Dive Brief:

• The billings index tracked by the American Institute of Architects stood at 50.7 for February, which pretty much says design work is holding its own, but there is no big construction or home-building surge in the pipeline.
• The national number's being above 50, which means growth, hides a regional disparity that has persisted for months, with the Northeast and Midwest reporting declining work while the West and South at least stay on the plus side.
• The index is considered a leading indicator of what builders and contractors may see nine months to a year out as designs turn into contracts.

Dive Insight:

The Northeast and Midwest regions were declining more slowly in February than they have in previous months, and the association looked to an end of a miserable winter as perhaps holding the key to more activity. That's a refrain heard in most economic analyses lately.