The coronavirus pandemic is impacting just about every aspect of daily life. Construction is no exception, despite many locales with state-at-home orders still deeming construction to be an essential service.
Nonresidential construction starts were down 9 percent from February to March, according to Business Wire. Institutional buildings were down 12 percent month over month, largely due to a huge boom in construction in healthcare facilities in February. Educational buildings, however, posted an 18 percent gain from February to March, perhaps because with school not in session due to coronavirus, many projects’ timelines have been moved up.
Construction on one notable building, however, is being delayed indefinitely. One year after the fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, reconstruction on the beloved 850-year-old church has been halted since mid-March due to coronavirus concerns, according to CNN.
There are still many questions regarding what the restored cathedral may look like, partially due to the fact that there are still some uncertainties about what can be saved. An open design competition was held and the winner was expected to be announced in the first half of this year. The initial plan was to reopen the cathedral by 2024, but that timeline is now very much up in the air.
This post was submitted by Greg Zimmerman, executive editor, Building Operating Management and FacilitiesNet.com.
