MADISON, Wis. -- After years of building boom around the country, many are wondering whether the quickly slumping economy could mean bust for builders and architects.

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Members of the local construction industry said that although many are now feeling the financial fallout, there's a little less to worry about in their business at this point.

They said that while some architects and construction companies that put all their eggs in one basket could be in trouble, some said that unlike blueprints, their key to success comes from thinking in multiple dimensions.

As the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery goes up on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, the construction cranes tower into the sky. The flurry of activity paints a picture of booming business for J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., the Madison-Milwaukee based construction firm known for big projects.

This year though has been a mixed year for Findorff. While they've seen their business grow -- 6 percent according to Jeff Tubbs, vice president of business development -- the number of new projects rolling in hasn't been as large as what the company enjoyed for several years beginning back in 2005.

"The banking industry started to be more conservative, the developers decided to take a wait and see approach to some of their projects they were looking at," said Tubbs. "I think 2008 was a wait-and-see year, and so once the elections are behind us and some of these financial woes are behind people, 2009 is going to be a stronger year, hopefully."

According to Tubbs, Findorff does the lion share of its business in Dane County, which is shielded from some of the financial setbacks seen elsewhere because of what is here.

"In Dane County, there’s always going to be some growth with the university here, the State Capital here, the three major hospitals that are here," said Tubbs.

What he also sees is more customers asking for more economical building materials and more energy-efficient structures designed to save them money in the long run.

Change, By Design

For designers, like Madison based Brownhouse, an architecture and interior design firm, the story is similar.

"We have not had a slow down in work, we’ve had a change in the type of work we’re doing," said Laurel Brown, owner of Brownhouse.

She talked about the kind of projects she and her team has spent the last few years focused on, and where they’re headed now.

"We really saw a downturn in any kind of condo development whatsoever," said Brown.

And that’s a change for a company whose conference room is lined with photos of condo projects. Now, more interior home design, renovation work and an emerging ‘doggie-day-care’ market are on the front burner.

"To diversify even more, to have even more areas of revenue so when you do experience economic downturns, maybe with new construction, you can pick up the slack in other areas," said Brown. "Sort of add one more leg to that stool for stability."