Strong Start for 2020

Starting the year on a strong note, architecture firm billings strengthened slightly in January, according to a new report dated 2/19/2020 from the AIA. AIA’s ABI score of 52.2 for January compared to 52.1* in December reflects an increase in design services provided by U.S. architecture firms (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). Indicators of work in the pipeline, including new project inquiries and new design contracts remained positive, posting scores of 57.9 and 56.0 respectively.

“Despite the continued presence of volatility in the economy, design activity has begun to accelerate in recent months,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “Even with the ongoing challenges facing the nonresidential construction sector, this upturn points to at least modest growth over the coming year.”

*Every January the AIA research department updates the seasonal factors used to calculate the ABI, resulting in a revision of recent ABI values.

Key ABI highlights for January include:

  • Regional averages: South (56.7); West (52.1); Midwest (51.3); Northeast (45.3)
  • Sector index breakdown: mixed practice (51.6); commercial/industrial (51.5); multi-family residential (51.2); institutional (51.1)
  • Project inquiries index: 57.9
  • Design contracts index: 56.0
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