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Architecture Firms Step Back in November 01-14-10 | News

Architecture Firms Step Back in November






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After the steep downturns of last winter and earlier this spring, the ABI had generally been trending up in recent months. While the drop in the index in November?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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As design downturn nears the two-year mark, firms anticipate significant changes over the coming year. In spite of the generally favorable trends in recent months, business conditions at U.S. architecture firms moved down in November. AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) declined more than three points to a reading of 42.8, indicating that firm revenue continues to decline, Kermit Baker, AIA Chief Economist.






Regional patterns in business conditions remain unusually erratic. However, regional ABI scores have generally remained in the low-40s for the past several months and no region is signaling that a recovery is imminent. Likewise, ABI scores across the major construction sectors are relatively weak and quite volatile.
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Inquiries for new projects remained positive, but steady gains in inquiries for the past nine months still have not produced increases in workloads. Firms in all regions of the country and in all construction sectors reported declines, although firms with an institutional specialization showed the most encouraging signs. Most architecture firms expect significant changes to their structure and operations over the coming year. – Courtesy of AIA

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