Architects The Latest Dominoes To Fall
Slowdown Signals A Static Horizon
Over the past decade, as new corporate headquarters, condominiums and subdivisions mushroomed across the region, developers relied on architects to turn their big-money musings into the lines, angles and dimensions that are the language of their craft.
Now, as banks have stopped financing construction, development projects are in limbo and architectural firms have slashed staffs, some by 20 percent and more. Laid-off construction workers reflect the slowdown. But the dismissal of architects is a bellwether, signifying slowed-down planning for projects that were just on the horizon.
Nationally, architectural firms employed 224,000 people in July. By January, that number had fallen to 206,000, according to the American Institute of Architects. No statistics for unemployed architects were available for the Washington region, although the AIA’s District chapter, with 2,000 members, has become a de facto job-referral service for dozens of the jobless.
…more…