November 30, 2007
  Households Look for More Activities Integrated into Their Communities
Traditional neighborhood designs, and low maintenance and durable materials preferred for home exteriors
AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, reports that the AIA’s third quarter Home Trends Design Survey indicates that with rising energy costs and longer commutes, community and neighborhood design trends are favoring greater diversity of land uses and increased accessibility to transportation and commercial opportunities. The survey also shows that homes are being designed to encourage more neighborhood interaction, and households are favoring exterior materials that require less maintenance, as well as those that have sustainable characteristics. On the downside, with the overall weakness in the housing industry, residential architects are reporting declining business levels. Particularly hard hit are speculative home building projects, as custom home building has stabilized, while improvements to existing homes are generally showing healthy conditions.

kiplinger connection
Global Trade • Transport • The Economy
Global Trade: Weak dollar means strong exports.
Transport: Materials shipping going up and up.
The Economy: Retail cooling but inflation to ease in 2008.

Taking Care of Business
Call For Entries: Upjohn Research Grant Proposals Due April 16, 2008
The AIA Board Knowledge Committee is seeking proposals for research projects to be completed in a seven-month period, beginning in May, 2008. The AIA will award up to 10 grants of up to $7,000 each for selected projects; these funds will need to be matched. Proposals that address building typology, practice issues, or materials and methods of construction are welcome. This grant qualifies recipients to have their findings and outcomes published both electronically in the AIA Soloso online database and in print in The American Institute of Architects Report on University Research, Volume 4, a nationally distributed publication. Preference will be given to PhD candidates and junior faculty members focusing on completion or distribution of research or on initial explorations of a particular concept. Entries are due April 16, 2008. For more information, review this PDF.

  

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Welcome to the Business Zone
This is the place for our monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey report, quarterly Housing Trends survey report, and biannual Consensus Forecast, all by AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. You’ll also find tips for managing the business side of your practice, as well as the weekly Kiplinger Connection.