Business conditions at architecture firms declined sharply in September, according to the AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index. The ABI score of 44.8 for September is the lowest score reported since December 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Any score below 50 indicates decreasing business conditions at architecture firms and the September score indicates a significant increase in firms reporting declining billings, according to the institute, a trade association for architecture and design firms.
“The September ABI score reflects a marked downturn in business conditions at architecture firms, with the sharpest decline observed since the peak of the pandemic," said Kermit Baker, AIA's chief economist. "While more firms are reporting a decrease in billings, the report also shows the hesitance among clients to commit to new projects with a slump in newly signed design contracts. As a result, backlogs at architecture firms fell to 6.5 months on average in the third quarter, their lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2021.”