A slight decline was seen in the most recent Architecture Billing Index as it registered a score of 51, which is down one point from last month. And the tallies for project inquiries and design contracts, which tend to lead billings, were also lower in March.

The commercial/industrial sector gained ground to hit 53.1, while the multifamily sector lost ground, but still posted a 53.4. The institutional ABI ended up in negative territory at 49.7, which the Wells Fargo Economics Group indicated might reflect more restrained construction on public projects such as education and healthcare facilities.

Overall the group was still upbeat stating the six-month run above 50 for the ABI "is consistent with growth in architecture billings," and though construction activity has lost a little momentum, it still "remains solid."

Any reading above 50 in the ABI means that there were more architecture firms that billed more than last month than those that billed less.