What is the ABI

Anyone practicing or doing business in the field of architecture should know what this is!

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is a great tool for architects and their business. In short this tool allows decision makers to understand the market for non-residential projects. If you are looking to plan and understand the current building cycles, this tool should be in your decision making process. You can access historical data as well as current economic analysis.

The AIA makes this tool very easy to understand and implement into your business plans. AIA.org provides the ABI and many other tools to help you become more well-rounded in the architecture field.

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Where's the Music?

Is there a connection between music and design?

According to an article by TIME, music and its effect on creativity are not completely conclusive. However, a study referenced early in the article stated how music actually "impairs'' creativity. In this study, word puzzles were used as the primary variable. When there was no background music, their study yielded better results. Later on, the article discussed how the study might be challenged by the effect of "upbeat" and "happy music". In order to paint a clearer picture of the true relationship between music and creativity, more supporting studies would need to be done. Or, our current studies should be more publicized so that a general consensus can be made.

From my perspective, I would recommend doing a self analysis comparing your productivity when you have music playing and when you have no music playing. See what works for you. Knowing your optimal level of productivity may allow you to accomplish more over the long-run.

Where is the biggest construction project?

Where is the most activity in the construction world?

Right now the largest construction project in the world is the Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai. This massive project is set to cover 21 square miles. Just for scale, the Vatican city is .17 square miles. This airport alone has the area to support a large city. On large projects like this, we all know that there will be a master plan followed by several design phases. Many designers enjoy creating on their own terms, but in a project like this, each designer has to be humble enough to realize that their impact may blend into the larger scheme.

Although large projects can be incredibly frustrating to work on, the beauty of the struggle forces everyone to have a bit of humility. When you're working on a large project and you feel little to no significance, understand that at the completion of the project can still be fulfilling. Many times as designers, we lose sight of the overall importance of what we are designing. At times, it can be hard to push through a job, especially when we don't see the purpose. If you can remember the purpose, designing will be much more bearable during the struggles.