| BROOKSTONE INDUSTRIES | May 1, 2026 · Vol. 1, Issue 2 |
BRIEF.
Welcome to the May edition of The Brookstone Brief. This month: a $6 billion AI data center landing in Lancaster, mixed signals across the leading construction indicators, the new Section 232 metals tariffs, and a closer look at why a good shop drawing is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
| Local Economic Outlook |
The biggest local construction story of the year continues to take shape just down the road. CoreWeave’s AI data center at the former R.R. Donnelley printing plant on Greenfield Road is now under construction, with Turner Construction and Wohlsen Construction running the joint venture. Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in summer 2027, with an initial 100MW of capacity that can scale to 300MW.
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$6B
CoreWeave investment in the Greenfield Road data center
CoreWeave / Construction Dive
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~600
Skilled construction jobs at peak build — HVAC, electrical, mechanical
CoreWeave Pennsylvania announcement
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A project of this scale ripples through the local trades for years. Mechanical, electrical, sheet metal, and controls work all spool up well before the building shell is closed in — and the demand for skilled labor is layered on top of an already tight Lancaster County job market, where unemployment finished 2025 below 3% for the fifth consecutive year.
| National Construction Outlook |
Several leading indicators ticked in the same direction in March without producing a clear trend. The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index registered 49.8 — the closest reading to the 50-point growth threshold since early 2023 — with firm backlogs averaging 6.6 months. ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.6 months, and Dodge’s Momentum Index added 1.8%, though commercial gains masked an 8.8% drop in institutional planning.
The HVAC-specific picture is similarly split. AHRI’s February shipment data showed heat pump shipments up 16% year-over-year, and combined air conditioner and heat pump shipments roughly flat at +0.4%. Gas warm-air furnaces, however, were down 12.9% — a continuation of a multi-quarter slide as the residential furnace market shifts toward electrification.
Sector concentration remains a caveat throughout the data. ABC contractors with data center work reported 10.6 months of backlog versus 8.3 for those without, and Dodge attributes most of March’s planning growth to data center activity. AIA also flagged that design contracts have now declined for 25 consecutive months — a reminder that recovery on the early-design side hasn’t fully arrived. For shops weighted toward healthcare, education, or government work, the indicators have not yet translated to broader pipeline.
Source: AIA/Deltek ABI March 2026 · ABC Construction Backlog Indicator · Dodge Momentum Index · AHRI Monthly Shipments (Feb 2026)
| May 2026 · All figures sourced |
Construction input PPI rose 1.7% in March — the largest one-month jump in four years. New Section 232 tariffs took effect April 6 (50% on metal articles, 25% on derivatives).
| Material | Trend | What to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | ↑↑ | Mill shapes +34.1% YOY (March PPI). LME spot near a four-year high. Section 232 expansion adds further pressure. (AGC, Apr 2026) |
| Structural Steel | ↑↑ | Mill products +15.4% YOY, +2.1% in March alone. Tariff structure changed April 6 — full customs value now applies. (AGC, Apr 2026) |
| Galvanized Sheet | ↑ | Spot ~$1,180/ton in mid-April, +$120/ton YTD. 79% of HARDI distributors expect further increases. (Steel Market Update, Apr 15) |
| Copper | ↑↑ | Mill shapes +21.3% YOY. LME copper above $13,200/tonne late April. New 50% tariff hits goods made primarily of copper. (AGC, Apr 2026) |
| Diesel / Fuel | ↑ | National avg. $5.40/gal week of April 20 — off the early-month $5.80 peak. EIA expects Q2 to average $5.61/gal. (EIA STEO Apr 2026) |
| Lumber | ↓ | Futures ~$570/mbf — weak housing starts (-14.2%) keeping prices soft. Window may narrow if supply tightens further. (Trading Economics, Apr 2026) |
Sources: AGC Apr 20, 2026 · Steel Market Update Apr 15, 2026 · EIA STEO · Trading Economics
Pays for Itself.
When margins are tight and skilled labor is hard to find, the difference between a good shop drawing and a so-so one shows up in the field every single day. A clean drawing — with each piece tagged, each area mapped to the print, packaging organized by zone — pulls real cost out of installation. Industry research links BIM-coordinated shop drawings and prefabrication to 30–50% faster project completion on mechanical work, with meaningful reductions in RFIs and rework. 1
1 Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) & Dodge Data & Analytics, Business Value of BIM for Mechanical and HVAC Construction.
From a recent project — coordination, plan & shop views in one set
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Piece-by-Piece Tags
Every fitting numbered — matches the part label on the truck
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Area Keyed to Print
Mech room, RTU-2 zone, etc. — right on the architectural plan
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Hanger Locations
Marked before slab pour — saves drilled-in retrofits
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Zoned Packaging
Material loaded onto trucks by install area, not part type
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Trade Clearances
Coordinated against electrical, plumbing & structural
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Field-Friendly PDFs
Readable on a phone in a dark mechanical room
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| See a Sample Drawing → |
40 years of fabrication. We’re happy to walk you through a real drawing from a recent job.
| Tip of the Month |
A surprising amount of fabrication turnaround time is lost between “please quote” and the first piece on a truck. Most of the delay isn’t in the shop — it’s in clarifying scope. The more of these you put in your RFQ from the start, the faster a usable quote (and a real schedule) comes back.
| 1. | Marked-up plans, not just a written scope. A scope highlighted on the print beats two pages of description — and removes most of the back-and-forth before fab even starts. |
| 2. | Material & gauge spec. Standard or upgraded? G90 or G60? Insulated or not? Calling it out up front prevents the “assumed standard” quote that gets revised twice. |
| 3. | Accessories list. Dampers, taps, access doors, flex connectors, turning vanes — flag everything you want pre-installed so it doesn’t become a field add. |
| 4. | Need-by dates and any phasing. If the job runs in zones or phases, say so. It lets the fabricator hold a slot rather than reshuffle later when the schedule firms up. |
| 5. | Delivery preferences. Van, box truck, semi? One drop or zoned by area? This affects sequencing more than people realize and is the easiest thing to get wrong on the first quote. |
| In the News |
A few headlines shaping the industry right now.
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Construction Dive · April 2026
Section 232 metals tariffs expanded April 6 — 50% on goods made almost entirely of steel, aluminum or copper; 25% on derivative goods. Full customs value now applies, not just the metal portion.
Read more →
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ACHR News · April 2026
Heat pump shipments grew 16% in February — outselling warm-air furnaces. Combined AC + heat pump shipments roughly flat year-over-year; gas furnaces continue a multi-quarter slide.
Read more →
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AIA · April 22, 2026
Architecture Billings Index hit 49.8 in March — the closest reading to the 50 growth threshold since early 2023. Project inquiries rose; backlogs at 6.6 months. Design contracts have now declined for 25 straight months.
Read more →
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Construction Dive · CoreWeave / Turner JV
Turner–Wohlsen JV won the $6B CoreWeave Lancaster data center — with peak construction demand expected to draw 600 skilled trades over the build phase.
Read more →
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Lining up summer projects? Send us your drawings and we’ll get fab on the schedule.
| 📞 717.859.3340 |
| ✉ sales@brookstoneind.com |
Brookstone Industries · 161 Zook’s Mill Road, Ephrata PA 17522
brookstoneind.com · 717.859.3340
The Brookstone Brief is published monthly as a resource for our clients and partners. All market data is sourced from publicly available third-party publications — links provided for full context. Content is intended for general planning purposes only.
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