The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI score was 48.7, up considerably from the mark of 45.9 in June. Noticeably, the South was the only region reporting increase in design activity. el jeffe noted dejectedly "hard to get excited.i don't think that a slightly lessened decline in billing would be a rebound; the direction hasn't changed, just the rate of decline."

Since it was finished half a dozen years ago, Herzog & de Meuron's 40 Bond Street has become one the foremost icons of the current generation of New York City architecture. Or so the design cognoscenti think. But what about everybody else? Among average New Yorkers, opinions are mixed in this funny video. One guy who definitely does not like the place is a cranky old neighbor from down the block. — New York Observer