WORK-ON-THE-BOARDS
Billings Hit Lowest Score in 12-Year History
Weakness apparent in all regions of the country
Business conditions continued to soften in March as the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell to 39.7, according to Jennifer Riskus, the AIA’s manager of economics research. Weakness persisted in all regions of the country and across all sectors of practice, except for firms with an institutional specialization. Our panel also tells us that nearly 8 in 10 firms have worked on projects with “green” features over the past three years. At firms doing green work, just over a quarter of their projects involved a green rating system.

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
Share Your Knowledge—Be a Speaker at Next Year’s Convention
AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco, April 30-May 2
Share your unique knowledge as a continuing-education speaker at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition, themed “The Power of Diversity: Practice in a Complex World,” April 30-May 2 in San Francisco. Complete (not placeholder) proposals are due July 1. The 2009 Call for Presentations, speakers’ guidelines, and submittal forms are now available online. Please note that there are changes to submissions and deadlines from last year’s requirements.

Hope to see you at the front of the class in the City by the Bay!

Candidates for 2008 AIA National Office Issue Statements
Meet the candidates for AIA national office, who have issued the following 400-word statements. Click on any name to read that candidate’s statement or watch a video of the candidate speaking at the Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference.

kiplinger connection
The Economy • Human Resources• The World
Housing: Seeds of rebirth
Taxes: Big refunds in the works
World business: China’s rising inflation bumps prices in U.S.