April 2026
The Spotlight
Legal remedies
Courthouse projects demand robust, varied construction
Contractors working on courthouse projects — whether it’s the recent, 238,000-square-foot Howard County Circuit Court, the $6 million renovation of the Baltimore County Circuit Court or the planned $147 million Supreme Appellate Court in Annapolis — can rattle off the special challenges that such projects entail. There are sophisticated security systems, high-performance building systems, a large array of programming needs and, of course, stringent timelines to enable the legal system to get on with its work.
Trend Watch
Value engineering the land
From typical retail projects to heavy industrial construction to high-end amenity developments, project teams are finding ways to cut costs and meet schedules by value engineering site work.
Behind the Build
M&T Bank Exchange
Creating the magic of theater can require some dusty and invisible behind-the-scenes labor. After the Hippodrome Foundation acquired the historic M&T Bank Pavillion, construction crews began the tricky work of transforming the 1887 bank into a modern, flexible theater and event space.
Foundation Focus
Building Futures
In March, the BC&E Foundation hosted hosted Builders-in-Training (BIT) Workshop, giving access to 75 Baltimore County Public Schools high school students to a day of hands-on insights into careers in construction and development.
MEMBER BRIEFS
Baltimore Fabrication opens York facility
After a year of demolition, construction and commissioning, Baltimore Fabrication’s new $6 million, 35,000-square-foot fabrication shop in York, PA is fully operational.
Compared to the company’s original one-acre Baltimore site, the York site is “a 10-acre blank slate” that can do more than accommodate more machinery: It can help the company improve capacity, capability and productivity, said Mark Rich, President.
Webinar explores how to get biggest benefits from digital safety tools
Digital systems are offering new tools to identify, address and prevent safety issues on construction sites.
At BC&E’s “New Realities of Construction: Digital Safety Integration” webinar in February, Dusty Egbert, Vice President of Safety, Scaffold Resource; Justin Heddinger, Vice President, Diversified Safety Services; Thomas Koch, Vice President of Operations, Plano-Coudon Construction; and moderator Beth Cohen, Senior Claims Advocate, Mid-Atlantic Region, HMS Insurance Associates discussed some best practices and major benefits of utilizing digital safety systems.
UMB marks major milestone on new social work building
University of Maryland, Baltimore celebrated the topping-off of its new School of Social Work building, marking the structural completion of the six-story, $125 million project at 600 W. Lexington St.
Scaffold Resource claims industry championship
For the second year in a row, Scaffold Resource has won the Scaffold and Access Industry Association’s (SAIA) scaffold-building competition.
Conducted during the 2026 World of Concrete trade show, the SAIA competition challenged teams from the United States and the United Kingdom to complete a time-limited “surprise build” — a scaffold design presented to teams just hours before the event. Judges scored teams based on their speed, safety, accuracy and product quality.
BC&E welcomes new member
East Coast Services is a small, woman-owned, commercial construction and maintenance company. Covering the Baltimore, D.C. and Northern Virginia markets, East Coast Services provides a range of services, including asphalt and concrete repair, drywall and ceiling work, painting, masonry, flooring, handyman services, and 24-hour emergency services.
