Archinect - News

July 2020 saw leadership troubles at the AA, exposed corruption with PPP stimulus monies, highlighted struggles for new architecture graduates and Revit blowback

2020-12-24T13:15:00-05:00

By the start of July most of the world was more than three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, far surpassing the original hopes that we would have had it contained enough to return back to schools and workplaces. New architecture graduates were a couple of months into a job search at a time when most firms couldn't even think of hiring new staff. Summer travels plans were abandoned or drastically altered in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, while many were throwing caution to the wind to regain their freedom. Little did we all know, we were still in the infancy of the pandemic. In the world of architecture, these were the stories that dominated the month of July...

Wa-Di Housing, a tribal transit-oriented development. Looking north towards Colorado Peak (left) and Tetilla Peak (right). Photo Credit: AOS Architects

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land—COVID-19’s Impact on Indian Country

For July 4th this year we opted to publish an op-ed by Joseph Kunkel, a citizen o...

Contractor faces prison time for PPP fraud. Buys $689,417 boat

2020-09-10T11:57:00-04:00

A Fort Myers, Florida, contractor has been arrested and charged with attempting to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) meant to help keep workers employed during the coronavirus. Casey David Crowther, 35, has been charged with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

Crowther received $2 million in funds from the PPP loan for his company, Target Roofing & Sheet Metal, and allegedly included misleading statements as to how the money would be used, stating that it would only be used for business purposes, Construction Dive reports. Shortly after receiving the PPP funds, it is reported that Crowther used a portion of the funds to purchase a 2020 40-foot catamaran boat for approximately $689,417. According to Construction Dive, the case is currently being investigated by the United States Secret Service.

Someone just created a tool to browse all the architecture firms that received PPP loans

2020-07-07T16:46:00-04:00

A recently published interface pulls together data on what architecture firms received approval for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding from the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). The interface collects publicly available information published by SBA that has been sorted according to the North American Industry Classification System code for the architecture industry, based on filings under NAICS CODE: 541310 for “Architectural Services.”

The interface, powered by Google’s Data Studio, shows 3,504 architecture-related companies that were approved to receive PPP funding from the SBA, resulting in the potential retention of over 100,000 employees.

The PPP program was included in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic aid package, passed in late March 2020, which was created to stem economic losses sustained by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing businesses to keep employees during this time of hardship. According to SBA, over $520 billion in loans has been dispersed o...

Construction firms top list of PPP loan recipients

2020-07-06T13:50:00-04:00

Industries getting the largest share of net PPP dollars were health and social assistance, professional, scientific and technical services, construction and manufacturing.

CNBC breaks down newly published data from the federal government highlighting the distribution of Paycheck Protection Program loans extended to American businesses in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously on Archinect:"Architecture Firm Owners Share Their PPP Woes"

According to CNBC, the construction industry took in over $60 billion in PPP loans during the initial funding rounds.

Applications for additional PPP funds are open through August 8, 2020.

Latest emergency economic aid package clears Congress

2020-04-23T20:25:00-04:00

On Thursday afternoon, the United States House of Representatives passed the latest COVID-19-related emergency economic stimulus plan. The plan was approved by the United States Senate on Wednesday and is due to be quickly signed into law by President Donald Trump.

The initiative will bring $320 billion dollars in funding to the beleaguered Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and $10 billion to the emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL). Both programs are targeted towaed helping small- to medium-sized businesses keep their employees on payroll. PPP offers forgivable low-interest loans that can be used to cover payroll costs and overhead for businesses that operate with fewer than 500 employees. The EIDL brings similar funding to companies located in specific areas severely impacted by the crisis.

Previously on Archinect: “Architecture Firm Owners Share Their PPP Woes.” The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) pr...

Paycheck Protection Program could see $321 billion infusion

2020-04-22T12:26:00-04:00

A fourth emergency economic aid package created in responses to the COVID-19 crisis has passed the United States Senate and is heading to the House of Representatives for a final vote. President Donald Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill once it reaches his desk.

The $484 billion deal passed by the Senate Tuesday afternoon and includes a $321 billion infusion into the embattled small-business loan programs that have rolled out over the last few weeks.

The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) opened to applications from businesses with 500 or fewer employees two weeks ago and quickly ran out of funds as the crushing economic losses gripping the country intensified. As Archinect members have explained, many of the small businesses that have applied for the funding have yet to hear back from the Small Business Administration, the department that is leading this aspect of the government’s economic support. Even fewer have actually received any of the loan ...

Has your small business been funded yet? COVID-19 economic relief programs are off to a rough start

2020-04-16T12:02:00-04:00

Although the federal government has embraced a significant economic and fiscal response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the roll-out of the small business relief support programs created to help keep Americans paid through the crisis has so far left business owners (and their employees) wanting.

A recent The Wall Street Journal report finds that “small-business owners who have applied for federally guaranteed loans to keep them afloat during the coronavirus pandemic are still largely waiting for the money.” WSJ adds that even as the scope of the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has expanded to include people who are self-employed and those who operate as independent contractors, many of the businesses that initially applied for the funds when the program launched last week have yet to receive any money. It appears, according to various reports, that many banks have been slow...