August 23, 2026
by Arnie Gess, president of Construction Links Network
Construction technology is entering a new phase. AI, digital twins and connected data are moving beyond experimentation and into the everyday workflows that shape how projects are designed, built and operated. This week’s ConTech Weekly offers a strong look at where that shift is happening now.
From agentic AI for MEP fabrication and 3D design to reality capture, fleet maintenance, modular construction and smarter project controls, this edition is packed with practical examples of technology solving real industry challenges. Take a few minutes to explore what’s changing and what could give your business an advantage.
Have news to share? We’re always looking to spotlight forward-thinking companies and ideas. Submit your ConTech or PropTech updates by Thursday end of day for next week’s edition.
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JobNimbus has announced an improved native Angi integration for roofing and exterior contractors, designed to accelerate the process from homeowner inquiry to booked job. When a homeowner submits a lead through Angi, the information automatically appears in the JobNimbus CRM without manual importing or duplicate data entry. Contact details, job type and homeowner notes sync directly into the contractor’s lead pipeline, allowing teams to create estimates, assign crews and schedule site visits from one platform. Contractors can also configure JobNimbus lead status updates to reflect in the Angi dashboard. By connecting homeowner lead generation directly with contractor workflows, the integration aims to reduce administrative work, improve response times and minimize opportunities for leads to fall through during handoffs between systems. For roofing and exterior contractors managing high lead volumes, the enhanced JobNimbus and Angi integration provides a more streamlined path from initial customer interest to estimating, scheduling and project execution.
XOi has released a new industry report featuring insights from national mechanical contractor Harris on how field service data and industrialized construction can help contractors prepare for changing infrastructure demands. Titled How Field Service Solution Providers and Data Tools Future-Proof Our Industry for Change Before It Changes Us, the report examines how advanced data capture beginning in preconstruction and construction can support infrastructure, budgeting, scope, scheduling and long-term service decisions. Harris highlights its investment in industrialized construction, including productization, advanced manufacturing and supply chain strategies, as a scalable operating model for improving consistency and meeting growing demand. Key findings indicate that industrialized construction is becoming increasingly important for infrastructure delivery, while connected operational data can support continuous improvement throughout the asset lifecycle. XOi and Harris emphasize that standardized processes, scalable operating models and strong data foundations can help construction and field service organizations improve decision-making, adapt to new technologies and prepare for the next generation of industry growth.
Kier + Wright (K+W) is challenging common data center development myths through its Data Centers Decoded campaign, using engineering expertise to explain the infrastructure, planning and economic realities behind modern facilities. The campaign addresses misconceptions about electrical grid capacity, power access, water consumption, noise, emissions, land use and community benefits. K+W emphasizes that successful data center development begins years before construction, with utility coordination, interconnection studies, permitting, environmental planning and site due diligence determining whether projects are viable. The campaign also highlights data centers as critical infrastructure supporting healthcare, banking, emergency services, cloud computing, AI and the broader digital economy. According to K+W, modern cooling technologies can reduce water requirements, while careful design can address noise and air-quality concerns. Data centers can also generate significant construction activity, tax revenue, infrastructure improvements and long-term regional investment. As AI and cloud computing increase digital demand, K+W argues that future-ready data centers require flexible infrastructure, reliable power and early engineering decisions that support expansion and long-term resilience.
PCL Construction is using DroneDeploy’s robotics and AI-powered reality capture platform to create a continuous digital record of construction at the $250 million New Augusta Arena in Augusta, Georgia. Scheduled to open in 2027, the 10,500-seat civic arena is being documented from demolition through construction using recurring drone flights, 360-degree site walks and pre-pour aerial inspections. Real-time visual data gives the owner, design team and field crews a shared record of site conditions, helping improve coordination, track progress and identify issues before they lead to rework. PCL plans to expand interior documentation as mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in progresses. The project demonstrates PCL’s broader adoption of DroneDeploy across more than 1,000 active projects, where aerial and ground reality capture has been standardized to improve construction visibility and decision-making. Designed by Perkins&Will, the New Augusta Arena is currently tracking on schedule and budget and is projected to generate $1.6 billion in regional economic impact.
ECI Software Solutions has integrated its EvolutionX ecommerce platform with GlobalEdge ERP, giving commercial field service organizations a streamlined way to sell spare parts, aftermarket parts and consumables online. The integration connects EvolutionX directly with GlobalEdge, automatically synchronizing inventory, pricing, customer accounts and product information while sending online orders back into the ERP. This enables customers to place orders and track their status through an always-on self-service storefront without increasing staff workload. ECI says the integration can help field service businesses create new ecommerce revenue streams, improve inventory planning with real-time sales data, reduce manual data entry and allow employees to focus on higher-value service and sales activities. For organizations still processing parts orders by phone, the solution provides a path toward greater sales automation and a modern digital buying experience. For companies not currently selling parts directly, the EvolutionX and GlobalEdge integration offers an opportunity to establish a new online sales channel using existing ERP data and workflows.
Top Rack Technology (TRT) has launched an online solar racking BOM Design Tool designed to streamline preconstruction planning for solar installers, designers and distributors. The web-based platform connects five stages—Project, Building, Equipment, Layout and Bill of Materials (BOM)—allowing site, structural and system information to flow through a single digital workflow. Users can enter project details such as location, design standards, wind speed and snow loads, configure buildings and equipment, visually review solar module and racking layouts, and generate engineering outputs for rail spans, overhangs and load verification. Once the system design is complete, the tool produces an organized bill of materials covering selected racking components, including rails, bases, clamps and splices. By connecting design decisions with material planning, TRT aims to reduce repetitive manual work and improve coordination between design, purchasing and installation teams. The company plans to continue developing digital tools that support solar projects from early planning through installation preparation.
SEKISUI Canada Modular Solutions (SCMS) is investing $15 million to establish a Canadian modular construction manufacturing and operations hub in Burlington, Ontario, supporting growing demand for housing and community infrastructure. A subsidiary of Japan-based SEKISUI Chemical, SCMS brings more than 50 years of modular construction experience and uses advanced manufacturing processes that allow up to 90% of building construction to be completed in a controlled factory environment before onsite assembly. The approach can shorten project timelines, improve quality control, increase construction efficiency and support more sustainable building practices. SCMS produces precision steel-frame modular building systems for low- and mid-rise housing, schools, institutional facilities and commercial projects. The Burlington facility will create skilled advanced manufacturing jobs and position the company to expand from its existing Northern Ontario operations into additional Canadian and North American markets. Invest Ontario, Toronto Global and the City of Burlington supported the expansion through advisory services, market intelligence, government connections and strategic partnerships.
Bentley Systems has announced 36 finalists for its 2026 Year in Infrastructure (YII) Awards, selected from more than 300 submissions across 53 countries. The annual awards recognize innovative uses of Bentley infrastructure engineering software across 12 categories, including construction, bridges and tunnels, rail and transit, roads, energy, water, structural engineering and project delivery. Artificial intelligence and digital twins are prominent among this year’s projects, with 24 of the 36 finalists reporting some use of AI and 22 demonstrating evidence of a connected digital foundation. Projects range from 4D construction planning and AI-enabled clean energy delivery to operational digital twins, geospatial intelligence, infrastructure inspection and subsurface modeling. Bentley says the finalists demonstrate an industry shift from disconnected information and manual workflows toward connected data, intelligent automation and continuous insight. Finalists will present their projects at Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure event in Singapore, October 6–7, 2026, highlighting engineering challenges, digital methods, project execution and measurable results.
Motive has launched Motive Maintenance, an AI-powered fleet maintenance system designed to help organizations reduce vehicle downtime, control repair costs and manage maintenance workflows from one platform. Available in the United States and Canada, the system connects vehicle and asset health, driver inspections, fault codes, work orders, repairs, parts inventory and operating costs to provide a real-time view of fleet maintenance. AI diagnostics translate fault codes into plain-language explanations and prioritize issues by severity, while automated workflows can convert inspection defects, service reminders and fault codes into digital work orders. AI-powered invoice scanning reduces manual data entry, and warranty tracking helps prevent organizations from paying for covered repairs. Motive Maintenance also combines fuel, repair and maintenance spending to provide greater visibility into total cost of ownership. According to Motive, organizations lose nearly nine days per vehicle annually to unplanned downtime, making proactive maintenance increasingly important for improving vehicle uptime, asset utilization and fleet operating efficiency.
Stratus has launched Stratus Labs, a new AI and innovation arm focused on developing intelligent digital fabrication tools for MEP contractors in piping, plumbing, sheet metal and electrical trades. Announced at Innovate 2026 in Seattle, its first experiments include Agentic Spooling and a Big Data Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server. Agentic Spooling introduces three capabilities: Assembly Matcher, which clones existing modeled assemblies; Assembly Designer, which applies size and weight constraints to create assemblies; and Assembly Agent, which uses AI and machine learning trained on customer models to predict new assemblies. Stratus also introduced its Big Data MCP Server, enabling AI tools to access Stratus data so customers and partners can develop their own workflows. The experimental capabilities are available to Stratus customers upon request, with more than 10 new opt-in features currently available through Stratus Labs. The initiative is designed to accelerate AI-powered automation, reduce manual fabrication workflows and help MEP contractors explore practical applications of agentic AI using their own models and project data.
Illoca has launched Plamo, a beta agentic AI 3D modeling platform designed to help architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals turn sketches, reference images, drawings and natural-language instructions into editable geometry directly in a browser. Illoca describes the approach as “vibe modeling,” allowing designers to direct their design intent while an AI agent handles time-consuming modeling tasks involving geometry, spatial relationships and technical systems. Unlike tools that generate static 3D models, Plamo creates editable BREP geometry supported by parametric logic, enabling dimensions, systems and relationships to evolve without rebuilding models from scratch. The AI agent can interpret plans and schematics, recreate buildings, combine references, introduce structural and MEP systems, and organize geometry around project requirements. Plamo is aimed at architects, engineers, developers, design-build teams, product designers and multidisciplinary teams seeking to accelerate design exploration while retaining control over editable 3D geometry. The platform represents Illoca’s effort to bring agentic AI workflows into practical AEC design and modeling.
Wijs Safety Software has launched an integrated Learning Management System (LMS) that brings online construction safety training, certification tracking and compliance management directly into its safety software platform. Designed to help contractors address skilled labour shortages while meeting OSHA, state and local worker-training requirements, the Wijs LMS enables companies to create and host custom training while accessing courses from specialized training providers. Completed certificates are automatically added to worker profiles, while intelligent monitoring tracks training requirements and certificate expiry dates and alerts workers before renewals are due. Once required training is completed, certificates are delivered in real time to workers and safety managers, providing immediate documentation for audits and safety inspections. The platform arrives as construction employers continue to face significant workforce challenges, with industry research cited by Wijs showing 92% of companies experienced difficulty filling positions and 45% reported project delays related to worker shortages.
