The American Institute of Architects chief economist is reporting that the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is slowly beginning to stabilize.
The index held at a level of 42.8, just lower than a March reading of 43.7. (A 50.0 reading indicates unchanged conditions – neither an increase or decrease in billings). Inquiries remained almost level at 56.8, indicating another rise in interest for architectural services.
The news comes after several months of all-time low performance, starting in the second half of 2008 and continuing through January-February of this year.
A rise in the inquiries …

Wednesday night, President Obama’s historic stimulus package was approved by the House of Representatives, moving the bill into the Senate and one step closer to approval. The $819 billion package promises to revitalize the struggling economy with tax cuts and increased spending.
The AIA’s Policy and Research analysis arm recently published a report outlining the impact the economic recovery plan would have on the architectural profession. The report is available in PDF format here: http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/The%20Impact%20of%20Economic%20Recovery%20on%20the%20Architecture%20Profession.pdf