From Project Diversity to People Diversity
For Kiku Obata, Assoc. AIA, and her eponymous design firm, a demographically and interdisciplinary staff is the best resource for interpreting the contemporary consumer’s wants and desires for the commercial clients for whom they design. The firm (50 percent female, 30 percent minority, with a wide range of ages) pulls together its staff in focus groups and charrettes that take advantage of the wide array or cultures across the office to predict the lifestyle preferences and commercial sensibilities of their clients’ customers.

The Recession’s Effect on Adaptive Reuse Projects
Architects with adaptive reuse projects on their plates are benefiting from the economic slowdown, primarily with better pricing from contractors and fewer tight deadlines. However, some projects are being shelved due to the downturn in the economy, and, historically, recessions are bad for preserving historic properties.

kiplinger connection
The Economy • Energy • State Budgets
The Economy: Back-to-back recessions? Not likely.
Energy: New fuels from algae stoked on carbon dioxide.
State Budgets: State taxes loom; so, too, surplus sales.

Steep Downturns in Nonresidential Construction Projected Through 2010
A weak economy and continued difficulties with construction financing have slowed investment in nonresidential buildings by U.S. businesses, nonprofit institutions, and government agencies. Construction of buildings, which began to slow in the second half of last year, moved into a downward spiral toward the end of the year. This industry will see no relief this year, but the decline will moderate somewhat as we move through 2010. The AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel projects a 16 percent decline in nonresidential construction activity this year, and an additional drop of almost 12 percent in 2010.