Construction + Economy

According to the latest numbers from the Commerce Department, total employment for production workers in the construction industry was 3,909,000 in January 2010 (preliminary estimate and subject to adjustment), 15.7% lower than 4,639,000 workers in January 2009 and a 10-year low. The most recent peak was 6,236,000 in August 2006: The January 2010 figure represents [...]

The United States suffered its worst recession in 70 years following the collapse of the housing market. The good news is some economists believe the economy began to recover in Q309 after hitting bottom in the second quarter. The residential construction market is expected to recover, and the Federal stimulus has generated some growth in [...]

Construction spending during November 2009 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $900.1 billion, 0.6% lower than the revised October 2009 estimate of $905.6 billion and 13.2% below the November 2008 estimate of $1.037 trillion. During the first 11 months of 2009, construction spending amounted to $868.9 billion, 12.7% below the $994.9 billion [...]

On the heels of a more than 3-point dip last November, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index (ABI) had a negligible increase of less than 1 point in December. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction [...]

As part of LEED v3 (LEED 2009), the latest version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s program for green building design, construction, operations and maintenance, buildings seeking LEED certification will begin submitting operational performance data on a recurring basis as a precondition to certification. Projects can comply with the performance requirement in one of three [...]

The US architecture industry includes about 17,000 firms, with combined annual revenue of $20 billion, according to a new report by Research and Markets. The industry is highly fragmented: only about 100 firms have annual revenue of more than $100 million. The typical architecture firm has 10 employees and annual revenue of $1 million. See [...]

The Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions fell 5.7 points in December to 48.2. The index failed to top the critical 50-point threshold for the first time since July, indicating modest deterioration in the business environment following a period of steady, if slow, growth over the last several months. By contrast, [...]

Highlights of Int. No. 973: * Lighting systems in buildings larger than 50,000 gross sq.ft. (or buildings that combined with other buildings on same tax lot in total exceed 100,000 sq.ft.) must be upgraded * Deadline for upgrade is 1/1/2025 * Upgrade defined as meeting minimum requirements of New York City Energy Conservation Code * [...]

Following its highest mark since August 2008, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped more than three points in November. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI rating was 42.8, down from 46.1 in October. This score indicates a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase [...]