The construction industry in 2002 entered what some have called an "Age of Anxiety" as key markets around the world began to slump significantly, terrorism became a household word in places totally unaccustomed to it and saber rattling by some of the biggest and most heavily armed nations set the entire world on
edge.
Yet in good times and in bad, the global construction industry produces a prodigious amount of work. ENR estimates this to be about $3.4 trillion annually—a serious component of national, regional and local economies. In any particular year, some markets go up, some go down, some companies end their existence and many others are born. This perpetual process of activity produces its own wonders and accomplishments. Some of those from 2002 are pictured on the following pages.