The Architecture Billings Index Was Strong on the Eve of the Pandemic

Antonio Pacheco reports on the February 2020 Architecture Billings Index (ABI), with the awareness that this key economic indicator is now obsolete. Still, "these strong numbers could lend a bit of hope to architecture firms struggling to make it through the economic recession that has manifested in recent weeks, though that is far from guaranteed."

"Generally speaking, February's ABI numbers paint a rosy picture for the industry," according to Pacheco. "This, of course, is likely to change as the impacts of the pandemic are felt more broadly across the American economy."

Demand for design services grew for the sixth consecutive month in February, according to the ABI. Pacheco also breaks down the ABI by region (design activity in the Northeast was anemic, for instance) and by construction sectors (all sectors showed growth in February).