Top 10

Typically, I usually end my blog posts with a list… but this week I’ll flip the script and start with one.  This is the 1st half of 2025 Top US Metro areas for commercial buildings and multifamily housing construction starts via Dodge.  I found it interesting in a few ways, mostly performance this year vs. last.  So here we go…

10- Boston.  It’s in the top 10 but off 10% from last year.  Being -10 is better than I thought in talking to folks in that region.

9- Chicago.  Flat with last year.

8- Columbus, OH.  The chip push was driving a lot- down 4% from last year, but really impressive to still be 8th overall!

7- Atlanta. Up 5% from last year.  Surviving despite no GlassBuild this year, there.

6- Phoenix. Up 3% from last year

5- Houston.  +4% in 2025, which will probably surprise a few folks in that area who feel like it's slower than that.

4- Miami. +31%!  Wow. Look at South Florida go.

3- Washington DC +31% - This is a stunner to me.  Good for the folks in our industry in that area. I would’ve never have guessed.

2- Dallas, TX-  Up 10% which is solid, but my guess is that folks in the area would also consider that “down”

And the leader after the first of 2025…

New York City… I am NOT surprised by being #1. I am surprised that they are UP 41% over 2024. Wow.  Maybe that trend can spread from NYC to the rest of the world!

In fact, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece this week, trumpeting the massive comeback of office space in New York.  So nice to see, and it can give some hope for sure.

Elsewhere…

-- This coming week, the next Architectural Billings Index will be released, and despite the good vibes above, I still expect the index to be down and flat vs. last month.  There have been murmurs of work breaking, but has that hit the billings cycle at the Architectural level? I am guessing not.

-- The monthly Glass Magazine review… this is the annual GlassBuild preview- so it is loaded with info on the show and the players involved. A must-read ahead of you heading to Orlando.  Plus columns from brilliant contributors like Joe Erb of Quanex and Travis Nevins of IUPAT.  To see it online- CLICK HERE!

-- Ad of the month… it never gets easier for me to choose because the marketing folks in our space keep raising their games.  Four ads immediately caught my eye, but I can only pick one, and the winner in a very tough call was…. Diamon-Fusion DFI- with their Happiest Machine on Earth.  My bias of Disney (thanks to Zach Perilstein’s ownership of that space) probably tipped the scales. Placing the machine in the middle of Orlando's excitement worked.   Fun, creative, and eye-catching ad that surely makes the reader stop and look!  So, kudos to the team at DFI for a job well done! 

-- The annual Committee on the Environment (COTE®) Top Ten Awards are out, and I love seeing the buildings and design.  At least 7 of the 10 had a significant glazing element on them. That is better than I remember from the past.  Take a look at the winners HERE and congrats to Vitro Architectural Glass for having worked on five of them!  Nice.  Rob Struble strikes again.   

-- Last this week… a hearty congratulations to a great friend and one of the most talented players in our industry.  Shelly Farmer joined the team at Glasshape as Director of Sales, Southeast USA.  This really looks like a perfect match- a tremendous company and a fabulous sales professional connected together.  Exciting and happy for all parties!

LINKS of the WEEK

I love glass… I love this luxury glass igloo even more, I think! https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/oct/05/inside-glass-igloo-on-an-expedition-cruise-in/

Wow- Using a Billboard to find a husband… and getting tons of applicants too. https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/woman-42-launches-billboard-campaign-to-find-a-husband-nearly-2-000-men-have-already-responded/ar-AA1NTSRh

This could be the craziest thing to happen in Bettendorf, IA in a while.  Cocaine. Fire Extinguishers, Blood and more. https://viewfromthewing.com/bad-reaction-to-cocaine-naked-guest-triggers-marriott-evacuation-after-spraying-fire-extinguishers-and-smearing-blood-across-second-floor/

PROJECT of the WEEK

Brad Sears of DS Windows is an online favorite of mine (I don’t think I have ever met him in person), and once again, his work grabs the spotlight. This sprawling project had everything a glazier (and glazing geek) could want- from beautiful glass railings (from front of building to balconies to around the pool) to a great looking storefront, sunshades, windows etc.  NICE work, Brad and company. Not sure who supplied the glass and hardware- you all deserve props too.