A Guest Article by Ernie Moore, AIA

The construction phase may be defined as the progressive transformation of an vision into a physical space in which people can function as intended. In strip mall development, that space is the point at which display and sale of goods, or the transaction of agreements or services can take place. Read More→

The answer depends on the sector. Residential construction is off about 40%, and labor has dropped slightly in that sector, however commercial construction costs, including strip malls, have not seen this decrease. In some submarkets construction labor costs have escalated since May 2007. We need to accept that the old domestic demand and supply playbook doesn’t work as materials are now valued on a global, not simply a domestic, metric. In every cycle there are markets and submarkets that do not participate. This post contains citations from The Means Report, the Sacramento Business Journal, and finally the Dubai Chronicle where costs are escalating. Read More→