New projections show commercial construction slowdown.(knowitall)(Brief article)

Projected declines are ahead in nearly all segments of the commercial building construction market for the remainder of 2008, according to the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and McGraw-Hill Construction.

A number of factors could impact the construction slowdown, including a worse than expected fallout from the sub-prime crisis of 2007 and increases in energy costs that cause consumers to tighten spending.

In a November 2007 report in Engineering News Record, PCA projected that total construction put-in-place will decline by 3.7 percent in 2008 while commercial construction will decline 6.4 percent. Educational buildings and healthcare facilities are excluded from those projections. PCA forecasted those categories would rise by 4 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively.

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