5 must reads for the AEC industry today: June 26, 2020

1. Restoration of 1930s El Paso hotel completes (BD+C)
"The project represented a cross-collaboration of tCooper Carry’s Hospitality studio and The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry."

2. Commercial Construction Index drops amid Coronavirus pandemic, but contractors poised for near-term recovery (U.S. Chamber of Cmmerce)
"Contractors quickly prioritized worker health and safety, and 1 in 3 plan to hire more workers in the next 6 months."

3. Arc offers tools, analytics for safe workplace re-entry (BD+C)
"Platform helps sustainability teams to collect data, benchmark progress, measure impact, and improve performance."

4. When Will Building New Units Make Sense Again? Apartment Developers Remain Uncertain (National Real Estate Investor)
"Developers will likely delay starting new apartment projects until they see strong employment growth."

5. For Newly Remote Workers, Small Town U.S.A. Will Lose its Appeal Soon Enough (WSJ)
“While the promise of more land, more space and less commute may sound compelling, there is the threat of boredom or, a worse fate for many, career marginalization. Working away from main offices also could be more “work” than employees bargained for."

The Architectural Billings Index measures the general sentiment of U.S. architecture firms about the health of the construction market by measuring 1) design billings and 2) design contracts. Any score above 50 means that, among the architecture firms surveyed, more firms than not reported seeing increases in design work vs. the previous month.