Construction workers died at a rate of 9.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2021, the BLS reported, down from 10.1 in 2020. That rate has hovered in that threshold for at least a decade. The new per capita figures are the lowest since 2011, but still don’t break the trend.
Worker death rate across all industries was 3.6 per 100,000, the highest since 2016.
— Construction Dive
Among the demographics, immigrant Hispanic & Latino workers were almost twice as likely to die than their U.S.-born counterparts, highlighting an underreported problem nationwide. Slips, trips, and falls were among the most commonly-recorded causes of death, followed by transportation... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects has released their latest quarterly report into residential design. The AIA Home Design Trends Survey (Q4) revealed a contraction in the demand for residential design inquiries and design contracts, despite billings for residential projects continuing to... View full entry
Data taken from the latest American Institute of Architects (AIA) report shows a continued decrease in the demand for design services industry-wide in November as economic concerns for the new year loom. The new Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for the month was 46.6, down from... View full entry
The latest data from November’s Dodge Construction Network report has revealed an 18% decline in total construction starts nationwide to an adjusted annual rate of $926.3 billion. The dip follows an October rebound that ended two consecutive months of declining figures. Total... View full entry
In any future analysis of architectural workplace conditions, the impact of 2022 cannot be understated. Throughout the year, our editorial played host to a wide variety of labor-related developments in the profession, from top-down efforts to improve salary transparency to bottom-up unionization... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Los Angeles-based Walker Workshop, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in California this week, where we find San Francisco-based Mork-Ulnes Architects. Founded in 2005 by Casper Mork-Ulnes, the nimble 10-person practice operates in both San Francisco... View full entry
There is another cause of overcrowding and homelessness. It is mansionization, the demolition of older, smaller, less expensive houses by real estate speculators who quickly replace them with spec McMansions: boxy, shoddily built houses that max out the permitted building envelope. — City Watch LA
The disincentive to build multifamily and affordable housing is made worse by the popularity of these easily repeatable home designs, which also cost more to construct while taking up more space and using more water and electricity. Certain communities around L.A. County have developed effective... View full entry
Heatherwick Studio has offered a first look inside their new Shanghai studio, the first overseas office to be opened by the London design firm. The office is located within 1000 Trees, a building designed by Heatherwick which opened in 2021. Image credit: Qingyan Zhu for Heatherwick Studio Located... View full entry
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) has increased to 9.2 months in November, the highest level since the second quarter of 2019. This reading is 0.4 months up from October and a 0.8-month increase from November... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Boston-based Peter Rose + Partners, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Los Angeles this week, where we find Walker Workshop. Founded in 2010, the firm has grown a rich portfolio of residential homes which the team describes as "warmly minimal with... View full entry
According to a recently released analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), construction input prices have fallen 0.9% in November from October readings. Additionally, nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.8% in... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects has welcomed a move by the Biden Administration to introduce the first-ever Federal Building Performance Standard. Under the plans, buildings owned by the Federal government will cut energy use and electrify equipment across 30% of their building space by... View full entry
Construction filled more hard hats in October, as the total job openings dropped by 52,000 from a month earlier to 371,000, or 21,000 fewer vacancies than in October 2021, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). — Construction Dive
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. While October's reading is promising, given a looming recession and labor shortages, 4.6% of all construction... View full entry
Several chapters of the AIA in California, including AIA California and AIA Los Angeles, have published an open letter to the California Architects Board (CAB) in opposition to proposed changes in how licensed architects in the state must advertise their license number. California Code of... View full entry
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) for November showed a steady increase of 3.8% to 207.2, marking the third consecutive month of growth following September and October’s revised totals of 182.2 and 199.6, respectively. The reported increases in planning activity were propelled by commercial... View full entry
