Work in the higher education market is steady, but uneven geographically. The South and West are the hottest markets, with the Northeast and Mid- west lagging a bit. Nationwide, demand is most robust for housing and interdisciplinary academic and research buildings. Overall higher education construction spending is projected to increase 1.6% in 2018, the lowest increase reported in the last five years, according to the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University. Though the U.S. economy is strong with investment gains buoying endowments, colleges and universities face pressures to economize and stretch their capital budgets. "Declining enrollment in the last few years is creating financial issues in mid-tier institutions," says John Baxter, AIA, LEED AP, Higher Education Sector Leader with EYP Architecture and Engineering. This has prompted some closures and mergers, though large, well-endowed institutions are doing fine, he adds.
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