Four projects were honored by the Las Vegas Design Center in Las Vegas, Nevada as a result of its recent Design of the Year competition. The competition, which recognizes design excellence among Las Vegas-area interior designers and design students, was judged by a seven-member panel from the design center. Winning first place was a California cottage by Kelley Cozzolino of Bigelow Interiors, while Alice Roussos of Interior Motives received second place for a contemporary residential project. Heather Soto and Michelle Dimauro of Inhabit Design received third place for a residential design, and University of Nevada Las Vegas interior design student Divina-Grace Balazo was recognized in the student category.

Perry Manufacturing and Design has completed a custom curved and motorized roman shade installation for a manor house on the Isle of Man. For the installation, the custom window covering, hardware and furniture company created specialty shades for an oval-shaped library in the home, located on the island between Great Britain and Ireland, by remanufacturing European voltage motors for the two smaller shades in order to maintain consistent decibel levels and RPMs. The curved motorized roman shade lift systems were engineered and hand-built from machined components made in-house at Perry’s Tucson, Arizona facilities. www.perry-design.com

Some 20 local architectural and interior design firms participated in the Festival of Trees at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix as a benefit for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The Christmas trees, on display and up for bid in November and December in the resort’s ballroom, were created by design teams that included PHX Architecture, Lawrence Lake Interiors, Wiseman & Gale Interiors, David Michael Miller Associates, Debra May Himes Interior Design and Studio V.

Kenneth Cobonpue’s Chiquita stool makes an impression when you sit down on it. Some 350 pieces of natural rattan poles conform to the contours of your shape, sinking down into a polyurethane cushion that’s set inside the molded steel base. The stool is also available with a curved back, and comes in colors such as red, silver or black.

Available through Hoff Miller, Denver Design District, 595 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80209; (800) 335-0123, www.hoffmiller.com or www.kennethcobonpue.com

All regions except for the West showing improved demand for design services

For immediate release:
Washington, D.C. – January 18, 2012 – After showing struggling business conditions for most of 2011, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has now reached positive terrain in consecutive months.  As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.  The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI score was 52.0, following the exact same mark in November.  This score reflects an overall increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).  The new projects inquiry index was 64.0, down just a point from a reading of 65.0 the previous month.

You can see this press release online here: http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB092722

“We saw nearly identical conditions in November and December of 2010 only to see momentum sputter and billings fall into negative territory as we moved through 2011, so it’s too early to be sure that we are in a full recovery mode,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Nevertheless, this is very good news for the design and construction industry and it’s entirely possible conditions will slowly continue to improve as the year progresses.”

Key December ABI highlights:

• Regional averages: South (54.2),  Midwest (53.1), Northeast (52.6), West (45.1)
• Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (54.3), commercial / industrial (54.1),institutional (51.3), mixed practice (44.5)
• Project inquiries index: 64.0

The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the index and inquiries are monthly numbers.

About the AIA Architecture Billings Index
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey that is sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended as compared to the prior month, and the results are then compiled into the ABI.  These monthly results are also seasonally adjusted to allow for comparison to prior months. The monthly ABI index scores are centered around 50, with scores above 50 indicating an aggregate increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicating a decline. The regional and sector data are formulated using a three-month moving average. More information on the ABI and the analysis of its relationship to construction activity can be found in the White Paper Architecture Billings as a Leading Indicator of Construction: Analysis of the Relationship Between a Billings Index and Construction Spending on the AIA web site.

The Reference Library Box Lunch/Breakfast Schedule for February 2012.

Click here to download the schedule.

Janis Leonard Design Associates of Scottsdale, Arizona has completed a new lounge space for the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Working with project assistant Effie Bouras of Mechanik Design Office in Phoenix, Leonard transformed an existing gallery in the museum into a red-hued lounge with floating ceiling panels hung in a wave-like formation. The panels, seating, tables and bar were crafted out of wooden shipping pallets. The museum plans to use the lounge for special events, including receptions and film screenings.

Kornegay Design has introduced Maple-Pile Seating Series, a new line of interior and exterior seating options.

Designed by artist Larry Kornegay, the new line features a repetitive wood pattern, constructed of thermally modified, FSC-certified red maple with a powder-coated steel frame and legs.  A long form (84” x 21” x 17″) and a short form (21” x 21” x 17”) comprises the series, which is suitable for use in locations such as sculpture gardens or galleries.www.kornegaydesign.com

Multi-family residential and commercial sectors are most healthy

Washington, D.C. – December 21, 2011 – Continuing the positive momentum of a nearly three point bump in October, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reached its first positive mark since August.  As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.  The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI score was 52.0, following a score of 49.4 in October.  This score reflects an overall increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).  The new projects inquiry index was 65.0, up dramatically from a reading of 57.3 the previous month.

You can see this press release online here: http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB092222

“This is a heartening development for the design and construction industry that only a few years ago accounted for nearly ten percent of overall GDP but has fallen to slightly less than six percent,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Hopefully, this uptick in billings is a sign that a recovery phase is in the works.  However, given the volatility that we’ve seen nationally and internationally recently, we’ll need to see several more months of positive readings before we’ll have much confidence that the U.S. construction recession is ending..”

Key November ABI highlights:

·         Regional averages: South (54.4),  Midwest (50.9), Northeast (49.1), West (45.6)

·         Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (55.8), commercial / industrial (53.9),

·         institutional (48.9), mixed practice (41.6)

·          Project inquiries index: 65.0

The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the index and inquiries are monthly numbers.

About the AIA Architecture Billings Index
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey that is sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended as compared to the prior month, and the results are then compiled into the ABI.  These monthly results are also seasonally adjusted to allow for comparison to prior months. The monthly ABI index scores are centered around 50, with scores above 50 indicating an aggregate increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicating a decline. The regional and sector data are formulated using a three-month moving average. More information on the ABI and the analysis of its relationship to construction activity can be found in the White Paper Architecture Billings as a Leading Indicator of Construction: Analysis of the Relationship Between a Billings Index and Construction Spending on the AIA web site.

Washington, D.C. – December 6, 2011 – In recent years, there has been a definitive shift away from large residential subdivisions towards smaller scale infill development projects with a greater emphasis on affordability, access to public transportation, commercial opportunities and job centers.  Amid continued concerns about over housing affordability, home styles have become simpler with low maintenance, durable building materials.

Residential architecture firms continue to report weak business conditions, with remodeling activity one of the few bright lights for residential design activity.  These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the third quarter of 2011 that focused on community and neighborhood design.

“On the development side, low levels of new home construction, steep foreclosure rates and a surge in the popularity of urban living are the primary reasons for high levels of infill projects,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA.  “From a home design perspective the preference is for building materials such as fiber-cement, stone, tile or natural earth plasters that are durable and require little maintenance.”
AIA Home Design Trends Survey highlights

(% respond. report. popularity of feature “increasing” minus % report. “decreasing”; Q3)

Housing market business conditions

The residential market continues to struggle.  The national home design billings index was 45 for the third quarter of 2011 (any score below 50 indicates a decline in activity), down from the previous quarter’s mark of 50, although scores are not adjusted for seasonal variation.  Inquiries for new projects were 52, dropping slightly compared to the score of 54 in the second quarter of the year.

(% of respondents reporting sector “improving” minus % reporting “weakening”; Q3)