The building industry in many regions is showing apparent early signs of economic recovery, a survey of architects across the country said Friday.
The poll was conducted by the American Institute of Architects and was released at its national convention in Boston."This survey is one of the earliest indicators of what appears to be an economic recovery in the profession of architecture and the building industry," said James P. Cramer, AIA executive vice president and CEO.
He said the survey measured the economic climate and the level of new business opportunities for architecture firms since the beginning of the year, which he said gives "the most timely information possible."
He said that most measurements of building trends are based on construction contracts awards and permits, which generally occur months after the design has begun.
The survey showed that 52 percent of those taking part believed the economic recession as it pertains to architecture firms in their areas has bottomed out, while only 20 percent felt otherwise.
Forty-four percent of the respondents said business opportunities in their areas have improved since the start of the year, 31 percent reported things remained the same, while 25 percent reported business opportunities decreased.
"We are encouraged now that more than half believe it has bottomed out and nearly half said business opportunities have increased," Cramer said.
The architects said the increased building activity was seen most often in health-care and education facilities, single-family homes, renovations and government. Areas of greatest activity in the 1980s before the current recession were in commercial, office and hotel space. They were mentioned less often in the current survey.
Cramer said New England, which was one of the first hit and worst affected areas, appears to be showing positive change with more than half of the firms surveyed reporting business opportunities in that region increasing since the first of the year.
Other areas reporting upswings were the West South Central region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas), the East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississipppi and Tennessee), and the East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin).