Business conditions remained generally strong at architecture firms in August. The Architecture Billings Index score for the month ticked back up to 53.3 from 51.0 in July, as more firms reported an increase in billings.
Inquiries into new projects also increased modestly in August from July, while the value of new design contracts held steady at the same rate of growth it has been at for the last two months. Many firms are still struggling to find enough employees to meet the amount of work they have coming in.
However, business conditions remain mixed by region of the country. Billings softened for the third consecutive month at firms located in the Northeast in August, and have declined for all but two months of the year so far. And while billings continued to rise at firms located in the West, fewer firms reported billings growth in August than they have in several months, and the pace of growth also declined slightly at firms located in the Midwest. Business conditions held steady at firms located in the South, where they were strongest overall for the second month in a row. In addition, firms of all specializations reported an increase in billings in August, with the strongest conditions reported by firms with multifamily residential and institutional specializations.
