As I said in last week’s email, the Archtoolbox Newsletter is back and we are calling it On Practice.
This will be a curated list of professional practice related news from the architecture and design world to help you stay informed about what is going on in the A/E/C industry. Of course, new content at Archtoolbox will also appear here as well.
I will occasionally include thoughts on a relevant topic to keep everyone thinking about what we do and how we go about doing it.
Please feel free to reply at any time with criticism, compliments, or topic ideas.
-Michael
Practice Across the Pond
The UK ARB and the US NCARB have agreed to terms that will allow license reciprocity between the two countries. This should be in place sometime in 2023.
NCARB Press Release; ARB Press Release
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Has Economic Slowing Hit Construction Jobs?
The number of open construction jobs declined month-over-month in May, but there are still more available jobs than one year ago. Wages continue to increase, but number of projects decreased. The debate over whether we are heading toward (or already in) a recession will continue. There will be more speculation when the Architectural Billings Index is released on July 20th.
Construction’s labor, economic numbers begin to show cracks
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Form Follows/Is/Versus Function
Debates about the correct balance of form and function have been going on for thousands of years. With our impressive technology, architects continue to push the boundaries of form, which often leads to less function. Jonathan Ochshorn’s op-ed piece linked below, and his new book, confront the topic yet again by urging architects to make sure the art of building aligns with the science of building.
Architecture’s aesthetics should support, rather than sabotage, a building’s function
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Construction Costs Continue Rise
Second Quarter construction cost reports are being released. The quarterly increase is in the 2.0% to 2.5% range while the annual increase is in the 7.5% to 8.1% range. In addition, material supply chains continue to affect construction schedules. Design teams must be aware of these pressures when discussing projects with clients.
RLB Q2 Report / Turner Cost Index
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AIA Elects Next Leaders
The next round of AIA leaders was elected at the 2022 AIA Annual Meeting in June. Kimberly Dowdell will be the 2023 First-VP and 2024 President-elect. Britt Lindberg will be the 2023-2024 Secretary. Illya Azaroff was elected 2023-2025 At-large Director.
