Staying at the cutting edge of construction industry news is challenging - even for the most passionate builder, contractor, architect engineer or construction project manager. Luckily there are some amazing construction blogs out there written by keen industry experts.
Are you interested in green building and sustainability trends? Perhaps you’re salivating over the advances in robotic construction technology? Or maybe you want some solid advice on keeping your construction business cash flow under control? Whatever your interests, there’s a blog here for everyone.
Global
1 - AEC Business
This slick looking blog is written for innovators and game changers in the construction industry. It’s chock-full of interviews and in-depth articles about the latest technology and trends. Finnish author Aarni Heiskanen writes the posts himself and updates at least once a week, drawing on his 25 years of extensive industry experience. Very techy and cool.
Taster Post: Augmented and Mixed Reality in Construction
2 - ConX
The design is a little outdated but there’s plenty of interesting content here. The ConX blog is regularly updated with useful, actionable advice. Some of the recent articles include tips for managing cash flow when running a tradie business, how to win tenders, and the challenges of business insolvency in the construction industry.
Taster Post: Five Tips for Tradies to Win Tenders
3 - Best Practices Construction Law
As the name suggests, this blog offers insightful construction advice from a legal perspective. And who doesn’t want to stay on the right side of the law? They’ve also written some great pieces on tracking your costs and reducing productivity losses on construction sites. Great writing from a busy construction lawyer and father of seven (I don’t know how he does it!).
Taster Post: Top 7 Factors Affecting Labor Productivity Losses on a Construction Project
4 - Capterra
Capterra is a review site of business software solutions. They offer comprehensive blogs for heaps of different industries, including a section devoted entirely to construction management. With regular updates and a team of writers there’s always something new to read - and their content is well suited to social media sharing.
Taster Post: 9 Reasons Why Millennials Should Become Contractors
New Zealand
5 - Site Visit
Run by Kensington Swan Lawyers, this kiwi blog offers news and opinion pieces on the construction industry in New Zealand, mainly issues relating to construction law. If you’re looking for a legal perspective this is a great place to start.
Taster Post: Recent Studies Evidence NZ Construction Boom
6 - The Unconventional Guide to Work
It’s a little cheeky but we couldn’t resist including ourselves in here! The WorkflowMax blog covers a range of business topics and industries - including construction, architecture, engineering and project management. If you enjoy our writing why not subscribe to our newsletter? We’ll send you a weekly round up of our latest posts, so you don’t miss a thing!
Taster Post: Construction Firms: 7 Essential Tips for Client Communication
7 - Building Networks
Another up-to-date blog offering useful advice on construction law in New Zealand. Most of the posts are written by Rosemary Killip, an international speaker and author specialising in building law. She’s passionate about the complex world of building controls and has over 20 years of industry knowledge to share.
Taster Post: The Difference Between Complying and Lying!
8 - Homes to Love
Architects, designers, residential builders and renovators will find plenty of inspiration in this collection of beautiful kiwi homes. Each article offers insights into the design and various stages of the building process. Many award winning buildings are profiled.
Taster Post: Coromandel Corrugated Iron Home Breaks with Convention
Australia
9 - Construction in Focus
This online mag covers a variety of construction topics relevant to Australia, including green construction trends, historical articles, featured local projects and technological innovations. Sign up to their digital subscription and you’ll never miss a beat in the land of Oz.
Taster Post: Climate and Structure in Australia
10 - Design & Build
Like the name suggests, Design & Build are focused on the whole process end-to-end, so they write for designers, architects, construction managers and builders. They update several times a week so you’ll never be short of reading material.
Taster Post: Tips for Getting a Construction Job Without Experience
11 - Sourceable
Sourceable is a huge site of the latest Australian news and analysis, in the areas of architecture, construction, design, property and engineering. The construction section is particularly robust and gets updated most days. Great for staying on the cutting edge of current events.
Taster Post: Australian Construction Job Market Remains Hard to Predict
12 - Design & Construct
These guys are a boutique recruitment agency who specialise in the construction and design industries. They cover news on a range of Australian construction topics, but maintain a strong focus on employment and job forecasting in construction.
Taster Post: Safeguarding the Future of the Construction Industry
United Kingdom
13 - Construction News UK
A huge resource for breaking news in the UK Construction industry. Whether you want to stay up to date with management trends, local development sites, safety regulations or even Brexit - UK Construction News has you covered.
Taster Post: How Contractors Can Manage Costs Amid Deepening Uncertainty
14 - Construction Enquirer
The design is a little jarring but there’s plenty of value here. With continually updated UK construction industry news and daily emails you can sign up to, Construction Enquirer ensures you don’t miss a beat. It’s updated by its team of writers several times a day.
Taster Post: Green Light for Three East London River Crossings
15 - The UK Construction Blog
This one claims to be the UK’s No.1 Construction Blog...Who am I to argue? They do appear to have a massive wealth of information about surveying, architecture and construction. The site is searchable but doesn’t seem to offer a newsletter (apart from an old fashioned RSS feed).
Taster Post: How Asbestos Has Affected the Construction Industry in the UK.
16 - Building Radar Construction Blog
These guys also claim to be your No. 1 Construction Blog, so I’ll let you make your own mind up! Building Radar itself is an app which lets you find construction sites and current developments near you. Many of their blog posts are focused on technological innovations in construction.
Taster Post: How 3D Printing Could Revolutionise the Construction Industry
17 - Constructing Equality
Constructing Equality won ‘best blog’ at the UK Construction Marketing Awards in 2014. It covers all the usual things like news, current events and construction trends; but they also have a strong focus on promoting fairness, inclusion and gender diversity in the construction industry. Pretty neat! Sadly they haven’t updated in awhile, but there’s still plenty of archived content with relevance.
Taster Post: CITB’s New Majority Women Board - Our View
18 - Constructonomics
Written by construction manager John Poole, this is a very opinion driven blog and he often takes a unique perspective on controversial issues. The comments section can be a fun read as he tends to spark debate. Whether you agree with him or not, his writing is engaging and entertaining.
Taster Post: Smartphones and Tablets are Coming to the Job Site. Now What?
United States
19 - HardHatChat
I’m a sucker for clever blog names and this ticks the box. Written by U.S. firm Englewood Construction, this blog offers opinion pieces and observations on commercial construction and management trends. They also have some really actionable advice for construction managers, drawing on their many years of experience. You can subscribe to their email newsletter for updates.
Taster Post: Go for the Gold - 3 Keys to Finishing a Commercial Construction Project on Time
20 - Building Design + Construction (BDC)
BDC is a huge trade publication, serving the information needs of designers, builders, architects and engineers in the commercial construction industry. Each story offers insights into the processes used on big projects. Anyone can subscribe by email or if you’re based in the U.S. sign up for a free print version.
Taster Post: 11 Great Solutions for the Commercial Construction Market
21 - Builder
Builder magazine online seeks to inspire readers by chronicling successful home building. They showcase new products, cutting edge technology and innovative construction techniques in the residential sector. Sign up to their digital newsletter for free.
Taster Post: Tiny Houses Could Have Big Health Benefits
22 - Construction Dive
Construction Dive claims to give you a bird’s eye view of ‘your industry in 60 seconds’ but you’ll probably spend more time clicking around this excellent site. They cover commercial building, infrastructure, design, green construction trends and more. You can also sign up to a tech specific or residential specific newsletter. They offer a super handy mobile app so you can read on the go.
Taster Post: The Top 10 Green Building Products for 2017
23 - Construction Junkie
This is often filled with cute, interesting stories rather than actual tips - but still makes an entertaining read. Want to hear about the 33 ft long anaconda found on a job site? Or watch a French castle being built with only 13th century construction techniques? Visit this blog.
Taster Post: Giant Inflatable Tunnel to be Used to Protect Pedestrians from Construction Work in Canada
24 - Build Blog
A discussion of modern design projects in the Pacific Northwest, written by a Seattle architecture company. A great source of building design inspiration and short lunch break reads. Many of the articles include floorplans and beautiful images of completed projects.
Taster Post: The Curated Residence
25 - Planting Acorns
These guys are awesome because they understand that people are more than their jobs, and business isn’t solely about business. Their tagline is “developing value beyond the build”, and they discuss many aspects of life for people working in construction, including relationships, work/life balance and career building.
Taster Post: When You Speak, Say Something
***
Do you have a favourite construction blog? We’d love to hear about it!
You might also be interested in these 25 Must-Read Blogs for Engineers, or 25 Architecture Blogs for Design Inspiration.