Building a Brand
Two mergers up the scale of their firms’ size and reach.
The RTKL-ARCADIS and RMJM-Hillier mergers each unite a U.S. design firm with a European firm in the hopes of giving each company more access to markets across the globe. The European firms (ARCADIS and RMJM) are both capitalizing on their U.S. counterparts’ strong design brand identity, and both merged firms are hoping their new size and increased capabilities can offer clients “one-stop shopping” for building services.

New RCA-based Index Tracks Prices of Commercial Building Transactions
Commercial property index can help architects plan for future activity
A new series of indexes developed by MIT that tracks changes in commercial property prices is useful for architects working on commercial projects, or those considering entering this sector, reports AIA Research Specialist Jennifer Riskus. Growth in sale prices of commercial properties has been strong over the last few years as the commercial market boomed, but has now slowed somewhat during the first months of 2007. However, prices are still increasing, meaning that there is still a demand by investors for commercial buildings. In fact, growth is still particularly strong in the office and industrial sectors, a good indication that these building types are currently undersupplied in the market and will continue to be in demand in the future.

kiplinger connection
Energy • Jobs and Workers • The Economy
Energy: Gasoline prices look lower in 2008.
Jobs and Workers: Social Security verification promises problems.
The Economy: The market isn’t dead, it’s just resting.