Trump’s Tariffs: Why Building in U.S. Just Got Pricier

Welcome back to PropTech Pool. We’re kicking things off with a splash of sticker shock: new 25 % Trump‑era metal tariffs are rippling through the supply chain, and single‑family homes now come with an extra up to $14 000 price tag.
Builders are biting their nails; CFOs are doing the math. 

On the tech front, Atlanta just flipped the switch on a metro‑wide digital twin that digests live traffic, weather and utility feeds every 30 seconds – turning urban planning into a real‑time dashboard instead of a dusty PDF. And if adaptive reuse makes your heart race, MVRDV is transforming a Dutch church into “Holy Water,” a pool with a floor that rises, falls and hosts everything from laps to late‑night events. 

Ready for the deep end? We are too. Let’s dive in! 🏊‍♀️

💰Trump Tariffs: Homes Just Got A Lot Pricier

A $14,000 jump for a single-family home

New import taxes pushed by Donald Trump are hitting builders hard: a blanket 25% surcharge now applies to most steel and aluminum products, with extra duties on copper and many solar-panel parts. The National Association of Home Builders estimates the average single-family home now costs about $10,900 more, while Delta Cost Group puts the upper impact at $14,000 compared to last year.

Which materials took the biggest hit?

• Steel rebar and framing studs: Wholesale prices are up roughly 15% since March, according to Fastmarkets.

• Aluminum windows and curtain-wall frames: Lighter than steel, but now heavier on the wallet due to the new tariffs.

• Copper wiring and pipe fittings: Also swept into the metals levy, driving up costs across the board.

• Solar panels, inverters, and batteries: Certain Southeast Asian modules now face duties of up to 271%, warns PV Magazine USA.

Sustainability setback – for now

Higher prices for rooftop solar and home batteries are adding 6–12 months to payback times, calculates EnergySage. Rather than easing supply issues, these tariffs put additional strain on domestic manufacturers who are already struggling to meet demand, further inflating costs and delaying the adoption of clean technologies.

🤖 Atlanta’s Metro-Scale Digital Twin Goes Live

Atlanta just switched on one of the largest real-time digital twins in the country-a project that began in Peachtree Corners and now covers the metro area, merging live traffic, weather, utility, and CCTV data into a single 3D model.

• How it works: Powered by NVIDIA Omniverse and deployed by BizzTech at the city’s Curiosity Lab, the system ingests sensor data every 30 seconds, then runs AI to predict congestion, flag safety risks, and test zoning ideas before ground is broken (Curiosity Lab press release).

• Why it matters: Atlanta planners have slashed traffic-signal change requests from weeks to minutes. Utility crews can spot water main leaks virtually before rolling a truck. The Atlanta Regional Commission expects the platform to save $15 million a year in avoided delays and rework.

• What’s next: A public “citizen view” launches this summer, and a GPT-style agent is in training so staff can ask questions like, “Show me every vacant lot within 500 ft of a bus stop.”

♻️ MVRDV - Old Church Into Adaptable Swimming Pool

In a recent edition, we raved about Milan’s extraordinary Scuderie de Montel - former aristocratic stables reborn as a cutting‑edge thermal spa.

Today we’ve discovered an equally astonishing reinvention of space: “Holy Water,” MVRDV’s bold plan to transform a historic church in Heerlen, the Netherlands, into a contemporary aquatic sanctuary. The design keeps the nave’s soaring grandeur intact while introducing an adjustable pool (of course it is a pool!) floor that can rise to become a seamless events stage. It’s sacred architecture meeting modern leisure - proof that visionary retrofits can breathe new life into even the most unlikely places.

Why it matters:

• 🏛️ Retrofit, don’t demolish: Historic buildings shouldn’t-or often can’t-be demolished. Adapting them is the ultimate sustainability move.

• 🔄 Adaptive design: The adjustable floor lets the space host everything from community events to wellness classes, maximizing utility.

• 🛠️ Preserving the detailed past: Even the roof’s insulation happens with care-the original roof is removed, insulated from the outside, then put back in place.

PropTech Pool takeaway:
Sustainability isn’t always about futuristic tech. Sometimes, it’s about reimagining what’s already here-proving that with some creativity, even a church can make a splash as a new community hub.