Tough times can sometimes spark creativity and force professionals to find work where they would seldom venture otherwise. Chicago Tribune’s Daisy Ngyuen reports that home grown architects run into their colleagues in some of the world’s most exotic locations from Egypt to China to Azerbjaijan.
An increasing number of design professionals and urban planners are finding more work overseas than in their own country now crippled by the recession.
As affluent areas abroad are now demanding suburban neighborhoods that resemble the American ideal, complete with master suites and tree-lined streets, entire master-planned communities are springing up American-style, such as in Egypt’s New Cairo, a 200,000 resident complex of single-family homes, high-rises, parks, entertainment and shopping centers.
Similarly, American architects’ involvement is recognized in the creation of an eco-friendly island connected to Shanghai by rail, or a new township in northern India replete with luxury villas, shops, parks and schools.
The American Institute of Architects reported as long ago as 2006 that some of the largest U.S.-based architectural firms reported double the number of international billings over the past four years as work recently dropped to its lowest point in 12 years stateside.
Architects are not alone in their service outsourcing, as American window, roofing and HVAC manufacturers, whose products are built to more demanding American standards, are being shipped abroad as well. The trend quietly began in the early 1990s, according to the report, when the domestic housing downturn forced these industries to seek new venues to help them weather economic slowdowns.
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