Perkins + Will says business is healthy.

Architecture firms—like many real estate companies—are facing hard times.

The American Institute of Architects’ October 2008 Architecture Billings Index (ABI) paints a bleak picture for the next nine months to 12 months. After three months of signs of greater stability in the industry, the ABI fell by more than six points in September.

On the West Coast however, some sustainable design firms—while not exactly bullish—are insisting they are relatively stable, if cautious, at the outset of one of the worst economic crises in American history.

“SERA is holding our own,” says Clark Brockman, associate principal and director of sustainability resources at Portland-based SERA Architects. “We’re hopeful for a stable 2009 but we don’t see an expansive 2009.”

In Seattle, the feeling is much the same, according to Allyn Stellmacher, design partner with Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Architects, a firm with offices in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and on the East Coast. “We feel confident but careful about opportunities coming in the door.”