Tampa Bay area architects see another strong year ahead for the local economy, according to AIA Tampa Bay's recent “Voice of Architecture” survey.
In the survey, three in four architects (77 percent) expect demand for architectural services in the Tampa Bay area to increase in 2020 – up nearly 10 percentage points from last year. Nearly half anticipate revenue growth of more than 10 percent in 2020, also up nearly 10 percentage points from last year.
And they’re anticipating firm growth to keep up with demand. Four out of five architects (82 percent) in “Voice of Architecture” survey estimate that their organization will hire more employees in 2020.
B2 co-founder and principal Kyle Parks moderated a well-attended AIA panel discussion Feb. 5 with four industry leaders - Rowe Architects' Angela Hendershot, Harvard Jolly Architecture's Phil Trezza, Bandes Construction Company Inc.'s Jillian Bandes and Kimley-Horn's Keith Greminger - to talk about the “Voice of Architecture” results.
The panelists talked about everything from the importance of facilitating an environment that will keep employees for the long-term, to how the University of South Florida’s College of Architecture is cranking out graduates who are in demand both locally and nationally.
In addition to moderating the panel discussion, B2 handled news media outreach about the “Voice of Architecture” survey, resulting in a column by Graham Brink in the Tampa Bay Times and a story by Margie Manning in the St. Pete Catalyst.
Last year, the AIA Tampa Bay survey proved to be a solid bellwether for the industry’s prospects. In fact, Dewey Caruthers of the Caruthers Institute, which administered the survey, calls architects the “canaries in the coal mine” in knowing the future of the development industry.
That’s because the projects that architects are starting now are for buildings that will come to fruition two or three years from now. And by all indications, it’s full speed ahead.