Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The monthly Architecture Billings Index of the American Institute of Architects finished 2011 on a positive note, at 52.0 for both November and December. (Any number above 50 indicates an increase in billings.) The year-end stats represent the first above-50 result in four months. The South outscored other regions in December at 54.2, followed by the Midwest (53.1) and Northeast (52.6). The West remained negative at 45.1. Multifamily residential was the strongest sector (54.3); commercial/industrial was also positive at 54.1. Institutional edged into positive territory at 51.3—the first positive score since January 2011 and the highest since mid-2008. However, member survey respondents report that design fees are still suppressed as a share of construction costs.
http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB092725
