Every day digest: Salaries declined for small corporations in the course of the pandemic, Fearless Woman stares down eviction, and extra

Good afternoon and welcome back to the final news roundup of the week. As we roll into a more normal weekend this time, here are the stories you need to know today:

An AIA survey finds small architecture firms were hit hard by the pandemic

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released the third edition of the Small Firm Compensation Report, covering 2019 through 2021, and the results are predictably dour for the pandemic period, even with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. According to the AIA, average small firm revenue fell by 20 percent over the three-year period, while the percentage of small firms with $1 million or more in revenue fell from 10 percent in 2018 to only 8 percent in 2020.

Individual practitioners and sole proprietors were hit hard too, but the full report notes that, on the bright side, small firms saw amenities increase overall alongside the proportion of employees working remotely.

Wall Street’s Fearless Girl could leave as its owners battle permitting woes

Fearless Girl, the bronze sculpture of a small girl staring down Wall Street’s famous Charging Bull statue, was relocated to its current home opposite the New York Stock Exchange in 2018. However, that move was only allowed under a permit provided by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and it reportedly expired on November 29, leaving the fate of the statue up in the air. Asset management company and Fearless Girl owner State Street Global Advisors is now waiting to hear when a meeting with the Public Design Commission, which oversees public art throughout the city, can be scheduled.

Meanwhile, State Street is also embroiled in a battle with Fearless Girl’s artist and copyright holder, Kristen Visbal, claiming his sales of Fearless Girl recreations worldwide is hurting the company’s brand. Visbal is planning to launch Fearless Girl NFTs to help raise funds for his legal defense.

H/t 6sqft

Only 52 percent of NYC’s buildings pass energy efficiency requirements

A whopping 48.3 percent of buildings in New York City received either a D or F grade on their energy efficiency ratings, while only 19.9 percent scored A’s in 2021. Over 20,000 buildings with more than 25,000 square feet were surveyed. It’s important to note that F grades are only reserved for buildings with no data, and D is the lowest score achievable for tangible surveys—39.2 percent of buildings received a D, putting F’s in the minority.

H/t to The Real Deal

The Los Angeles City Council upholds Eric Owen Moss’s supportive housing project

Despite local opposition to Eric Owen Moss’s supportive housing complex along Venice’s Grand Canal in Los Angeles, the L.A. City Council has approved the project in a 12-3 vote on December 1, paving the way for its construction. The 100,000-square-foot project, formerly known as the Reese Davidson Community, will, however, change its name after a member of the Reese family objected to the development. Still, the City Council shot down an appeal from a group called Venice Vision which argued the project, intended to provide 140 apartments for low-income artists and the formerly homeless, violated the city’s zoning.

H/t to Urbanize Los Angeles

In Miami, Yinka Ilori shows off a hypersaturated skatepark

London-based artist Yinka Ilori has debuted a technicolor temporary skatepark in Miami for Design Miami, commissioned by the boutique Unique Design X Group. The Skateable Object Park, designed in collaboration with Tony Hawk’s nonprofit The Skatepark Project, which brings skateboarding to underserved communities, lets skaters ride the rails amid a sea of yellow, and ramp up salmon-pink obstacles.

H/t to Dezeen

The second Rubell Museum in D.C. is moving along

The second location of Miami’s Rubell Museum is moving along in Washington, D.C., inside of the former Randall School. Slated to open next year, the 31,000-square-foot museum will share space inside the renovated building with 500 apartments and nearly 100 set aside as affordable. The key draw, according to collectors and museum founders Don and Mera Rubell, will be an observation area where visitors can watch artists create in real time.

H/t to The Art Newspaper