It's nearing the two-year mark since the pandemic forced businesses to stop, reassess, and plan viable steps for their employees and clients. The team at Archinect has kept close tabs on the industry and how the architecture community has been impacted as well as responded to drastic changes happening across the industry. As 2021 slowly comes to a close, we have spent time reaching out to firms to learn more about how offices are approaching adjusted workflows, staying connected to their teams, and how firms are staying transparent with their goals entering 2022.
For the latest post-pandemic installment of Archinect’s Studio Snapshots, we connected with Shepley Bulfinch's President and CEO Angela Watson, FAIA. Since the firm's establishment in 1874, it has survived "the Great Depression, multiple wars, civil unrest, and massive technological changes," as Watson shared. This level of business acumen and survival is met with progress in the firm's team, portfolio, and, most importantly, its leadership.
Now more than ever, transparent firm leadership and open communication are key to staying nimble as an architecture office. According to Watson, "the world has changed and is still full of unknowns, and we are not going to look backward to tell us how to work moving forward." During this interview, Watson discusses her approaches to firm leadership, the office's plans for 2022, and how her team approached working from home and remote working conditions. She also expands on what it takes to keep a firm connected and what a spike in employment means for the firm.
Can you briefly share the history of Shepley Bulfinch. How was it founded?
Rooted in design excellence, Shepley Bulfinch was established in 1874 as the architectural practice of noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. After nearly 150 years of evolution, Shepley continues challenging convention and tackling complex projects with a pioneering vision and boundless creativity, particularly in the areas of higher education, healthcare, and urban development. Today Shepley operates offices in Boston, Hartford, Houston, and Phoenix.
As a nationally certified woman-owned business and female-led practice, can you talk about the firm's diverse leadership structure from its principals to its C-suite leaders?
I believe that diversity in the architectural profession cannot simply be an aspiration — it must be imperative. Shepley Bulfinch spanned its transformation from a traditionally structured culture to a diverse and dynamic environment with women in leadership positions at all levels. The fact that several of the firm’s principals today are from traditionally underrepresented groups is the outcome of a very intentional and planned trajectory. Our firm has benefited from the diverse and talented staff brought together in the practice. With this broad mix of backgrounds, personal and professional experiences, and points of view, Shepley is built upon a rich tapestry of ideas and an open platform for inquiry, challenge, and collaboration.
I believe that diversity in the architectural profession cannot simply be an aspiration — it must be imperative.
How many people are currently employed at the firm? How is the office structured?
Shepley employs 160 people: 17 principals, 99 architecture professionals, 12 interior designers, and 32 administrative staff members.
How would you describe the firm’s design approach and portfolio of work?
I would describe the firm’s design approach as countering the status quo to produce forward-thinking buildings and spaces that inspire living, learning, and healing. Today, our team of designers is shaping the future across several industries and disciplines, including healthcare, education, libraries, student housing, and mixed-use developments. We design beyond what’s expected.
In Archinect's latest “Return to Office” survey, we dove into post-pandemic office setups and how individuals feel about working from home, returning to the office, and hybrid office approaches. How has your team addressed returning to the office? Is it "business as usual" or have new protocols and procedures been put in place?
Collaborating remotely was a way of doing business for Shepley prior to the pandemic. As a national firm with offices and clients spread across the country, we’ve always needed to find ways to work with our colleagues and clients based in different cities and states. This meant we were well equipped to continue working uninterrupted during the pandemic as our culture, systems, and design tools were built for flexible working styles and connectivity. The world has changed and is still full of unknowns, and we are not going to look backward to tell us how to work moving forward. The leadership team anticipates a high percentage of employees will balance their time between working remotely and in the office. We expect to use our office spaces for activities that benefit from in-person interaction like connecting, collaborating, celebrating, and spontaneous learning.
We also anticipate that our employees may find working remotely to be more effective when their days are filled with virtual meetings or individual-focused work. In all settings, my goal for the firm is to have a hybrid work strategy that provides every Bulfinch with an equitable experience, with the ability to work effectively and general quality of work regardless of physical location. Regardless of where our employees are working, Shepley will continue to serve our diverse clients and deliver design solutions beyond their expectations.
The world has changed and is still full of unknowns, and we are not going to look backward to tell us how to work moving forward.
Have approaches to connecting and communicating with employees changed?
Virtual connection simply does not replace in-person connections, and we aren’t proposing an entirely remote work environment anytime soon. However, we realized that physical location matters less than we thought. Having worked cross-office prior to the pandemic, virtual collaboration and engagement were ingrained in our firm’s methodology. As the entire firm went remote from March 2020 to March 2021, we found that our people were finding new opportunities to connect with each other regardless of office location — and it broke down some traditional barriers that can exist in organizations.
Teams and Zoom proved to be instrumental in facilitating our weekly firm-wide “town hall” meetings, during which we regularly set up break-out groups for socializing. Each team found their own way to connect with each other — weekly email newsletters, themed virtual birthday celebrations, and regular check-ins.
Has there been a spike in employment opportunities at the firm?
Absolutely. We are hiring and can’t hire fast enough. Over the last few months, there has been an increase in employment opportunities at the firm to address the firm’s current workloads. As with many companies, the return to a "new normal" has matched an increase in work for Shepley, and we are responding accordingly. We know we are not the only architecture firm that is hiring right now, and we firmly believe that our flexible work environment will help us recruit and retain top talent.
Our advice to the entire architecture industry is to look forward and lead change. I believe our industry has lagged behind the rest of the business world because of traditional beliefs around how architecture is done.
Firms have had to make tough decisions and face important realities due to the current state of architecture today. What are your biggest takeaways? What advice do you have for firms as they approach 2022?
Shepley Bulfinch has weathered major economic downturns, including the Great Depression, multiple wars, civil unrest, and massive technological changes. We have continually emerged successfully due to the firm’s ability to adapt and be flexible. This historical experience provides us with confidence and a conviction that we need to be nimble, we need to be adaptable, and we need to be able to recognize opportunities when we see them. I know 2022 will be an exciting year filled with unknowns. We are prepared and excited to face these unknowns, challenge ourselves, and create beautiful buildings.
Our advice to the entire architecture industry is to look forward and lead change. I believe our industry has lagged behind the rest of the business world because of traditional beliefs around how architecture is done. I hope we’ve all learned over the last 20 months that abrupt changes can and will happen, and the future will continue being unpredictable. Looking backward to the way we did things before is only going to slow down progress — and likely not meet the changing needs of our future talent. Our firm remains committed to creating a work environment that delivers design excellence for our clients and work-life balance for our incredible team.
Has the firm’s design perspective changed as we enter 2022?
At Shepley, our mantra is that we design beyond what’s expected. This speaks to ingenuity and passion for design that pushes boundaries. As we approach 2022, resiliency and flexibility will continue growing as design priorities. We see the imperative to design flexible spaces that can evolve, including quickly adapting to the changing needs of its users. For example, with our healthcare clients, resilient design allows the building to continue functioning despite changes in current events, like how flexible grids in hospitals accommodate future adjustments. In higher education and urban development, it’s critical we take a forward-looking design approach and be visionaries when considering future uses of a space.
What does Shepley Bulfinch hope to accomplish in the coming year? Any exciting projects in the works?
In the coming year, we plan to focus on our strengths as a firm: partnership and perspective. At the core of all of this is the idea that we need to understand each other, that we need to be able to see each other’s needs and perspectives — our colleagues, our clients, and their users. With that really comes the focus that we’re committed to uncovering, recognizing, and being honest about our biases that we all bring to our everyday lives. We’re really excited about the projects in the works — an innovative, collaborative classroom building, comprehensive facilities plan for a major hospital system, two new residential high-rises that are redefining the downtown Phoenix skyline, and a build-out of a new residential facility for individuals with chronic mental and medical health issues.
In the coming year, we plan to focus on our strengths as a firm: partnership and perspective [...] With that really comes the focus that we’re committed to uncovering, recognizing, and being honest about our biases that we all bring to our everyday lives.
We’re currently working at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an HBCU, on its new School of Pharmacy and Allied Health — an exciting project that highlights local artists in their science facility, and our partnership at Boston Children’s Hospital continues with the design of the new Hale Family Building, which will address critical capacity needs and its delivery of high-level tertiary and quaternary care. We’re committed to being where our clients are and are looking forward to what 2022 has in store.
Katherine is an LA-based writer and editor. She was Archinect's former Editorial Manager and Advertising Manager from 2018 – January 2024. During her time at Archinect, she's conducted and written 100+ interviews and specialty features with architects, designers, academics, and industry ...
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