Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen Wire: the latest American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index shows workloads for U.S. architects fell sharply in May to 45.8; anything below 50 indicates a decrease in demand. It is the first time the index has dropped below 50 in five months.

In contrast, the latest RIBA Future Trends Survey shows the workload index for UK architects has seen a significant increase compared to this time last year.

Here is the report from the AIA:

Billings at U.S. architecture firms reversed sharply in May, with the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index falling to 45.8 for the month on top of a more modest decline in April. Any score below 50 indicates a decline in revenue at firms, and the May reading represents the steepest decline in almost a year. This pattern in ABI readings mimics 2011, when billings increased in the first quarter and then reversed in the second before recovering later in the year.

The drop pushed firms in all regions of the country into declining billings. The downturn is particularly notable at firms in the Northeast and Midwest, which had been posting generally positive readings for the past several months. Firms with an institutional building specialization remained weak, while residential firms turned slightly negative after several months of positive business conditions. Firms specializing in commercial and industrial facilities were the one major category that continued to show growth in the face of the national downturn.

Economy entering a soft spot

Trends in business conditions at architecture firms are reflecting a slowdown in the broader economy. On the employment front, growth in business payrolls slowed to an average of just over 70,000 in April and May, after averaging monthly gains in excess of 225,000 in the first quarter, and 130,000 in the fourth quarter of 2011. For the first time since late 2010, weak growth in payrolls in May pushed up the national unemployment rate, which now stands at 8.2 percent.

As seen over the past several quarters, a slowdown in overall employment growth has meant a decline in construction employment. Construction payrolls declined by an average of 15,000 per month over the past two months, after recording small gains for the prior three quarters. The unemployment rate in the construction industry is currently 14.2 percent, above the national average but well below its high-water mark of more than 27 percent in early 2010.

Even with weak job growth, there are signs that the housing market has begun to turn around. Annualized housing starts for the first four months of the year have totaled 100,000 more than they did in 2011. Multifamily construction activity has accounted for almost half of this gain, as this market has improved dramatically as an increasing share of households are choosing renting over homeownership until the housing market stabilizes. Sales of existing homes have also improved, but at a somewhat slower rate.

Architects seek out design niches during the downturn

With the steep downturn in construction activity over the past several years, architecture firms have found increased shares of their workloads in less common niches. For example, many construction projects were downsized during the downturn as building owners looked to minimize their exposure to a weak economy. As such, a greater share of project activity was for retrofits and rehabilitations of existing buildings, which are generally much less expensive than new construction.

Members of the AIA’s Work-on-the Boards panel estimate that 10 percent of their billings over the past few years have come from smaller nonresidential construction projects, projects with an estimated construction value of under $500,000. Additionally, almost 20 percent of billings on average have come from smaller additions/alterations/retrofits to existing nonresidential facilities.

Smaller residential additions/remodels have accounted for 7 percent of firm billings in recent years, rising to over 20 percent for firms that specialize in the residential sector. Design modifications to nonresidential facilities that occurred after a construction contract was awarded have accounted for 5 percent of design billings, while designs for nonresidential buildings abandoned prior to construction (or significantly delayed and likely to be abandoned) have accounted for almost 10 percent of design activity.

Smaller architecture firms (those with annual revenues of less than $250,000) report higher average shares of design revenue in these niches: 15 percent for smaller nonresidential construction projects, 25 percent for smaller nonresidential retrofits, and 20 percent for smaller residential remodels. Larger firms report significantly lower shares of revenue for these projects. However, they report above-average shares for design modifications after contracts have been awarded. Firms that specialize in the commercial/industrial sector also report above-average shares of revenue for these smaller project types, particularly smaller nonresidential construction and retrofit projects.

Dezeen Wire: Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira is to be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening of the 13th International Architecture Biennale in Venice on 29 August.

Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas received the award two years ago – see our earlier story.

See all our stories about Álvaro Siza »

Here’s the full press release:

Álvaro Siza Vieira has been chosen to be the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition – Common Ground (Venice, Giardini and Arsenale, August 29th – November 25th, 2012).

The decision is made by the Board of la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, under Director David Chipperfield’s proposal, with the following motivation:

“I am equal in size to whatever I see, not hemmed in by the size I am” (Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet)

“It is difficult to think of a contemporary architect who has maintained such a consistent presence within the profession as Álvaro Siza. That this presence is maintained by an architect that lives and works at the extreme Atlantic margin of Europe only serves to emphasise his authority and his status.”

“Since the early appreciation of the Boa Nova restaurant and the swimming pools at Leca de Palmeira and a reputation confirmed by the early houses, Siza has maintained a unique position in the architectural galaxy. This position is full of paradox. Siza has upheld a consistent production of works at the highest level, yet without the slightest hint of the overt professionalism and promotion that has become part of the contemporary architect’s machinery. Apparently running in the opposite direction to the rest of the profession he always seems to be out in front, seemingly untainted and undaunted by the practical and intellectual challenges he sets himself.”

“Secured by his isolated location, he exudes worldly wisdom. Experimenting with forms of extreme geometry he manages to produce buildings of great rigor. Developing an architectural language that is uniquely his, he seems to speak to all of us. While his work exudes the security of judgment, it is clearly intensified through cautious reflection. While we are dazzled by the lightness of his buildings, we feel the seriousness of their substance.

Those of us fortunate enough to have heard him speak about architecture, using words as sparingly and as precise as the fine lines of his drawings, know that these works are not the product of a conventional talent but of a mind sophisticatedly exercised by the confidence of knowledge and the wisdom of doubt.”

The Golden Lion will be officially awarded to Álvaro Siza Vieira on Wednesday August 29th, 2012 – 11am at the Giardini of la Biennale, during the opening and award ceremony of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition.

Dezeen Wire: the final steel beam has been put in place at Four World Trade Center, the first rebuilt tower on the site of the September 11 attacks in New York City. The 298-metre, 72-storey tower was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and has been under construction since 2008.

Ground Zero is also home to two fountains sunk into the site of the former Twin Towers, designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker. Watch an animation of the the fountains here.

The unfinished Freedom Tower nearby is already the tallest building in the city, set to reach 1,776 feet on completion.

See more stories about New York »

Dezeen Wire: Japanese designer Takeshi Miyakawa has been accused of planting false bombs and arrested while installing his work in a New York street during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

The 50 year-old Brooklyn-based designer was arrested on Saturday after a passerby reported one of his illuminated I Love NY carrier-bags, hanging from trees and lamp-posts around the city, and the NYPD bomb squad were called in to investigate.

Miyakawa is now being held at Rikers Island prison for 30 days for psychological evaluation as the design world campaigns for him to be freed – follow #freetakeshi on Twitter and the Free Takeshi Miyakawa group on Facebook for more updates.

Portrait is by Louis Lim.

Here’s some more information from his studio:

Brooklyn-based designer Takeshi Miyakawa was arrested on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 2am for “planting false bombs” – he was installing a new series light sculptures inspired by the I LOVE NY plastic shopping bags (see attached images) around the city in trees and on lamp posts as part of NY Design Week 2012.

A passerby called in a bomb threat after noticing the sculpture installation. The NYPD arrested Miyakawa while a bomb squad verified that the sculptures were non-threatening. The designer and four of his colleagues co-operated with the police, repeatedly explaining that the hanging bags were an art-installation, and not explosives.

At an arraignment on Sunday, May 20, 2012 the prosecution recommended that the judge fix bail, while his lawyer, Deborah J Blum, characterized Miyakawa’s arrest as a gross misunderstanding as evidenced by his many accomplishments in the field of design.

The Honorable Martin Murphy decided to hold Miyakawa for a mental evaluation, extending his detainment for an additional 30 days.

The 50-year-old designer relocated Tokyo to New York City 23 years ago, working for the renowned New York architect Rafael Vinoly. Miyakawa established his solo design practice, Takeshi Miyakawa Design, in 2001.

Dezeen Wire: the world’s tallest broadcast tower designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando opened to the public for the first time today in Tokyo – The Independent

The 634-metre-high structure, named the Sky Tree, overtakes the Canton Tower in China, which is 34 metres shorter.

The world’s tallest building (which comes under a different category in the Guinness World Records) is currently the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, although a skyscraper of over 1000 metres is set to overtake it in Jeddah.

See more stories about skyscrapers here.