Business conditions remain on solid footing for residential architecture firms

Washington, D.C. – September 21, 2015 – Homeowners continue to prioritize investing in outdoor living spaces and there has been a significant surge in popularity in adding technology and systems that can help automate energy consumption .These findings are from the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey covering activity during the second quarter of 2015 that focused on emerging home features: systems, technologies and special function rooms in the home.

“With the tremendous interest in well-designed outdoor living spaces, it’s a pretty strong indication that the days when houses were viewed as a way to flip for a big profit are long gone,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Signifying a renewed interested in practicality and use, demand for mud rooms and dedicated guest rooms are also quite high.”

All of the data from this survey can be access in this infographic.

(% reporting popularity of room “increasing” minus % reporting “decreasing”; Q2)

Products and systems that ease home management are growing in popularity. These features double as energy saving solutions, reducing utility costs. 

(% reporting popularity of product “increasing” minus % reporting “decreasing”; Q2)

(% reporting popularity of system “increasing” minus % reporting “decreasing”; Q2)

Baker added, “Automationis on its way to becoming standard functionality within homes as there are systems available to regulate temperature, lighting, home audio and energy usage.”

Housing market business conditions

“Conditions remain very positive, but as we might expect at this stage of the cycle, growth is beginning to slow a bit,” said Baker. “Backlogs are still trending up, and are close to being back to where they were before the downturn.  While the individual sectors aren’t accelerating in terms of growth, they are all positive.”

AIA Home Design Survey Index for Q2 2015 (any score above 50 is positive)

• Billings: 61
• Inquiries for new projects: 66
• Design Contracts: 58.3
• Regional averages: Midwest (59.2), South (60.7), West (62.9) Northeast (61.0)

(% of respondents reporting sector “improving” minus % reporting “weakening”; Q2)

About the AIA Home Design Trends Survey

The AIA Home Design Trend Survey is conducted quarterly with a panel of over 500 architecture firms that concentrate their practice in the residential sector.  Residential architects are design leaders in shaping how homes function, look, and integrate into communities and this survey helps to identify emerging trends in the housing marketplace.  Business conditions are also monitored on a quarterly basis.  Future surveys will focus on community design trends (December 2015), and kitchen and bath trends (April 2016).

About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.

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