As more workers convert their living rooms and bedrooms to home offices, more commercial spaces are left vacant. The evolving work space is one reason crane construction of residential and mixed-use spaces is up across North America, according to a new report. The biannual Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index for North America, which tracks the number of tower cranes across 14 U.S. and Canadian metro areas, reports that the overall crane count increased by 7.04 percent from the third quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. According to the survey, eight of the metros saw an increase in cranes, two saw decreases and four held steady — and while a 7.04 percent increase may seem small, it’s the highest reported increase since 2021. To collect the data, researchers count the number of fixed cranes on work sites by tracking construction permits submitted and by simply driving around (biking in New York) to identify tower cranes.

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Persons: Levett Bucknall Organizations: North, metros Locations: North America, New York