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Commercial Construction in U.S. to Increase 4.9 Percent in 2015, Says AIA

Commercial Construction in U.S. to Increase 4.9 Percent in 2015, Says AIA

Commercial News » North America Commercial News Edition | By WPJ Staff | July 29, 2014 5:10 PM ET



According to the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation's leading construction forecasters is projecting that spending will see a 4.9% increase in 2014 - down from the previous estimate of 5.8%, with next year's projection holding at 8%.

Due to the weather-related slow start in 2014, the nonresidential building market during the first part of the year, and the prolonged weakness in the institutional sector, construction spending projections for the rest of the year have been lowered slightly. 

The commercial construction sector is still looking at solid spending increases throughout the remainder of 2014, paced by high levels of demand for hotels and office buildings. 

The institutional market has been a drag on the overall recovery for the design and construction industry for the last few years, and until we see state and local governments ramp up spending for new education, healthcare and public safety structures there likely won't be a widespread acceleration in spending for the entire industry," said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. "But we continue to have an optimistic outlook for the commercial and industrial sectors both for the rest of this year and into 2015."

Baker continued, "While there does not appear to be any structural frailties in the overall economy that could possibly derail increasing levels of construction spending over the next 18 months, lending standards at financial institutions continue to fall well short of the increasing demand for commercial real estate loans, which is another factor that serves as a wild card and a source of concern for the entire industry."


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