Architecture Billings Anemic in May

June 21, 2019

Little Movement for ABI in May


Following a 2.7 point uptick in April, the ABI decreased by just 0.3 points, moving from 50.5 to 50.2 for the month of May. Despite the lower number, any score above 50 indicates growth in architecture billings.

“The last four consecutive months, firm billings have either decreased or been flat, the longest period of that level of sustained softness since 2012,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA.

The project inquiries and design contract indexes dropped by 4.7 and 1.2 points, landing at 56.2 and 50.9 respectively.

Baker added, “while both inquiries into new projects and the value of new design contracts remained positive, they both softened in May, another sign the amount of pending work in the pipeline at firms may be starting to stabilize.”

Dodge Momentum Index Drops in May

June 7, 2019

Commercial Planning Down, Institutional Planning Up

The Dodge Momentum Index was lower last month following a retreat in April. The May score was 141.0, down 1.0% from the revised April score of 142.4.
Dodge Data & Analytics attributed the …

ABI Inches Back Into Positive Territory in April

May 23, 2019

Billings Increased Slightly Last Month

After dropping 2.5 points in March, the ABI rebounded by 2.7 points to land at 50.5 for the month of April.
“In contrast to 2018, conditions throughout the construction sector recently have become more …

DMI Nudges Upward in March

May 7, 2019

Activity Expected to Stay Close to Recent Levels

The Dodge Momentum Index saw a slight increase last month. The March score was 145.5, up 0.5% from the revised February score of 144.8.
The institutional component dropped by 3.0% while …

Architecture Billings End 25-Month Streak

April 17, 2019

ABI Negative in March

The Architecture Billings Index score for February was 47.8, down 2.5 points from the February score of 50.3. This marked the end of a two year run of positive billings.
“Though billings haven’t contracted in …

Moderate Increase for March DMI

April 9, 2019

Momentum Pauses in March

The Dodge Momentum Index rose 0.5% in March, a slight gain from the previous month, led by a 2.8% increase in commercial activity. The institutional component of the index dropped 3.0% to 125.
The …

Growth Slows in February, Remains Positive

March 21, 2019

ABI Pulls Back in February

The Architecture Billings Index score for February was 50.3, losing 5 points from the January score of 55.3.
“Overall business conditions at architecture firms across the country have remained generally healthy,” said American Institute …

Dodge Momentum Index Drops in February

March 8, 2019

Activity Expected to Soften This Year

After losing ground in December only to largely reverse those losses the following month, the DMI dipped again in the second month of 2019.
The February score was 146.9, down 4.4% from …

Billings Growth Strong in January

February 20, 2019

ABI Starts the Year Strong

The Architecture Billings Index score for January was 55.3, rising 4.3 points from the revised December score of 51.0.
“The government shutdown affected architecture firms but doesn’t appear to have created a slowdown in …

DMI Rises in January

February 7, 2019

December Decline Largely Reversed

The Dodge Momentum Index was 157.7 in January, gaining 4.7% from the revised December reading of 150.6.
The gains were led by institutional activity, up 5.0% from 136.0 to 142.8. Commercial activity was up …