Hasta La Ideas

More “meh” coming from the American Institute of Architects with the release of their latest Architecture Billings Index figures, though at least it’s a more positive “meh” than we saw with the slumps over the past half year. This time, there was a slight uptick, just two points, nudging the Index to 44.8 (anything above 50 means there’s an increase in projects). Still, while the climb back uphill has been slower than everyone would like, it’s better than the tumbling that was shocking everyone back in December after those too-optimistic leaps. Here’s from ever-the-realist, Kermit Baker, to explain what’s what:

“We continue to hear that funding dedicated for construction projects in the stimulus package has not yet been awarded, resulting in a bottleneck of potential projects that could help jumpstart the economy,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “That, coupled with a persistently rigid credit market for private sector projects, is a key reason why the design and construction industry continue to suffer at near historic levels in terms of job losses.”

Next week is the country’s official Architecture Week, with events all week on Facebook and Twitter (a first for the AIA), so do those struggling architects a favor and listen in, huh?

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