Building the Grid for the AI Economy Delivering Complex Facade Systems Across New York City UTOPIA CONSTRUCTION Building a Better Way in Greater Boston BW KENNEDY & CO apeiron-construction.com | JULY 2026W elcome to the July issue of Apeiron Construction. As summer reaches its peak, construction activity continues at full pace across North America. While every project brings its own challenges, one trend is becom- ing increasingly difficult to ignore: the growing demand for the infrastructure that will support the next generation of technology. Artificial intelligence may exist in the digital world, but the facilities, power systems, and electrical net- works that make it possible are very much a construction story. This month’s cover feature explores how data centers, electrical infrastructure, utility upgrades, and power genera- tion are reshaping the construction landscape. As demand for computing power accelerates, contractors across multi- ple disciplines are finding themselves at the center of one of the industry’s most significant growth opportunities. That spirit of innovation extends throughout this issue. We meet general contractors who continue to grow by building long-term partnerships and adapting to changing client needs, foundation specialists whose work provides the essential support for increasingly ambitious developments, and manufacturers of metal building envelope systems who are helping improve building performance through durable, high-quality exterior solutions. Although each sector serves a different role, they all demonstrate the same commitment to solving complex challenges through expertise, collaboration, and careful execution. Construction has always been about creating the physical framework for future growth. As the industry responds to new technologies, evolving markets, and changing expecta- tions, that responsibility has never been more important. Thanks for reading. | 3 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION A note from our Chief Editor APEIRON-CONSTRUCTION.COM APEIRONMEDIAINC.COM CHIEF EDITOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT SENIOR CONTENT DEVELOPER CONTENT DEVELOPERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DIRECTOR OF SALES CREATIVE DIRECTOR SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR DAVID O’NEILL COLIN O’NEILL AARON HORGAN MARCO GUANNUE | DARAGH KIERNAN AOIFE CHANEY | ELIZABETH HOWELLI EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI KAYLA BROWN LINDSAY BAILEY SARAH LEESON MARK PETERSFor decades, the construction industry’s largest challenges revolved around labor, materials, financing, and delivery. Today, another constraint is rapidly moving to the top of the list: power. 6 Building the Grid for the AI Economy Nashville Build Expo 2026 JULY 1–2, 2026 NASHVILLE, TN buildexpousa.com Pacific Coast Builders Conference JULY 28-30, 2026 SAN DIEGO, CA www.pcbc.com Concrete Foundations Convention JULY 21–23, 2026 MILWAUKEE, WI cfaconcretepros.org4 Industry Events 10 Delivering Complex Facade Systems Across New York City UTOPIA CONSTRUCTION 18 Building a Better Way in Greater Boston BW KENNEDY & CO 26 From Chaos to Order: California’s Smooth Operators BERGMAN CONSTRUCTION 32 Building Trust Through Transformation STYBEK ROOFING 38 Building Scale Through Quality and Relationships RS FOUNDATION SYSTEMS 44 Pushing the Building Envelope Forward ACM PANELWORX 50 40 Years of Turnkey Framing Experience MODUTECH 56 A Family Focus on General Contracting, for 40 Years & Beyond DDB CONTRACTING 5 | APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 6 JULY 2026WRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL F or decades, the construction industry’s largest chal- lenges revolved around labor, materials, financing, and delivery. Today, another constraint is rapidly moving to the top of the list: power. Across North America, a race is underway to build the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of artificial intelligence, and data centers, once considered a specialized segment of the construction market, have become one of the primary drivers of demand for electrical infrastructure, utility upgrades, energy genera- tion, industrial construction, and skilled labor. Artificial intelligence is often discussed as a software revolu- tion, but in construction terms, it is also a physical infrastruc- ture story. Every AI model, cloud platform, and digital service relies on facilities filled with servers, cooling systems, electri- cal equipment, backup power systems, and miles of cabling. Building those facilities requires contractors, engineers, electricians, utility providers, and manufacturers working at a scale and pace that is beginning to reshape the industry’s understanding of what digital infrastructure requires. | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONAccording to Goldman Sachs Research, U.S. data center power demand is expected to rise from 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 41 gigawatts in 2026 and 66 gigawatts by 2027, more than doubling in just two years. The firm estimates that U.S. data center capacity will reach approximately 95 gigawatts by the end of 2027 as AI investment continues to accelerate. In practice, that means the construction of the AI economy will depend not only on the buildings that house computing infrastructure, but on the power systems capable of supporting them. The implications extend far beyond the technology sector. Electrical contractors are seeing unprecedented demand for power distribution systems, substations, switchgear, backup generation, and utility interconnections. General contractors are delivering increasingly complex facilities with compressed schedules. Manufacturers are expanding production of critical electrical equipment. Utilities are racing to strengthen transmission networks and add generating capacity. In many markets, the question is no longer whether projects can be financed, but whether sufficient power can be delivered in time. The trend is not limited to the United States. The International Energy Agency projects that global electricity consumption from data centers will more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours annually. To put that figure into perspective, the IEA notes that this would be slightly more than Japan’s total electricity consumption today, with AI identified as the most important driver of that growth alongside rising demand for other digital services. Those numbers help explain why power has become a stra- tegic issue for owners, developers, contractors, and public agencies alike. Historically, data center operators focused on access to land, fiber connectivity, and favorable business environments. Increasingly, however, power availability is becoming the primary site-selection criterion. Communities with sufficient electrical capacity are finding themselves at the center of enormous investment opportunities, while regions facing transmission constraints or utility delays risk losing projects altogether. That shift is already influencing investment patterns across construction and energy. Reuters recently reported that data center investors are acquiring power infrastructure developers as they race to secure generation capacity and grid access, with demand projected to rise from 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 66 gigawatts by 2027. The same report described the strategy as a way for developers to better align digital infrastructure with the power assets needed to support faster deployment and reduce exposure to grid connection delays.This convergence of digital infrastructure and energy infra- structure represents a significant change for construction. Tra- ditionally, data centers were viewed as specialized buildings. Today, they are increasingly acting as catalysts for broader infrastructure development. New facilities often require trans- mission upgrades, substations, renewable energy projects, battery storage systems, and utility improvements. In many cases, the infrastructure supporting a data center extends far beyond the boundaries of the facility itself. That creates opportunities across multiple construction sec- tors. Electrical contractors are among the most immediate beneficiaries, as modern data centers require highly special- ized expertise in power distribution, controls, redundancy systems, commissioning, and ongoing reliability. As AI work- loads become more intensive, those systems become larger and more complex. At the same time, civil contractors, utility contractors, concrete specialists, steel fabricators, and indus- trial builders are increasingly involved in delivering the physical infrastructure required to support reliable electricity at scale. The growth trajectory shows little sign of slowing. Goldman Sachs Research has projected that global power demand from data centers could increase by as much as 165 percent by the end of the decade compared with 2023 levels. More recent analysis has raised the outlook further under certain scenarios, suggesting that demand could grow by more than 220 percent by 2030. Whether those projections land at the lower or higher end, the direction of travel is clear: the AI economy is placing power infrastructure at the center of construction planning. Yet the industry’s biggest challenge may not be financing or technology. It may be execution. The same infrastructure boom creating opportunities for contractors is also exposing weaknesses across the supply chain. Utilities are struggling to keep pace with demand. Lead times for critical electrical equipment remain a concern. Skilled labor is difficult to find in many markets. According to the International Energy Agency, approximately 20 percent of planned data center develop- ments face delays linked to grid constraints and infrastruc- ture bottlenecks, making power availability one of the largest obstacles to future development. For construction companies, that reality is creating both oppor- tunity and responsibility. The projects being built today will help determine whether regions can support the next generation of digital infrastructure. Data centers may occupy the headlines, but they are only one component of a much larger transforma- tion. New substations, transmission lines, renewable energy facilities, battery storage projects, manufacturing plants, and utility upgrades all form part of the same ecosystem. In many respects, the industry is witnessing the emergence of a new form of infrastructure economy. Just as high- ways, railroads, and telecommunications networks shaped previous eras of growth, power infrastructure is becoming the foundation on which the AI economy will be built. That foundation will require not only major capital investment, but also strong coordination between developers, utilities, con- tractors, regulators, and local communities. The scale of investment is difficult to ignore. Goldman Sachs has estimated that AI-related infrastructure spend- ing could exceed $1 trillion by 2027, with power availability increasingly becoming the critical factor determining where that investment ultimately lands. For contractors, the mes- sage is clear: the future of construction is no longer solely about buildings. It is about enabling the systems that make those buildings function. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries around the world, one reality is becoming increasingly appar- ent. Before AI can transform the economy, the construction industry must build the grid that powers it. “Data centers may occupy the headlines, but they are only one component of a much larger transformation.” | 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >