Oxford, Texas-based FabArc Steel Supply has completed its scope of structural steel for T1 Energy’s G2Austin solar cell fabrication project in Rockdale, Texas, supplying nearly 3,374 tons of fabricated steel for what is expected to be one of the largest solar cell fabrication facilities in the country, according to the company.
The scope included 749 columns, 4,459 beams, 222 roof trusses and about 6,800 square feet of steel grating. T1 Energy is developing the facility, with WG Yates & Sons Construction Co. as a contractor, PBI Inc. as a steel erector and International Design Services Inc. which offers retail services.
“We are proud to contribute to a project that supports the continued growth of American manufacturing and domestic energy production,” said Donnie Bragg, Senior Project Manager, FabArc Steel Supply.
According to T1 Energy, the first phase of the project represents a $510 million investment and is expected to create up to 1,800 advanced manufacturing jobs in Milam County. Once operational in the first quarter of 2027, the facility is expected to produce up to 2.1 GW of high-efficiency TOPCon solar cells annually, expanding domestic solar manufacturing capacity. A planned second phase would expand capacity by an additional 3.2 GW. Steel fabrication began in early 2026. Cells manufactured at the G2 Austin plant will directly power T1 Energy’s 5GW G1 Dallas module facility in Wilmer, Texas.
Brownsville, Texas breaks ground on $80 million public safety complex
Work is underway on the two-story, 99,980-square-foot public safety complex in Brownsville, Texas, described as a major municipal project to centralize the city’s emergency response and safety operations. Located in the GBIC Tech Park, the $80 million center will include the city’s police, fire, emergency management, homeland security, information technology and cybersecurity operations. The complex is being designed by architecture firm Megamorphosis Inc., with Noble Builders as construction manager at risk.
Geismar, Louisiana, land distribution facility
Ratcliff Development and JRE Capital announced a 200,000-square-foot distribution facility planned for the 200-acre Magnolia Ridge Logistics Park in Ascension Parish. It will be the first phase of a development planned to serve the petrochemical, logistics, storage and industrial services sectors, says the developer. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027. No tenants or prospects were announced.
Inauguration of the Charlotte industrial park
Beacon Partners has broken ground on the first phase of Rapid Commerce Park, a planned industrial development in west Charlotte. The initial phase includes three Class A buildings totaling 410,037 square feet, which will form part of a 1.5 million square meter manufacturing and logistics park if fully built out. The project team includes Edifice Construction, Choate Construction, Orsborn Design Group and WGM Design. The park has access to Interstate 485 near Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Contractor Satterfield & Pontikes Buys Alabama Firms AG Peltz, Abramson
Houston-based Satterfield & Pontikes Construction has acquired Irondale, Ala., construction companies AG Peltz Group and Abramson LLC, which the new parent said is a specialty paving and heavy civil construction rig with expertise in roller compacted concrete, slipform paving and other concrete work. No details of the transaction were disclosed. Satterfield & Pontikes said the purchase expands its self-execution capabilities.
Bentley Residences Tower achieves vertical construction milestone in Florida
Vertical construction has reached the seventh floor of Bentley Residences Miami in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, after what project officials say was the largest residential foundation in Florida and the second largest in the U.S. Dezer Development is developing the 62-story, 216-unit luxury condominium tower with Bentley Motors. Scheduled for completion in 2028, it is designed by Sieger Suarez Architects and is being built by Coastal Construction.
EFK Moen LLC expands Georgia transportation practice with acquisition
EFK Moen LLC, Atlanta, has acquired Linear Infrastructure Group, adding four senior transportation engineers and strengthening its road and bridge design capabilities in Georgia. The company also recently acquired All Civil Engineering in St. Louis.
Robins & Morton, St. Luke’s Health Launch Houston- Area Rehab Hospital
Beacon Robins & Morton joined St. Luke’s Health and Lifepoint Rehabilitation to begin construction on a 58,000-square-foot inpatient rehabilitation hospital in the Houston area. The facility will include 40 private rooms and offer nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy services. Robins & Morton is the general contractor and ESa is the architect for the hospital, which is expected to open in spring 2027.
Parkhill, Komatsu Architecture Partner to Expand Design Services in Texas
Parkhill has partnered with Komatsu Architecture, combining the architecture and engineering services of the former with the architecture and interior design practice of the latter. The Texas companies said the tie-up will expand their ability to serve customers across the state and beyond, while maintaining a focus on community-centered design. Komatsu Architecture is known for civic, judicial and public safety projects, while Parkhill has 15 offices in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Robins & Morton, Branch builds new Carilion Cancer Center in Virginia
Workers, project partners and stakeholders gather to celebrate the completion of the six-story, 257,000-square-foot Carilion Taubman Cancer Center in Roanoke, Va., marking the structural completion of the facility.
Photo courtesy Branch
Robins & Morton and partner Branch Builds have broken ground on the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center in Roanoke, Va., marking the structural completion of the six-story, 257,000-square-foot facility that will consolidate treatment, clinical trials and research programs at Carilion Clinic’s Riverside campus. HDR is the architect. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027.
