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AIA: Billings at U.S. Architecture Firms Exceeds $40 Billion Annually |
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 10:37 |
Substantial increase in green design practices and use of BIM software and continued gains in diversity of profession.
In the three-year period leading up to the current recession, gross billings at U.S. architecture firms increased nearly $16 billion from 2005 and totaled $44.3 billion in 2008. This equates to 54 percent growth over the three-year period with annual growth of about 16 percent. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Business of Architecture: AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics, which is conducted every three years to examine issues related to the business practices of AIA member-owned architecture firms. The study also revealed sizeable gains in the number of firms doing green design projects, as well as using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software.
“While architecture firms are struggling considerably as the current economic slump continues unabated, there were extensive increases in revenue for the profession during the period this survey covered,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Of particular note, the survey also revealed that the number of firms practicing green design has nearly doubled since 2005. The use of BIM software has also doubled in the last three years.”
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Last Updated on Friday, 20 November 2009 13:43 |
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AIA Encouraged by White House Directive on Green Federal Buildings |
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 11:32 |
“On October 5th, President Barack Obama signed the Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance executive order that will help federal agencies meet carbon emission reduction goals advocated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and passed by Congress in 2007. The AIA strongly supports Administration efforts to achieve carbon-neutral federal facilities by 2030, which is consistent with the AIA public policy committing architects to the same goal and timeframe,” said Christine McEntee, Executive Vice President / CEO of the AIA.
She continued, “We are concerned, however, that the executive order may lead to carbon emission reporting and tracking requirements on federal contractors that go beyond what most companies, especially small architecture firms, are able to perform. The AIA stands ready to work with the Administration to ensure that any tracking and reporting provisions adhere to existing guidelines and best practices, such as those found in the AIA 2030 Commitment program. Architecture firms demonstrate compliance with the 2030 Commitment by instituting sustainable business practices.
We also believe that any long-term strategy for improving the sustainability and performance of federal buildings must address a growing shortage of licensed, trained architects and engineers in the federal workforce. We look forward to working with the administration to address these issues.” |
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Demand for Special Home Features Wane while Energy Conservation Options Remain Popular |
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Tuesday, 06 October 2009 10:21 |
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In light of the downturn in the housing market and overall economy, homeowners are still adding energy-efficient options and low maintenance produces, while showing a lessened interest in special features such as home theaters, guest wings and three-car garages. Business conditions at residential architecture firms are stabilizing with the entry-level housing market showing a movement towards recovery.
These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the second quarter of 2009 that focused on emerging home features: systems, technologies and function rooms in the home.
“There has been a decrease in popularity for certain energy-efficient products or systems, but overall they continue to be in demand from homeowners,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “And reflecting the current economic conditions, we have also seen a significant drop in the investment in theaters, guest or kid wings, mud rooms and other specialty features.”
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Architecture Billings Index Points to Continued Struggles for Construction Industry |
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Thursday, 24 September 2009 12:49 |
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All regions and sectors suffer due to ongoing credit market issues for construction projects.
Another stall in the recovery for the construction industry as the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to its lowest level since June. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI rating was 41.7, down slightly from 43.1 in July. This score indicates a decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry score was 55.2.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 06:51 |
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American Institute of Architects to Host Series of Transportation and Community Forums |
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Written by AIA Press Release
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Monday, 21 September 2009 10:26 |
Opportunity for citizens to engage with political and civic leaders about community transportation and planning issues.
As a member of Transportation of America, a broad coalition calling for the renewal of our national transportation program for the 21st century, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) will be hosting a series of public forums across the country. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has been working with groups like AIA and other stakeholders to encourage public forums that address the growing infrastructure crisis and highlight the many interconnecting infrastructure issues and transportation needs, including the priorities of architects to design sustainable, livable communities.
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Last Updated on Monday, 21 September 2009 10:28 |
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According to a Study by Environmental Systems Design, Data Center Construction Costs Are Down |
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Tuesday, 15 September 2009 08:14 |
The current economic crisis has an up-side for owners of mission-critical facilities: on average, it costs less today to construct a new data center than it did in late 2007, according to a study by Environmental Systems Design (ESD).
In today’s economy, owners are likely to find significant savings on labor, data center equipment and building materials, and transportation of building materials and equipment. Most notably, ESD found that the prices of feeder and cable have dropped by more than half; major data center equipment by 12%; labor and materials overall by 19.6%, and shipping and handling by 15% from the fourth quarter of 2007 to July 15, 2009.
“Our analysis shows that for any company anticipating the need to build or expand a data there is currently a window of opportunity to realize considerable savings,” said Raj Gupta, President and CEO, Environmental Systems Design.
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