flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Construction economists optimistic about 2014 growth

Construction economists optimistic about 2014 growth

ABC’s quarterly Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) will be released Aug. 19.


By Associated Builders and Contractors | August 5, 2014
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu, American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chief Economist Kermit Baker and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chief Economist David Crowe provided a collaborative economic forecast combining their expert economic analysis on leading, present and lagging economic indicators.
 
"A combination of low interest rates; wealth effects stemming from a booming stock market and rising home prices; surging energy production; and expanding industrial output has helped position the U.S. economy for more rapid growth during the next several quarters," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. "This will lead to more robust recovery in the U.S. nonresidential construction industry, which has also been aided by stable materials prices and improving commercial real estate fundamentals. ABC predicts 7 percent nominal nonresidential construction growth in 2014, despite ongoing challenges in the public construction segment."
 
"We continue to have an optimistic outlook for the commercial and industrial sectors for the rest of this year and into 2015," said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. "However, until we see state and local governments ramp up spending for new education, health care and public safety structures there likely won’t be a widespread acceleration in spending for the entire industry."
 
"Economic pick-up in the second quarter was coupled with a return in housing construction," said David Crowe, chief economist for NAHB. "We expect continued modest growth in housing construction as employment rises and more household formations take place. However, continued tight supplies of labor and land will put upward pressure on new home prices."
 
In addition to this forecast, AIA released its latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) July 23, NAHB released its latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) July 16 and ABC’s quarterly Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) will be released Aug. 19.

Related Stories

Architects | Jan 29, 2018

14 marketing resolutions AEC firms should make in 2018

As we close out the first month of the New Year, AEC firms have made (and are still making) plans for where and how to spend their marketing time and budgets in 2018.

AEC Tech | Jan 29, 2018

thyssenkrupp tests self-driving robot for ‘last mile’ delivery of elevator parts

“With driverless delivery robots, we could fill a gap and get spare parts from our warehouses to the jobsite faster,” said thyssenkrupp SVP Ivo Siebers.

Contractors | Jan 26, 2018

6 regional construction trends for 2018

2018 should be a good year for construction but there are at least 4 things that can influence costs.

K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2018

Cost estimating for K-12 school projects: An invaluable tool for budget management

Clients want to be able to track costs at every stage of a project, and cost estimates (current and life cycle) are valuable planning and design tools, writes LS3P's Ginny Magrath, AIA.

AEC Tech | Jan 25, 2018

Four high-tech solutions to mitigate theft on the jobsite

Geo-fencing and drone surveillance are among the tech solutions for protecting jobsites from asset loss.

Multifamily Housing | Jan 24, 2018

Apartment rent rates jump 2.5% in 2017, led by small and mid-sized markets

The average price for one-bedroom units increased the most.

Hotel Facilities | Jan 24, 2018

U.S. hotel markets with the largest construction pipelines

Dallas, Houston, and New York lead the way, with more than 460 hotel projects in the works.

Architects | Jan 24, 2018

Strong finish for architecture billings in 2017

The Architecture Billings Index concluded the year in positive terrain, with the December reading capping off three straight months of growth in design billings.

Architects | Jan 10, 2018

7 steps to ending a low growth cycle

Here are the top 10 marketing techniques as rated by high-growth firms and how they compare to their no-growth counterparts.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021