Dive Brief:

• The Architectural Billings Index, a leading indicator of construction business, found more firms reporting growing business than declining business for the first time in a couple of months.
• The American Institute of Architects, which compiles the index from member reports said the national figure was 50.4, with anything above 50 indicating growth. Firms in the Northeast and Midwest were still experienced the slowdown they encountered in the last quarter of 2013.
• Inquiries about projects remained strong though total billings were down a little in January, AIA reported.

Dive Insight:

When billings are sorted by industry sectors, residential firms kept up the growth they had been experiencing, and commercial and industrial specialists saw some growth following two months of contraction. Firms that cater to institutional design needs had a fifth consecutive down month.