The Wall Street Journal ran a blurb from a Harvard economist at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) yesterday projecting

“As the country braces for a possible recession in 2008, there will likely be an easing in demand for design services”

Yet, the actual press release from the AIA stated

“After a fall rebound from a summer slowdown, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) recorded another healthy score in December”

and

“The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI rating was 55.4, up a fraction from the 55.3 mark in November (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), and inquiries for new projects was 58.1.”

So despite the increase in demand, and uptick over previous months, there will likely be an easing in demand. With analysis like that, one could reach pretty much any conclusion, even without being a Harvard economist.