If you read the news and listen to the television, it’s hard not to be pessimistic.

However, it is my experience that when things look especially bleak, something good happens.

Therefore I would like to predict that despite all the negativity, 2012 will be the beginning of an economic upswing that will peak in 2015.

I think the good will appear in early to mid-2012 and will propel economies forward giving much more confidence to people. And, of course, architects do well when the economy does well.

I think we’ll see economic improvements in the US and Europe. Real estate development will move forward. The US will take the lead but we’ll see continued growth in the UK and then Europe. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Russia but there will probably be a loosening up.

The best markets for architects are all places where we’re working: China, Korea, India, Brazil, the US and London.

The Middle East is a big question mark. It’s impossible to know what the Arab Spring means ultimately. For instance, will Egypt become an Islamic state or a democracy? What will happen in Syria and Iran? It’s not the greatest market. Certainly, we’ll only be looking at specific jobs with clients we know there.

Yes I’m optimistic about 2012, but I don’t think you can be a leader and not be an optimist.