The conflict in Iran is inflicting a new toll on U.S. commercial construction, raising costs and risking project delays.

伊朗冲突正给美国商业建筑行业带来新的打击，推高成本并使项目面临延误风险。



Rising fuel prices after more than a month of hostilities have increased the cost to ship construction materials for building apartments, office towers, retail centers and other commercial properties. Higher prices for oil and natural gas have also made building materials made with those fuels, such as plastic pipes and asphalt, more expensive.

在持续一个多月的敌对行动后，燃油价格上涨，增加了运输用于建造公寓、办公楼、零售中心和其他商业地产的建筑材料的成本。 石油和天然气价格走高，也使得用这些燃料生产的建筑材料，如塑料管道和沥青，价格更加昂贵。

The price of aluminum, which is used for window framing, roofing and cladding, is rising, too.

用于窗框、屋顶和外墙覆层的铝的价格也在上涨。

Many construction firms have to absorb the higher costs for now, rather than passing them onto developers and property owners, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, a construction trade group.

美国总承包商协会（一个建筑行业组织）的首席经济学家肯·西蒙森表示，目前许多建筑公司不得不自行消化成本上涨，而不是将其转嫁给开发商和业主。

But if costs continue higher for much longer, future construction projects are at risk of delays or even cancellations because they would no longer pencil out.

但如果成本持续上涨过久，未来的建设项目将面临延误甚至取消的风险，因为这些项目将不再有利可图。

"Looking forward, we're going to see even more caution on the part of owners about going ahead with projects," Simonson said.

西蒙森说：“展望未来，我们会看到业主在推进项目方面会更加谨慎。”

Hundreds of ships are stuck near the Strait of Hormuz, despite a tenuous two-week cease-fire agreed to by the U.S., Israel and Iran. Stalled vessels remain a source of strain on global supply chains.

尽管美国、以色列和伊朗达成了为期两周的脆弱停火协议，但仍有数百艘船只滞留在霍尔木兹海峡附近。 停滞的船只仍是全球供应链紧张的一个源头。

The latest price shocks come after overall construction costs cooled slightly as recently as December, following years of pandemic supply chain disruptions and the Trump administration's tariff hikes, construction industry professionals said.

建筑行业专业人士表示，在经历多年的疫情供应链中断和特朗普政府加征关税后，整体建筑成本直到最近才在12月略有回落，而如今又迎来了最新的价格冲击。

"We had just started to get to the point where prices were getting predictable," said Mike Holland, chief operating officer of Houston-based Marek Brothers Systems, a company focused on building interiors. "This war just trashed that."

“我们刚开始进入价格变得可预测的阶段，”专注于室内建筑的休斯顿Marek Brothers Systems公司的首席运营官迈克·霍兰德说。 “这场战争让这一切都泡汤了。”

U.S. commercial building activity was already cooling this year, despite more stable prices. The lone bright spot in the construction industry has been data centers. Construction of these properties is so far undeterred by those higher costs because of still unmet demand from hyperscalers.

尽管价格较为稳定，但今年美国商业建筑活动已经降温。 建筑行业唯一的亮点是数据中心。 由于超大规模企业对数据中心的需求仍未得到满足，因此到目前为止，这些地产的建设并未受到成本上涨的影响。

Data center construction spending was up 31% in January compared with the same month a year prior, while all other nonresidential spending fell 5% during the same period, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

根据美国人口普查局的数据，今年1月，数据中心建设支出同比增长31%，而同期其他所有非住宅建筑支出下降了5%。

The construction industry is contending with a host of other issues beyond the conflict in Iran. Interest rates remain elevated and reduced immigration has made for an especially shallow labor pool. Construction hiring in February, when the Strait of Hormuz was still open, fell to the slowest rate on record, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors.

除了伊朗冲突，建筑行业还面临诸多其他问题。 利率居高不下，移民减少导致劳动力尤其短缺。 据美联建筑商与承包商协会的数据，2月份霍尔木兹海峡还未封锁时，建筑行业招聘速度就已降至有记录以来的最低水平。

The construction sector added more jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but not enough to assuage concerns over a prolonged period of cost increases.

根据美国劳工统计局的数据，3月份建筑行业新增就业岗位有所增加，但仍不足以缓解人们对成本持续上涨的担忧。

"The March jobs data do not capture the detrimental ways in which the conflict in Iran will continue to affect the construction industry," said Anirban Basu, chief economist at ABC.

美联建筑商与承包商协会首席经济学家安尼尔班·巴苏表示：“3月份的就业数据并未反映出伊朗冲突将继续对建筑行业产生的不利影响。”

Since the start of the war, the price of PVC used for piping has risen more than 50%, said Rob Cantando, director of national strategic supply chain at Skanska USA Building.

美国斯堪斯卡建筑公司国家战略供应链总监罗布·坎坦多表示，自战争爆发以来，用于管道的聚氯乙烯（PVC）价格已上涨超过50%。

Aluminum prices jumped after Iran's bombings of smelters in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. At one Skanska project, shippers for roofing materials are charging a fuel surcharge of $600 per truck, Cantando said.

伊朗轰炸阿布扎比和巴林的冶炼厂后，铝价大幅上涨。 坎坦多说，在斯堪斯卡的一个项目中，屋顶材料运输商每辆卡车收取600美元的燃油附加费。

Construction workers have their own woes. Holland said his laborers in Texas often live far away from job sites and are getting walloped at the gas pump. His company is considering providing workers with a fuel stipend if prices remain high, he said.

建筑工人也有自己的烦恼。 霍兰德说，他在得克萨斯州的工人通常住在远离工地的地方，他们在加油站深受高油价之苦。 他表示，如果油价持续高企，公司正考虑为工人提供燃油补贴。

Sandy Sigal, chief executive of NewMark Merrill Companies, develops retail centers in California, Illinois and Colorado. He is currently in talks with construction contractors for new projects. Project costs haven't been revised higher yet, he said, but with the increased prices of fuel and materials like asphalt, that could soon change.

桑迪·西格尔是新马克·梅里尔公司的首席执行官，该公司在加利福尼亚州、伊利诺伊州和科罗拉多州开发零售中心。 他目前正在与建筑承包商就新项目进行谈判。 他说，项目成本尚未上调，但随着沥青等燃料和材料价格上涨，这种情况可能很快就会改变。

"The warning's being sent to us: Just don't be surprised when it happens," Sigal said.

西格尔说：“我们收到了警告：当这种情况发生时，不要感到惊讶。”

素材来源：iYuba

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