WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Architecture Billings Index is reflecting healthy and sustained demand for design services in nearly all nonresidential project types. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9-12 month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the July ABI score was 54.7, down a point from a mark of 55.7 in June. This score still reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 63.7, up slightly from a reading of 63.4 the … Read more

ATLANTA, Ga. — U.S. construction starts came in below expectations during the second quarter, held back by disappointing business investment. Both residential and nonresidential sectors underperformed relative to forecast, according to construction data provider CMD's latest quarterly report. The forecast, which combines CMD's proprietary data with macroeconomic factors, showed total starts performing lower than expected primarily due to the sluggish U.S. economy at the beginning of the second quarter. As a result, total construction starts in 2015 are expected to grow 7.1 percent, a downgrade from the 9 percent forecast in the previous report. “Last quarter saw the wider U.S. … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite the adverse weather conditions that curtailed design and construction activity in the first quarter of the year, the overall construction market has performed extremely well to date. The greatest amount of activity was seen in the building of commercial properties — most notably offices and hotels — with an unusually high spike in manufacturing construction spending triggered by the surge in domestic oil and natural gas production.   The American Institute of Architects" semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation's leading construction forecasters, is projecting that spending will see a nearly nine percent increase … Read more