Following last week’s visit to Portland-based Skylab Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Atlanta, GA this week to meet multidisciplinary boutique studio House Walker. Led by Hank Houser and Gregory Walker, the firm has expanded from its 2004 founding to encompass a... View full entry
It’s the first time in the 20 years the AIA has collected this data that renovations have breached 50%. In 2005, toward the end of a pre-recession building boom, renovations made up approximately one-third of billings. That share has been increasing steadily since 2017, when it was 44.4%, up to 52% this year. Kermit Baker, the AIA’s chief economist, says that the last time the market for design services was so heavily weighted toward renovations was likely during the Great Depression. — Bloomberg
According to Baker, about 25% of renovation projects constitute interior remodels, while adaptive reuse schemes make up another quarter of those registered with the AIA. Just 3.8% are done in the interest of improved building energy performance, with a scant 1.6% being resiliency projects. The... View full entry
Construction spending in New York City will reach an all-time high of $86 billion this year, up $38 billion from 2021, according to a new report from the New York Building Congress.
The report finds that despite numerous obstacles from the pandemic and economic uncertainty, construction spending and infrastructure investment in New York City remain positive.
— Construction Dive
The influx of capital, unfortunately, has not impacted the city’s most critical area of need as it was recently reported to have fallen short of its planned goals to construct 25,000 units of affordable housing by 36%. The New York Building Congress says the shortfall will only get worse as a... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Los Angeles-based LAUN, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Portland, OR this week to meet self-described “band of makers” Skylab Architecture. Since its founding two decades ago, the firm has grown into a 30-strong team of architects and... View full entry
It’s probably no surprise to those who make their career in the construction industry: Many construction workers are feeling a lot of pressure. In fact, 47% of construction worker respondents to a survey by StrongArm Technologies said they are currently stressed on the job. — Construction Dive
The report, titled the Industrial Athlete Workforce Report, by Brooklyn-based safety technology company StrongArm Technologies surveyed more than 600 workers in construction, manufacturing, and warehouse and transport industries about their jobs. Top stressors for workers included not being paid... View full entry
The latest data from the Dodge Construction Network (DCN) has revealed a 19% decline in the total number of construction starts for September, marking the second consecutive month in which declines were recorded following a 48% increase in July. The new seasonally adjusted annual rate is now $... View full entry
New data from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) September Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicates an increase in the demand for design services for the 20th consecutive month as the industry continues its positive growth into the year's final quarter. For September, the ABI was at... View full entry
An NCARB/NOMA investigation has found that people of color, especially African Americans, are more likely to report issues with their architecture firm’s culture. The Firm Culture & Career Development Report is the latest analysis articulating the results of the joint NCARB/NOMA Baseline on... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Fearon Hay, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in Los Angeles this week to meet architecture, interiors, and furniture designers LAUN. Founded in 2018 by friends Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell, the studio has grown from its bespoke furniture roots... View full entry
A survey of architectural professionals conducted by a U.S. union coalition has revealed widespread dissatisfaction with pay, hours, and agency in workplace decisions. The survey of 436 professionals was led by the Department for Professional Employees, whose 24 affiliated unions include the... View full entry
Perkins Eastman has announced the acquisition of New York’s Kliment Halsband Architects (KHA) in a move announced jointly by both firms on October 3rd. The 50-year-old practice is Perkins Eastman’s second acquisition this year following a move in February to acquire BLT Architects... View full entry
A leading economist in the AEC industry has warned that the United States' housing sector has entered a recession, with ramifications for homebuilding in the coming years. Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), made the comments at the National... View full entry
A worker-led organization has launched in the United Kingdom with the aim of improving salary transparency in the architecture profession. The Pay 100, founded earlier this year, is currently calling on architecture workers in the UK to submit their salaries to the group, who will ultimately... View full entry
2021 saw a 67% annual increase in the number of all-electric buildings delivered in the United States by AIA 2030 Commitment signatories, according to new data from the American Institute of Architects. The findings are contained within the AIA 2030 Commitment By the Numbers report, which the... View full entry
The latest Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) report indicates a sizable increase of 5.7% to a total of 183.2 for September, up from the revised 173.4 figure that was recorded in August. The Dodge Construction Network notes that this total falls within 5% of the DMI’s all-time high and was... View full entry