AIA Iowa releases quarterly construction trends report

The American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter (AIA Iowa) has unveiled its inaugural quarterly report describing design and construction trends across Iowa.

More than 35 Iowa architectural firms provided data on topics ranging from market sector fluctuations to the most active geographic areas specifically related to the work taking place in Iowa, according to a release.

The architectural profession is known to serve as a forecast for construction activity nine to 12 months in advance, providing timely information at the state level to the business community.

Highlights from the inaugural report include:

  • K-12 education initiatives account for 15% of all active projects across the polled firms, cementing itself as the current largest market sector.
  • Adaptive reuse projects outweigh new construction projects by a ratio of 55/45 in the 1st quarter.
  • The current majority of projects being designed by architects are located in the central and northwest parts of the state, which will lead to a greater amount of construction in those areas over the course of the next 9-12 months.

More information about the AIA Iowa market survey and the full report is available at AIA Iowa’s website, AIAIowa.org. New reports will be generated every three months, with quarter 2 findings set to be released in July.

Headquartered in Des Moines, AIA Iowa is an affiliate of the national AIA with nearly 1,000 members.