7 must reads for the AEC industry today: July 7, 2020

1. Construction industry adds 158,000 workers in June but infrastructure jobs decline (AGC)
"Gains in June are concentrated in homebuilding as state and local governments postpone or cancel roads and other projects in face of looming budget deficits."

2. Guide presents benefits of public-private partnerships (BD+C)
"A new book, “Citizen’s Guide to P3 Projects: A Legal Primer for Public-Private Partnerships,” presents the benefits of public-private partnerships."

3. Nonresidential construction spending falls modestly in May (ABC)
"Private nonresidential spending declined 2.4% in May and public nonresidential construction spending increased 1.2%."

4. Mall owners open micro distribution hubs For e-commerce fulfillment (GlobeSt)
"Mall-based distribution centers will help retailers more efficiently distribute merchandise to their online and offline shoppers."

5. Coronavirus Spikes Might Slam The Brakes On Space Reopening (Bisnow)
"To reopen or not to reopen? That is the question for governments, and companies occupying commercial space, in the face of a pandemic that won't quite go away."

6. New survey: Without federal support, hotels face a grim future (RE Journals)
"A new survey released June 24 by the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that just 18 percent of respondents had taken an overnight trip since March, a good indicator of how the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the hospitality industry."

7. Life of an Architect podcast: Culture of Design (BD+C)
"Do you have a design culture in your office? Why is it that some firms have it and others don’t? A culture of design isn’t something that just happens."

The Architectural Billings Index measures the general sentiment of U.S. architecture firms about the health of the construction market by measuring 1) design billings and 2) design contracts. Any score above 50 means that, among the architecture firms surveyed, more firms than not reported seeing increases in design work vs. the previous month.