Engineering and construction CEOs are cautiously optimistic about the global economy, says PwC

Engineering and construction CEOs are more optimistic this year than in previous years, according to PwC’s 2014 Global CEO Survey. Forty-one percent of respondents expect to grow over the next 12 months, up from 31% last year.

This and other big-picture facts are available in the survey, which provides multiple “snapshots” of the engineering and construction sectors, including growth markets, government impact on the industry, transformative global trends, and concerns about sustainability and climate trends.

Here are some of the snapshots we found the most interesting (read the full report):

50% of CEOs in the engineering and construction sector believe the global economy will improve over the next 12 months; 9% believe it will decline
78% of sector CEOs are concerned about how governments will respond to deficit and debt in the next year—this is the concern that the highest number of engineering and construction CEOs reported worrying about
76% of sector CEOs are worried about high and volatile raw material prices
Concerns about infrastructure gaps are a consistent concern—47% of sector CEOs reported concerns that inadequacy of infrastructure could hurt growth, 50% think that infrastructure think it should be one of their government’s top 3 priorities, and 41% feel that the government is ineffective (as opposed to 33% who believe that the government is effective)
The U.S. topped the list of growth markets, and the Middle East ranked much higher as growth markets for engineering and construction CEOs than for other sectors
Cost reduction heads the list of restructuring activities
69% of sector CEOs believe that technological advances such as the digital economy, Big Data, and social media will be the biggest transformative trend for their businesses in the next year
E&C CEOs are significantly more worried about the availability of key skills in their workforces than are other industries.
89% of E&C CEOs say it’s important for their company to try and reduce their environmental footprint.
59% of E&C CEOs believe that resource scarcity and climate change will transform their business

For more, read the full report.

Cannon Design, an internationally ranked architectural, engineering and planning firm, is pleased to announce Richard Smith has joined the firm as a Principal. Smith joins the leadership team for Cannon Design’s Science + Technology (S&T) practice and will focus on developing strategies for immediate and long-term growth.

| Jun 13, 2013

Winfrey hired as Health and S&T studio head for SmithGroupJJR Dallas

SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation’s largest architecture, engineering and planning firms, has hired David Winfrey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, as leader of its Health and Science & Technology Studio at its Dallas, Texas office.

| Jun 13, 2013

WorkingBuildings acquires Specialty Operations Solutions

The WorkingBuildings Companies, a leading provider of comprehensive Owner-based solutions for the built environment, announces the acquisition of Specialty Operations Solutions (SOS), a national provider of research and laboratory services.

| Jun 13, 2013

Health Product Declaration Collaborative names Knott as Executive Director

John L. Knott Jr. has been named as the Health Product Declaration Collaborative’s (www.hpdcollaborative.org) first Executive Director following a national search. The Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC) is a customer-led standards-setting organization committed to the continuous improvement of the building industry’s environmental and health performance, through transparency and innovation in the building product supply chain.

| Jun 13, 2013

AIA partners with industry groups to launch $30,000 'Designing Recovery' design competition

The program will award a total of $30,000 to three winning designs, divided equally between three locations: Joplin, Mo., New Orleans, and New York.

| Jun 12, 2013

More than 90% of New York City schools have code violations

More than 90% of New York City schools have at least one outstanding building code violation. Loose wires, stuck doors and inadequate ventilation are just some of the problems.