Following three years of precipitous decline, the construction market may have finally hit bottom and be in the early phase of a rebound with housing leading the way. McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. The forecast was announced at the 2010 Construction Outlook conference in Washington, D.C. Photo: Bruce Buckley Robert Murray delivered the McGraw-Hill Construction forecast. Related Links: Architects Brace for a Prolonged Recession Special Report: Recession and Recovery ENR: See How Last Year's Forecast Measured Up After a 39% drop in

Revisiting efforts to funnel federal funds into school construction, the House has approved a measure that would authorize more than $6.5 billion for K-12 public school and community-college projects. The provision is part of a bill, which the House passed on Sept. 17, that would expand the federal loan program for college students and curtail private lending. The measure would authorize $2.02 billion annually for fiscal 2010 and 2011 for modernization, renovation or repair of K-12 public schools. Another $2.5 billion would be available for new construction or modernization of community colleges, starting in fiscal 2011. Groups like the American

Images courtesy DHS The new Coast Guard headquarters will be built in Washington, D.C., on the 176-acre site of the former St. Elizabeths Hospital. Past Coverage: Architects Get Slice of Stimulus Pie GSA Contracts Start to Surge How to Land a Government Contract Armed with $5.5 billion in federal stimulus funds, the U.S. General Services Administration has awarded contracts totaling more than $1 billion in the past two months. On August 14, it awarded its largest one yet: a $435 million design-build contract for a new U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The project team includes four design

The “shovel-ready” focus of projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided limited stimulus to the design community at-large. Many architects say they have yet to feel a boost. Still, firms with well-established experience in the public sector are finding opportunities, whether it be the revival of stalled projects or entirely new commissions. For some, the ARRA is keeping their practice afloat.

Code officials could see a new universal regulatory framework to guide the design and construction of green commercial buildings by the end of next year. On June 29, the American Institute of Architects, along with the International Code Council (ICC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), announced their intent to create an International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The new code aims to cover all aspects of sustainability in the built environment, from roofing to ventilation strategies, drawing from existing codes and standards to create one universal code. The code will apply to new construction and renovations. “We

Big changes are in store for the nearly 18,000 people enrolled in the Intern Development Program, administered by the National Council for Architectural Registration Boards. Starting July 1, interns will have additional options for gaining needed training units and will have to meet much tighter deadlines. Six-Month Rule The most immediate impact will be the implementation of the new “Six-Month Rule,” which requires interns to submit training units in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of each reporting period. Any units beyond those periods will be lost; however, interns who start a

The economic woes affecting architects nationwide are echoing through the ranks of the AIA. The association has announced sweeping plans to cut costs as a means of combating slumping revenues brought on by the recession. “The Institute is feeling the impact of the recession just as we are in our firms and practices,” said Marvin Malecha, FAIA, 2009 president of the AIA, in a March 23 statement. In the first quarter of the year, the AIA saw a shortfall in membership dues, as some architects deferred payments and others ceased membership completely. Malecha also cited a decrease in revenues for

Architects in Nevada are placing their bets on a campaign aimed at steering much-needed stimulus package money toward design work in the state. The Nevada chapter recently launched an initiative to convince state lawmakers to substitute shovel-ready projects with “pencil-ready” ones. Chapter leaders have so far met twice with state legislators in Carson City, educating them about the long-term effects of focusing on short-term projects, says Sean Coulter, AIA, principal at Las Vegas-basd Pugsley Simpson Coulter Architects. In Las Vegas, where Coulter is chapter president, he says unemployment rates for architects are topping 50 percent as the commercial market slows

Think you’ve been overlooked in the $787 billion economic stimulus package? Architecture and engineering (A/E) firms may find more opportunities than they would expect, says Elaine Howley, editor of the recently released manual, Guide to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, produced by ZweigWhite, a Massachusetts-based research and consulting firm. “A lot of designers are put off by the term ‘shovel-ready,’” Howley says. “They think this bill isn’t really for them, but that’s not necessarily the case.” Howley notes that while getting shovels in the ground is a priority, government agencies with stimulus funds have a wide variety

Lenore Lucey, FAIA Image courtesy NCARB The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards will be under new executive leadership in 2011. Lenore Lucey, FAIA, has announced that she will leave her post as executive vice president of NCARB on July 1, 2011. NCARB represents the architectural registration boards of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories, with 105,000 registered architects. It oversees the Architect Registration Examination and the Intern Development Program, and certifies credentials. Lucey has most notably led the organization through a complex transformation from a paper-based system to a computer-based one. In recent years,