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Architecture firms expanding post-recession are encountering a shortage of architects with midrange experience, according to the American Institute of Architects.

That industry trend and others were outlined in the 2014 AIA Foresight Report released recently. The 36-page report also spotlighted an increase in public-private partnership projects and an increase of crowdfunding affecting the roles of users and clients in the design process.

In the Portland-area, industry trends closely mirror those outlined in the national report, said Robert Hoffman, executive vice president of the AIA chapter in Portland. Many firms here have struggled to recruit licensed or unlicensed architects with five to 10 years of experience because many of them left the profession during the recession, he said.

“Most firms that we’re talking to right now are busier than they were in the past few years or they’re very busy,” he said. “There is kind of a frantic search for the right type of staff. There’s a lack of those people in the market.”

Meanwhile, AIA Portland members have expressed a desire to learn more about public-private partnerships and design-build projects because they have become increasingly common, Hoffman said. The chapter will likely host workshops focusing on the topic.

AIA members can download the full national report for free at . Nonmembers can download it for $10.