop of 11.9% compared to June 2024. Rooms in final planning were nearly flat, down just 0.1%, while rooms in early planning went up by 4.8%, reaching 349,802.

Experts say this slowdown is due to a mix of problems: fewer people are booking hotels, construction costs are rising, and the economy is still uncertain. Right now, this is the lowest number of hotel rooms under construction in over five years.

More than half of the rooms being planned are in the Southern U.S, mostly in smaller cities outside the top 25 travel markets. But many of these rooms might never get built because they are still in the early planning stages.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 Catamount Announces National Director of Healthcare(Catamount)
📰 Trump Announces Major AI Plans(APNews)
📰 Musk Raises $12Billion for xAI Chips(WSJ)
📰 Trump Pulls California $4B Funding (ENR)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

$800M Meta Data Center in Alabama

HENSEL PHELPS is fully underway constructing Meta's new Hyperscale data center in Montgomery, Alabama.

The 715,000 sq. ft. The AI‑optimized facility is on a 1,500‑acre site near I‑65, adjacent to Hyundai’s assembly plant.

The project is expected to create over 1,000 construction jobs on-site during peak activity and is set to be completed by late 2026.

• Client: Meta

• General Contractor: HENSEL PHELPS

• Award: Data Center

• Value: $800 Million

• Location: Montgomery, Alabama

Movement in the field:

🚀$4.7B JetZero Facility to Boost U.S Aerospace Manufacturing: JetZero unveiled plans to build its first manufacturing and assembly facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, as it looks to break into commercial aerospace production. This $4.7 billion plant is expected to produce over 14,500 jobs, and is said to be the largest job announcement in state history. Construction is set to break ground next year, the factory aims to produce up to 20 aircraft per month with the first delivery in the early 2030s.

Key Details: Client: JetZero, General Contractors: TBA, Award: Manufacturing, Value: $4.7 Billion, Location: Greensboro, North Carolina

💊Virginia Scores a $4B Shot in the Arm from AstraZeneca: On Monday, it was announced that AstraZeneca is planning to build a $4B manufacturing facility in Virginia. The facility will focus on active drug substances: oral GLP‑1 therapies plus treatments for cardiovascular, respiratory, oncology, and rare diseases. This comes as part of their $50B investment into US manufacturing and R&D in the country between now and 2030. Location and timeline are still to be determined, but is set to create thousands of jobs across the US.

Key Details: Client: AstraZeneca, General Contractors: TBD, Award: Manufacturing, Value: $4 Billion, Location: Virginia 

🗼OKC’s Legends Tower, Going Up Faster Than Rents: The 1,907-foot Legends Tower in Bricktown is officially in motion. Once built, it will become the tallest building in the U.S, surpassing One World Trade Center by over 130 feet. The plan includes 134 stories of hotel rooms, apartments, observation decks, restaurants, and retail space. FAA approvals were secured in 2024. Sitework is expected to begin in late summer 2025. The full build-out will reshape Oklahoma City’s skyline and anchor new public infrastructure around Bricktown. Delivery will be phased, with the final tower completion aimed for 2030.

Key Details: General Contractor: HENSEL PHELPS, Developer: Matteson Capital, Design Team: AO, Sector: Mixed-Use/Residential/Hospitality, Value: $770 Million, Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

🏥Major Progress on $550M Hospital Project in Palo Alto: A joint venture led by Turner Construction Company & Byrne Construction Services has topped out the five-story $550 million Palo Alto Hospital near Southside San Antonio. The tower includes a full-service emergency department, labor and delivery suites, a neonatal ICU, operating rooms, inpatient units, and an attached medical office building. Groundbreaking took place in February 2024, and the facility is on track to open in 2027.

Key Details: Client: UT Health San Antonio, General Contractors: Turner Construction Company, Byrne Construction Services, Sector: Healthcare/Medical, Value: $550 Million, Location: San Antonio, Texas

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WORLD
The Ellinikon Project, Greece

The Ellinikon is on its way to becoming Europe’s biggest smart, green city. It is being built on the site of the old Athens airport and covers 6.2 million m². It will include a 2 million m² park and 3.5 km of coastline.

Right now, construction is moving fast. The Riviera Tower, which will be the tallest building in Greece at 200 meters, had its foundation finished in late 2023 and is rising quickly. It should be ready by 2026 and will have 200 apartments.

Other parts of Phase 1 are also ahead of schedule. Four housing areas, including homes by the sea and a new “Little Athens” neighborhood, are under construction. The first people are expected to move in by 2027. Sales are going strong, with over €1.7 billion already contracted.

Work on the big park started in 2023. Green spaces should be ready for 2027.

TECH SPOTLIGHT
Ex-Waymo Engineers Raise $80M for BEDROCK

A group of engineers who helped build Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are now turning their skills to construction. Their new company, Bedrock Robotics, has come out of stealth mode with $80 million in funding to bring self-driving technology to heavy-duty construction equipment like excavators and bulldozers.

Instead of creating brand-new machines, Bedrock is upgrading existing ones with AI-powered kits. These kits include sensors, cameras, and software that let the machines run on their own.

The goal is to let these vehicles do digging, grading, and other tough tasks without needing a human operator. This could help solve a big problem in the construction world: a shortage of skilled workers. Right now, there are over 500,000 open jobs in U.S. construction.

Bedrock’s system, called the Bedrock Operator, can be installed in just one day and removed if needed. It’s already being tested on job sites in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas. The company plans to begin fully driverless operations by 2026.

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

What is the minimum slope required for a flat roof to ensure proper drainage?

A. 1/4 inch per foot // B. 1/8 inch per foot // C. 1/2 inch per foot

Which type of electrical fault is most dangerous due to the high current it produces?

A. Ground fault // B. Line-to-line fault // C. Three-phase short circuit

What is the typical air change per hour (ACH) requirement for a hospital operating room?

A. 10 ACH // B. 20 ACH // C. 6 ACH

Which concrete admixture is used to delay the setting time of concrete?

A. Superplasticizer // B. Retarder // C. Accelerator

What is a common use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in project coordination?

A. Creating hand-drawn blueprints // B. Managing project finances // C. Clash detection between building systems

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
“yeah I’m fine… totally fine”

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

Do I forgive easily or hold grudges?

ANSWERS

Q1 A. 1/4 inch per foot // Q2 C. Three-phase short circuit // Q3 B. 20 ACH // Q4 B. Retarder // Q5 C. Clash detection between building systems

How many did you get?