The top five markets to watch in 2009 are healthcare, municipal government, transportation, energy/power, and green building, according to ZweigWhite's newly released 2009 AEC Industry Outlook: Strategy and Insight for Design & Construction Firms.
While healthcare still holds the top spot (for the sixth year), three of last year's five top-ranked markets—office, higher education, and K-12 schools—did not make the list in 2009, falling victim to the impact the financial markets have had on project funding.
"This really shows how dynamic the current AEC marketplace has become," says ZweigWhite president and industry consultant, Ian Rusk. "There are so many forces at work here, from the impact of shrinking endowment values on the higher education market, which has been in the top five for as long as I can recall, to the recession's impact on the office market. But the biggest takeaway here is that industry leaders seem to be looking to markets that have the most to gain from government investment."
The 2009 AEC Industry Outlook: Strategy and Insight for Design & Construction Firms examines all the major markets served by design and construction firms, and identifies key trends that will affect the AEC business in 2009. The report ($295) is available online at: www.zweigwhite.com/go/outlook2009.
