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NEW YORK CITY — After a 13 percent jump in February, the pace of new construction starts in March across all real estate sectors fell by 1 percent, according to New York-based data firm Dodge Data & Analytics. The data is based on groundbreakings nationwide and uses the estimated construction costs of each project. Construction starts in March totaled a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $660.5 billion, down from $667.6 billion in February. The lift in February was largely fueled by utilities and public works, according to Dodge. While that construction activity pulled back in March, other commercial real estate sectors filled the bulk of the gap. If electric and gas plants are excluded, the total for March actually rose 4 percent versus February. The report also notes that March was well above the previous seven months, when new construction hit a temporary slump. “While March construction activity was down slightly from February, it stayed above the lackluster performance witnessed during the second half of last year that continued through January,” says Robert Murray, chief economist for Dodge. Big Lift in Certain Sectors Some sectors even saw a massive spike in new construction starts. Transit buildings, for example, shot up …

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Entertainment Experience Evolution conference in Los Angeles. This is a relatively new event, focusing on retail and mixed-use destinations with entertainment components as an amenity for retail developments. What was truly interesting is that this conference was not just about adding something fun for guests; it was a profound discussion about the future of retail centers — repositioning existing facilities that are struggling, and finding the “it” factor for new projects. Many industry leaders, including my colleagues from FRCH, presented innovative ideas and perspectives at the event. As retail experts, designers and architects, we spend a great deal of effort taking the pulse of retail in the U.S. and across the globe, evaluating the needs of our guests, macro trends and the overall state of the industry. The general consensus for the future combats old formulas from the past. We know that a development anchored by a grocery or department store simply doesn’t translate positively with consumers in the age of e-commerce. The focus of discussion was on new ways of drawing guests, and on the need for every development to be local, unique and adapted to its immediate environment. While this …

Global real estate investors plan to make $1.16 trillion in gross acquisitions in 2016, according to a newly released survey from CBRE. That’s up 3 percent from last year’s survey conducted by the giant Los Angeles-based real estate services provider. The United States is still the primary target for investors, who collectively plan to spend 48 percent of their dollars in this country. The next most popular target for investors is Western Europe. More specifically, investors plan to spend 28 percent of their capital in Western Europe. Additionally, CBRE reports investor interest in Central and Eastern Europe grew compared with last year’s survey as a result of the faster pace of economic recovery in that region. “The majority of investors (82 percent) indicate that their buying activity will increase or remain the same compared to 2015,” according to the CBRE Global Investor Intentions Survey analysis. “While these results are down slightly from the last two years — 86 percent in 2015 and 93 percent in 2014 — this is not indicative of widespread concern about the short- or medium-term performance of real estate as an asset class. More likely, it reflects some concerns about pricing, the direction of U.S. interest …

Major corporations focus on more than the traditional bottom line. Today’s companies are measured by their “triple bottom line” — which measures social and ecological performance along with financial performance. As energy efficiency is an important factor in both reducing a company’s operating costs and its environmental footprint, the market is seeing a steady increase in utilization of building-data tools that help owners and managers. Why are these tools necessary? In an environment where building owners and managers are inundated with data through various sources and in various forms, understanding what the data actually means can be a daunting task. If incorrectly interpreted, data can potentially lead to fruitless building renovations. To help the market accelerate energy-efficiency initiatives, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has worked on a series of analysis tools that help address various market barriers. These tools can be used to collect, manage and analyze information about building performance, as well as guide the implementation of energy-efficiency programs and policies and lead users to a better understanding of energy-efficiency applications. An integral part of this system is the Building Energy Asset Score tool, which assesses the physical and structural efficiency of a building to assist building owners …