Autodesk University was held recently in Las Vegas and CEO Andrew Anagnost spoke about how they are thinking about artificial intelligence:
We’re looking at how you work. We’re finding the bottlenecks. We’re getting the right data flowing to the right places, so that you can see past the hype to where there’s hope, so that you can see productivity rather than promises, so that you can see AI that solves the practical, the simple, and dare I even say, the boring things that get in your way and hold back you and your team’s productivity.
That is really what AI should do...help us do our jobs better so that we can spend more time designing and less time answering RFIs. AEC Magazine has a nice overview of Autodesk's plan for 2024.
Computational Design is still a hot topic and ACADIA will focus on it during their upcoming conference. This is worth keeping an eye on since many of you are already using CD in your projects and it is a form of AI.
Finally, for those of you who are still huge skeptics, I listened to a two-part podcast by Better Offline that discusses why AI isn't (yet?) feasible. Basically, these technologies are all being funded by venture capital and lose huge amounts of money, plus they require huge amounts of energy to run all that computing power. Part one is called, Why OpenAI Is a Terrible Business (Apple Podcast, Spotify). Part two is probably more relevant since it talks about what happens when these companies eventually need to turn a profit: The Subprime AI Crisis (Apple Podcast, Spotify).
More of the Same...September Billings Still Down
The August AIA Billings Index was 45.7 in September, matching the August number. New design contracts are still below 50 (contracting) but continue to improve with a 48.3 value so it appears that improved interest rates may be helping projects to get started, albeit not as fast as we'd like.
Interestingly, firm backlogs sit at an average of 6.4 months, which is above the historical average.
The commentary this month covers renovation projects. About half of the surveyed firms indicate their renovation work as a percentage of their project work has remained steady. It appears that most of that work is either for tenant fitouts or MEP upgrades.
September: 45.7, August: 45.7, July: 48.2, June: 46.4, May: 42.4, April: 48.3
ABI September 2024: Architecture firm billings remain soft
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Presidential Candidates on Construction Issues
I think that we are mostly affected by local politics when it comes to architectural issues, but it is still worth understanding how federal policies may affect our profession. Construction Dive looks into construction issues. It may be worth thinking about these how these will affect your firm regardless of who is elected.
And of course, please go out and vote.
Where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on construction’s top issues
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Protect Your Data
Everything we do involves a transfer of data. It is vitally important that you have safeguards in place to protect your firm from data loss, data theft, and even from data being held for ransom.
Large firms should have this covered since they have robust IT teams. However, smaller firms should hire a consultant to make sure they have the right measures in place so that you can get up and running quickly in the event of a loss.
I always hesitate to share stories that are basically advertisements, but this podcast has some good food for thought. I also think it is worth reminding you to get on top of this if you don't already have a plan in place.
Safeguarding AEC Data: Best Practices and Insights from Egnyte’s Kevin Soohoo
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How to Survive a Downturn
This advice may be a bit late given that it is slow at many firms, but it is good advice. The article is written for firm owners, but employees should also read it because you will learn how your firm prepares for downturns (and hopefully you will run a firm one day). You can also translate a lot of these ideas into personal lessons for how you can survive as an individual.
10 Tips for Architects To Survive Downturns by Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy
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IBC to Add Tornado Resiliency to 2024 Code
The 2024 International Building Code will have new measures to prevent roof uplift during a tornado. The new requirements will be added for critical buildings in tornado prone areas. If you work on projects in these areas, you should ideally recommend that your clients institute the new wind speed requirements now.
Tornado Resilience Included in 2024 International Building Code for First Time
