2026 is shaping up not as a year of broad expansion, but as one defined by the surge of power-intensive industries colliding directly with structural constraints that dictate pace. Data centers, power infrastructure, and institutional projects will continue to advance even as the grid, specialized labor, and critical materials become binding limits on project timing and cost. Meanwhile, geopolitical fragmentation and the widening K‑shaped economy are concentrating material risk and accelerating the split between sectors gaining momentum and those losing traction. In this environment, the firms that outperform will be those that can separate noise from signal, align capacity with durable demand, and manage localized volatility with greater precision.
Download our Q1 Construction Economy Report and get all the details from MOCA Construction Economist, Brandon Michalski.
Meet the Author
Brandon Michalski
Principal, Chief Construction Economist
Brandon Michalski is the lead economist for MOCA Systems, Inc., a leading owner’s representative firm providing program and project management services. Brandon’s decade in the mining and heavy construction industries provides a foundation for subject matter expertise. He holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD as well as a Bachelor’s Degrees in both Mining Engineering and Biology from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. Brandon currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his family and enjoys hiking and camping.
