RECORD reports on how the troubled economy is affecting architects.

• Architects Brace for Prolonged Recession
• Housing Could Spark Rebound in 2010
• An Unexpected Building Boom in L.A.
• AIA Study: 2008 Billions Topped $44 Billion
• As Opening Nears, Stakes High for City Center

View all Economy Coverage >>

Pictured: The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) compiled by the AIA

What will the Recovery and Reinvestment Act mean for U.S. architects? RECORD tracks the plan’s impact on the architecture world.

• GSA Awards $435 Million Contract for Coast Guard HQ
• At Last, New GSA Contracts Start to Surge
• Park Service Releases $750-Million List of Stimulus Projects
• How Architects Can Land a Government Contract
• The Final Stimulus Bill, Sector by Sector

Image courtesy SmithGroup

In RECORD’s ongoing series of Newsmaker Interviews, we speak with John Morefield, founder of Architecture 5¢ in Seattle. We also talk to Peter Morris, principal of the construction consultancy Davis Langdon, who discusses how the recession will affect the green-building market.

Photo © Mohini Patel Glanz

Riding Out Recessions
In part one of our interview with Eugene Kohn, he discusses how he and three partners launched Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in the middle of a recession in 1976. He describes how the fledgling firm found work despite the bad economy and offers advice to younger architects navigating the current recession.

In part two, Kohn discusses the contemporary economic crisis and its impact on his firm—from projects falling through, to layoffs, to where the firm is finding work despite the recession. In the final minute of the interview, he predicts that the long-term effect of the recession on design will be the death of the “icon.”

KPF in the late 1970s / Photo courtesy Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

How architects can survive the economic crisis—from revamping your resume to getting government contracts.

• Strategies for Unemployed Architects
• Firms Adapt to Tough Times
• Land a Government Contract
• Top 10 Resume Tips

View the full Survival Guide >>

Photo © David Albanese/Architectural Record

Recession Stories
How are architects coping with the economic downturn? To help answer this question, we headed over to the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture on January 21 to attend a Not Business As Usual forum—one in a series of events geared toward helping architects in these troubled times. The workshop drew roughly 80 attendees. Here, we profile 15 of the people we interviewed, from firm owners to unemployed designers. We’ve included the resumes of those architects looking for work.

Photo © Danielle Austen/Architectural Record

McGraw-Hill Construction’s vice president for economic affairs Robert Murray looks at key market indicators and offers a prognosis for the building types most important to architects: Multifamily, commercial, healthcare, hotels, and education.

Information Graphics by David Foster

No one knows how long the current recession will last or how severe it will be. But, all recessions share certain characteristics, and looking at how this one measures up to those of the recent past gives us hope.

Data: McGraw-Hill Construction

We take a look at how architects are faring in various regions of the country. From Seattle to Philadelphia, it appears nobody is escaping the economic crisis unscathed. “What we’re going through is nothing short of brutal,” says Herbert Nadel of Los Angeles-based Nadel.

• Stimulus Dollars Offer Hope for Ailing Architects in Northeast
• Architects in West Hit Hard by Recession
• Architects in South Feel Economic Pinch
• Midwest Architects Slog Through Recession

Photo courtesy Goettsch Partners

The economic crisis has architects hurting around the world. Below we present reports on the state of design from São Paulo to Shanghai.

Image courtesy Woods Bagot

Which major projects have stalled? And which are going ahead despite the tough economy?

• Work to Begin On Long-Delayed Louis Kahn Park
• At Cornell, Groundbreaking Could Mark End of 12-Year Saga
• Brooklyn Arts District Plods Ahead
• Beyer Blinder Belle to Restore Budapest Landmark

Pictured: “Is the Dubai Bubble Starting to Burst?” / Photo © Mark Horn

RECORD has featured many articles on working during tough times in our Practice Matters column. Below is a selection of recent stories:

• Preparing for That Make-or-Break Job Interview
• Greening Your Design Culture
• Client Care: How to Keep Them Coming Back for More
• Professionalizing Pro Bono Practice
• Nonprofit Work Experience
• Could Owner’s Rep Work Be a Good Move?

Image © The Gallery Collection/Corbis

Meet six young architects, jobless due to today's poor economy, who are making lemonade out of some very sour lemons.

Image courtesy Brian Jones