Industry News / Market Forecast
April 21, 2021
Architectural Billings Index Rises Again in March
The AIA’s Architectural Billings Index (ABI) logged its second positive mark since the beginning of the pandemic, rising to 55.6 compared to 53.3 in February (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
Scores for both new projects inquiries and new design contracts strengthened to 66.9 and 55.7 respectively. March also marked the first time in three years all building sectors and regions posted positive scores.
“As business activity at architecture firms moves sharply toward recovery, it is very encouraging to simultaneously see such positive indicators of future project work increasing in the pipeline,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker. “The activity architecture firms are seeing is a positive bellwether not only for the construction outlook, but also for the larger economy.”
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