New Report Offers Valuable Specifier Insights

A new report published by the American Institute of Architects provides many valuable insights into the businesses, projects and attitudes of architectural design firms.   The report, Business Opportunities & Sustainability Trends Amidst a Pandemic, is providing an in depth look at the impact of the pandemic on design firm business conditions.

"Growing concerns over building design from the pandemic and public awareness of health risks will continue to drive the refurbishment, expansion, and remodeling markets throughout 2021," said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA. "As the end of the COVID-19 crisis comes slowly into view, it is clear that the pandemic-induced recession created two contrasting economic realities: a strong residential market and a weakened nonresidential market."

Despite demand for design services and construction activity decreasing significantly during 2020, other design and construction sectors accelerated existing trends and even created positive business conditions for some architects depending on their design focus.

Some of the report takeaways:

FIRMS WERE IMPACTED DIFFERENTLY BY THE RECESSION
Only half (51%) of architectural professionals reported being negatively impacted by the recession to some degree.
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PROJECT TYPES
Through October 2021, the split between work on Existing Buildings vs. work on New Constriction is 59%/41%.
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EXPECTED CHANGE IN WORK BY BUILDING TYPE IN 2021
Healthcare and Education top the list while Retail and Office are expected to struggle.
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ARCHITECT COLLABORATION WITH MANUFACTURERS

• 76% believe that collaboration and teamwork with manufacturers have improved or become easier.
• But when relationships worsened, communication was to blame as 64% attribute the decline in relationships to the manufacturers becoming harder to contact or communicate with.
• 35% of specifiers report relationships with building product manufacturers were negatively affected by the pandemic. 

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COLLABORATION WITH CONTRACTORS

• Project deadlines/timelines have frequently been missed or extended.
• Collaboration and teamwork have worsened or become harder.

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ADOPTING NEW PRODUCTS
More than a quarter of architects consider themselves innovators or early adopters of new products and materials.
See the AIA charts, graphs and commentary »