flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Majority of AEC firms saw growth in 2015, remain optimistic for 2016: BD+C survey

Market Data

Majority of AEC firms saw growth in 2015, remain optimistic for 2016: BD+C survey

By all indications, 2015 was another solid year for U.S. architecture, engineering, and construction firms.


By David Barista, Editorial Director | January 5, 2016
Majority of AEC firms saw growth in 2015, remain optimistic for 2016

Courtesy Pixabay

Despite facing a litany of market impediments—the still-sluggish economy, construction labor shortages, the slow-to-recover education and healthcare markets—the majority of AEC firms saw revenues grow in 2015, and an even greater number expect earnings to rise in 2016, according to a survey of 337 AEC professionals by Building Design+Construction.

Nearly six out of 10 survey respondents (56.7%) indicated that revenues had increased at their firms in 2015, and 59.9% expect income from nonresidential building work to rise this year. This represents a slight uptick from 2014’s survey, when 54.4% reported higher revenue for the year.

About half of the respondents (45.7%) rated their firm’s 2015 business year as either “excellent” or “very good,” and just 2.1% said it was a “poor” year. Looking to 2016, 52.7% believe it will be “excellent” or “very good” from a revenue standpoint. Nearly three-quarters (71.4%) rated the overall health of their firm either “very good” or “good.”

 

 

Asked to rate their firm’s top business development tactics for 2016, strategic hiring (56.7% rated it as a top tactic for growth), marketing/public relations (54.6%), and technology upgrades (49.3%) topped the list. Other popular growth strategies include staff training/education (41.8%), a new service/business opportunity (32.9%), and a firm merger/acquisition (13.4%).

Among the top concerns for AEC firms are competition from other firms (58.2% ranked it as a top-three concern), general economic conditions (50.4%), managing cash flow (30.3%), and softness in fees/bids (27.6%).

HEALTHCARE SECTOR starting to REBOUND

Respondents were asked to rate their firms’ prospects in specific construction sectors on a five-point scale from “excellent” to “very weak.” Among the findings:

The multifamily boom continues, as the Millennials and Baby Boomers gravitate to rental housing and an urban lifestyle. Multifamily ranked as the most active sector, with 69.7% of respondents rating it in the good/excellent category, up from 62.3% last year and 56.1% in 2013.

The healthcare market is starting to stabilize and grow, as hospitals and healthcare providers adjust to the post-Affordable Care Act world. The sector ranked as the second most active; 68.0% gave it a good/excellent rating, up from 63.6% in 2014 and 62.5% the previous year.

 

 

Other active sectors include senior/assisted living (63.1% rated it in the good/excellent category), office interiors/fitouts (62.4%), data centers/mission critical (59.3%), higher education (48.6%), industrial/warehouse (46.7%), retail (44.9%), and government/military (42.5%).

Respondents to the BD+C survey include architect/designers (52.2%), engineers (19.6%), contractors (18.4%), consultants (5.0%), owner/developers (1.2%), and facility managers (1.0%).

BIM/VDC TAKES HOLD

The adoption of building information modeling and virtual design and construction tools and processes continues to grow in the AEC marketplace. More than eight in 10 respondents (82.1%) said their firm uses BIM/VDC tools on at least some of its projects, up from 80.0% in 2014 and 77.3% in 2013. About a fifth (20.3%) said their firm uses BIM/VDC on more than 75% of projects, up from 17.3% last year and 12.2% in 2013.

Respondents to the BD+C survey include architect/designers (52.2%), engineers (19.6%), contractors (18.4%), consultants (5.0%), owner/developers (1.2%), and facility managers (1.0%).

 

Related Stories

Market Data | Apr 11, 2023

Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023

Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.

Contractors | Apr 11, 2023

The average U.S. contractor has 8.7 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of March 2023

Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 8.7 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is 0.4 months higher than in March 2022.

Market Data | Apr 6, 2023

JLL’s 2023 Construction Outlook foresees growth tempered by cost increases

The easing of supply chain snags for some product categories, and the dispensing with global COVID measures, have returned the North American construction sector to a sense of normal. However, that return is proving to be complicated, with the construction industry remaining exceptionally busy at a time when labor and materials cost inflation continues to put pricing pressure on projects, leading to caution in anticipation of a possible downturn. That’s the prognosis of JLL’s just-released 2023 U.S. and Canada Construction Outlook.

Market Data | Apr 4, 2023

Nonresidential construction spending up 0.4% in February 2023

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $982.2 billion for the month, up 16.8% from the previous year. 

Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023

Average size of new apartments dropped sharply in 2022

The average size of new apartments in 2022 dropped sharply in 2022, as tracked by RentCafe. Across the U.S., the average new apartment size was 887 sf, down 30 sf from 2021, which was the largest year-over-year decrease.

Multifamily Housing | Mar 14, 2023

Multifamily housing rent rates remain flat in February 2023

Multifamily housing asking rents remained the same for a second straight month in February 2023, at a national average rate of $1,702, according to the new National Multifamily Report from Yardi Matrix. As the economy continues to adjust in the post-pandemic period, year-over-year growth continued its ongoing decline.

Contractors | Mar 14, 2023

The average U.S. contractor has 9.2 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of February 2023

Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.2 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted Feb. 20 to March 6. The reading is 1.2 months higher than in February 2022.

Industry Research | Mar 9, 2023

Construction labor gap worsens amid more funding for new infrastructure, commercial projects  

The U.S. construction industry needs to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet demand for labor, according to a model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors. The construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022.

Market Data | Mar 7, 2023

AEC employees are staying with firms that invest in their brand

Hinge Marketing’s latest survey explores workers’ reasons for leaving, and offers strategies to keep them in the fold.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023

Multifamily housing investors favoring properties in the Sun Belt

Multifamily housing investors are gravitating toward Sun Belt markets with strong job and population growth, according to new research from Yardi Matrix. Despite a sharp second-half slowdown, last year’s nationwide $187 billion transaction volume was the second-highest annual total ever.

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