Design activity at architecture firms finally back to pre-recession levels: AIA report

As the U.S. construction industry continues to rebound from the downturn in the past economic cycle, "The Business of Architecture: 2014 AIA Firm Survey Report" shows that design activity at architecture firms has recovered to pre-recession levels.

Most firms have seen revenue levels at least stabilize, if not finally begin to grow with gross billings at architecture firms increasing by 20% from 2011.   

Key findings include:

• With losses during the economic downturn, architecture firms have become smaller and younger with 43% having been founded since the year 2000, with one-third of those firms founded just since 2010.
• Renovations of existing facilities account for a larger share of design activity than during the last construction boom.
• Nearly two-thirds of large firms worked on international projects in 2013.
• Over a third of architecture firms nationally—and virtually all larger firms—were using some form of BIM for billable projects.
• Twelve percent of firms are using energy modeling software for billable projects.
• Twenty-one percent of firms have worked on one or more projects that incorporate resilient design strategies.
• Even with most of the institutional building category remaining in recession in 2013, this sector generated half of the billings at architecture firms.
• Within the institutional category, education facilities accounted for 21% of overall billings.

The full survey is available for purchase here.