2022 is speeding along, and with March quickly approaching, this means another Dodge Construction Network report has been released. In January, total construction starts increased 4% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $923.4 billion. Nonresidential building starts increased 4% and nonbuilding... View full entry
Lumber prices have seen dramatic rises and falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, prices saw a 90% increase on the previous 12 months, adding an extra $36,000 onto the cost of constructing a new home in the United States. The record-high in May was followed a 40% decline in prices in... View full entry
The White House has announced the establishment of a task force to enhance the sustainability credentials of federally-funded buildings. The Buy Clean Task Force will promote the use of construction materials with lower embodied carbon emissions and pollutants across their lifecycle, including at... View full entry
The Dodge Momentum Index has continued to fall in January, yielding a 7% decline to a four-month low of 152.9 from the revised December reading of 163.7. Commercial planning fell 9% and institutional planning fell 1%. Previously on Archinect: Dodge Momentum Index declines in November, remains near... View full entry
One of the largest architecture firms in North America is expanding again as Perkins Eastman has announced a merger with BLT Architects (BLTa) effective February 1st. The new entity will be known as BLTa—A Perkins Eastman Studio and operate out of Philadelphia, a traditional stronghold of... View full entry
People living in San Francisco may be given the opportunity to vote on a proposal to tax vacant homes in the city. The proposal, filed with city officials this month, seeks to address a chronic shortage of housing in San Francisco by encouraging landlords to either rent or sell vacant units... View full entry
Sales of cars powered solely by batteries surged in the United States, Europe and China last year, while deliveries of fossil fuel vehicles were stagnant. Demand for electric cars is so strong that manufacturers are requiring buyers to put down deposits months in advance. And some models are effectively sold out for the next two years. — The New York Times
As noted by The New York Times, the rise of electric vehicles represents the largest shift in the auto industry since the introduction of Henry Ford’s Model T. Their sales account for nearly 9 percent of new cars sold last year, which is up from 2.5 percent in 2019, according to the... View full entry
Following January's look at architecture's relationship with furniture and product design, we're taking another look at alternative career paths an architecture education can provide. This week, we highlight a selection of exciting job opportunities listed on Archinect... View full entry
November 2021 saw 4.5 million Americans resign from their jobs; a peak month of the so-called “Great Resignation” and the largest figure since 2000. As with the broader economy, architecture firms face an ongoing battle to attract and retain staff, a battle which existed before the pandemic... View full entry
A unionization effort at SHoP Architects that drew attention from across the industry has now been defeated after organizers officially withdrew their petition with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) to form a labor union within the office. After a push toward unionization was first made... View full entry
The nonresidential building sector is expected to rebound through 2023 after a slow recovery with the broader economy last year, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects. The AIA’s Consensus Construction Forecast for December 2021, comprising leading economic... View full entry
The World Economic Forum has published a briefing paper setting out its recommendations for sustainable building development. Titled Accelerating the Decarbonization of Buildings: The Net-Zero Carbon Cities Building Value Framework,” the document sets to establish a series of practical steps at... View full entry
Architects are no strangers to burnout. In recent years, our editorial has explored the genesis of burnout in architectural circles by examining the impact of college studio culture as well as burnout and fatigue in the professional architectural workplace. While burnout existed long before... View full entry
When old office blocks are demolished, their steel frames are typically smelted down to be recycled, emitting thousands of tonnes of carbon in the process. But at One Broadgate, the steel beams that once framed the London headquarters of inter-dealer broker TP Icap Plc will instead be salvaged from the site and recycled by developer Fabrix. Chief Executive Officer Clive Nichol says the example proves it’s possible to “apply the circular economy to structural elements of buildings.” — Bloomberg Green
Fabrix has purchased 139 tons of steel from the contractor behind the demolition of One Broadgate and plans to use it on other projects in London. The process, known as urban mining, recovers and resells raw materials from waste products. Related on Archinect: How 'Anthropocene mining'... View full entry
CRE publication The Real Deal has released its annual list of the ten most commercially successful firms in New York City’s high-profile building market. Most of our readers will recognize these firms as regulars in Archinect Jobs. As the architects of record, these firms appeared in... View full entry
