The most recent billings report from the American Institute of Architects indicates it could be a busy year for construction activity. It shows the state's architectural firms have plenty of design work.
The AIA Architecture Billings Index provides a glimpse at construction spending nine months to a year down the road. The executive director of the local chapter, Jessica Reinert, says the index for the Midwest and Iowa shows a steady increase in design requests since the start of 2017. She says this has put a strain on architectural firms.
“So, what we’re hearing right now is they are very busy," she says. "What it comes down to is how they’re managing their staff time with the resources they have to get the jobs done.”
Reinert says the report for June is following an upward trend in design work for architects.
“We have seen in the Midwest since January, the billings index has been increasing," she says. "That leads us to the conclusion that, especially here in Iowa, architects are seeing an uptick in their work and this is a busy time for them.”
The Midwest index was 51.9 in June. A mark above 50 indicates an increase in billings. The indexes for the South and West regions are higher than the Midwest.