Survey says ...

Did you know 81% of architecture, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms have dress codes? Have you heard that 36% of firms offer benefits for domestic partners, up from 14% in 2001? Would you have guessed that 38% of firms have policies on green commuting these days? Or that almost two-thirds of firms have policies against employee moonlighting? Or that almost one-third have policies dictating what you can display in your workspace?

If you think those statistics are interesting, you just need to get your hands on ZweigWhite's brand new 2010 Policies, Procedures & Benefits Survey for hundreds more compelling tidbits from HR departments across the industry. If you haven't already ordered a copy for your firm, it's about time you did so, if for no other reason, to find the answers you know you need.

Blue ribbons for green building bills

The U.S. Green Building Council has released its top 10 green building bills, with the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - more commonly known as the federal economic stimulus bill - taking top honors. The first major initiative of the Obama administration has been roundly criticized for not turning the economy around as quickly as some people had expected, but this list represents high praise for the effort.

What do you think of the USGBC's list? What's missing? What's ranked too high? What's ranked too low?

ABI sinks in January

It was “more of the same” for the monthly indicators of design activity in January, with the Architectural Billings Index falling almost three points from 45.4 in December to 42.5 in December.

Kermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), told ZweigWhite he looks at the January figures as “a modestly negative signal,” saying the 42.5 number is similar to the levels of last summer. Any score above 50 indicates growth in design activity.

“It’s certainly a setback,” he said. “There’s no sign of moving toward a recovery.”

But, with his eyes on mid-2010 for several months now, Baker still thinks his target of the second half of the year for a recovery across the industry is reasonable.

“It continues to be a slow, troubled recovery, so we’re taking this month to month,” he said. "If the number is still in the low 40s in April and May, I might retrench a little bit on the idea of mid-year being the focus for the recovery.

“For better or worse, it does turn pretty quickly. There’s enough good news coming out of the broader economy now that we should start seeing better numbers,” Baker said.

He pointed to an increase in retail sales and overall manufacturing as good signs for the ABI, especially when added to the uptick in gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2009 and leveling in the unemployment rate.

New project inquiries were at 52.5 for January, but Baker doesn’t see that number meaning much when the plus-50 scores haven’t translated into new work in the last several months. The AIA may adjust the factors that are included in that calculation by the end of the year, he said.

The Midwest ABI was 48.0 for January, with the Northeast (45.7), South (41.3), and West (40.5) rounding out the scores. All stayed at about the same level as December, with the Midwest representing “a pretty healthy number,” Baker said.

Residential led the sector breakdown at 50.1, followed by commercial/industrial (44.9), institutional (43.1), and mixed (40.3). Institutional work tailed off recently after a few solid months, Baker says, largely due to a lack of state and local government funding.

Building the perfect eats

By now, you've all heard about the American Academy of Pediatrics' warning to parents about hot dogs being a choking hazard for young children and the need for a redesign of what is considered by many to be the perfect food. Who better to tackle this challenge than the people who design for a living, right?

It's time for the designers out there to put on your thinking caps and come up with a new design for this ballpark favorite. Forget about simply cutting the hot dog into smaller pieces; that's a copout, and it's never going to win you the prestige a challenge like this brings with it. We're looking for new ways of thinking, new approaches to the old way of doing business. We want to hear your ideas for making the hot dog safer for kids to eat. The winner will get an exclusive (possibly eBay-worthy) piece of ZweigWhite memorabilia you'll relish (pun intended, of course) to proudly display in your office and bring with you on that next pitch for a bridge, building, or highway.

The winner will be announced here on Friday, March 5. That's not a lot of time, so put some mustard on those designing tools or you'll be forced to play "ketchup" at the last second. Get those entries to us - and spread the word. Don't confuse this contest - which we'll call the Wurst Form - with our Best Firms To Work For rankings or Hot Firm list, though.

For the architect who has everything ...

I'm told the Frank Gehry collection at Tiffany has been around for a while, but it's new to me, and may be new to many of you in the design world. I wish I had seen it a couple of weeks ago so I could've shared it with you before Valentine's Day, but there are plenty of special occasions on the calendar, so get shopping! New items include star-shaped bangles and rings ranging in price from $250 to $600. The overall collection ranges in price from $8,400 for an 18K torque necklace to $40 for a white China rock tumbler, so clearly there's something for every price range.

Do you own any of these pieces? Do your fellow architects know who designed it - or at least put his name on it? What do you think of the collection?

Help for Haiti

With the damage estimate in Haiti now up to about $14 billion, it's clear the AEC community will be heavily involved in the recovery in that region for years - if not decades - to come. This weekend, a global design showcase will highlight some of the early ideas on techniques and materials that could help to rebuild the earthquake-ravaged country. The event is expected to last 24 hours and progress among cities around the world as it streams over the Internet. The hope is to involve 200,000 people and raise $1 million for Architecture for Humanity.

Check The Zweig Letter for continuing coverage of the rebuilding of Haiti, including interviews with firm leaders who have been there in the weeks since the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Will your firm participate in the design showcase? Will you watch any of the coverage? Do you have a favorite design?

Have you hugged an engineer today?

For those who haven't heard, we're smack-dab in the middle of National Engineers Week, with the seven-day celebration wrapping up tomorrow with Discover Engineering Family Day in Washington, D.C. And, while Barbie isn't headed to a career in architecture any time soon, organizers of this weeklong celebration held the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day earlier this week.

One unfortunate bit of news related to National Engineers Week: Greeting card companies have yet to jump on the bandwagon and add it to their slate of occasions worth celebrating. I always wondered why they made those cards that were blank inside. Now we know.

Is your firm doing anything to celebrate the week? Send us your pictures and let us know your stories.