Archinect - Features

Debunking Architecture’s Mythological Work Culture

2022-04-04T14:36:00-04:00

After a recent panel hosted within SCI-Arc, called Basecamp: How to be in an office, sparked protest from students and alumni, a slew of events unfolded within the school that rippled into the architecture community, prompting passionate discourse about ethics within professional practice and academia, especially as it relates to internships and the treatment of students and young professionals. But this isn't an essay about SCI-Arc, or an account of what is going on at SCI-Arc. The events have already been well documented online and in Archinect's latest reporting on April 1.

Instead, I want to explore the deeper historical and philosophical concepts that I believe underlie what we’ll call the conservative view of architecture work culture: that long hours, toil and suffering, and low pay are inevitable realities of pursuing a rigorous design career. I see a disconnect between the traditional professional ethos and the advent of the current zeitgeist that has been born, particular...

Workplace Dynamics: Dealing With Difficult Personalities in an Architecture Office

2022-01-13T13:44:00-05:00

When hiring new staff, one goal is to assess how a candidate’s personality fits within the office culture. Human resource professionals and hiring teams use various tools, and sometimes personality tests, to help assemble successful teams and office cultures.

Despite the effort firms and businesses make towards fostering encouraging work environments, we are bound to work with people whose personalities do not fit our own. If we could choose, we would decide not to work with these difficult individuals at all. However, if left unaddressed, these personality differences and quirks can result in clashed behavioral patterns and strenuous work situations.

To further explore this topic, we focus on how individuals working together in an office can assess these difficult situations and handle them.

Shepley Bulfinch Talks About the Post-Covid Office, Diversity, Firm Leadership, and Serving Both Employee and Client

2021-11-17T13:23:00-05:00

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 importan...

Archinect Survey Results: Did the Architecture Community Return to the Office this Summer?

2021-09-29T12:40:00-04:00

As we enter the 19th month of this COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that the only certainty we have gained so far is that nothing is certain. Earlier this year, as vaccine protection became increasingly available for the United States, we asked the architecture and design community about their return to office plans, and the survey results published in March reflected notions of transition, flexibility, and a justified hope for a return to normalcy.

To follow up on these initial responses, we reached out to our readers again to see how the expansion of the vaccine program and the emergence of the Delta variant virus in recent months have shaped the working conditions for millions of architecture and design professionals.

Remote Work and 'Zoom towns' Aren't Just Changing Our Offices, They're Changing the Future of Employment Opportunities

2021-03-25T08:29:00-04:00

Last year the Archinect team spent time connecting with our community to learn how architects, firms, and students adapted to remote work and learning. However, after a year of "practice," remote work doesn't seem as daunting as it once was. It has opened a new set of opportunities for companies and teams to explore, especially when hiring. However, during the pandemic, remote work has also led to the rise of "Zoom towns" and proposes a new look at city structures. "The shift is already changing the way that cities compete to build their economies and attract jobs," shares Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek of the Wall Street Journal's Saturday Essay.

As companies continue to expand their teams, employees and prospective job seekers are also looking to relocate out of larger cities and move into smaller, mid-sized towns that offer better housing costs and more outdoor amenities.

Over the last 12 months, Archinect has been listening and learning. We're asking questions to help find a p...

The Architecture Community on Return-to-Office Plans in 2021

2021-03-02T13:28:00-05:00

A few weeks ago, Archinect reached out to the architecture community to investigate the return-to-office plans since the large migration to remote work. We asked readers to contribute to a brief survey to help us better understand the current climate in regards to potential reentry to the office.

Understanding Visual Perspectives Through Risk and Research with Architecture Office

2019-05-20T11:51:00-04:00

The power of visual representation is key when expressing thoughts and ideas. The Syracuse-based architecture studio pulls together their passion for research and design practice to create projects which question the way people think about architecture and current issues.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect chats with Nicole McIntosh and Jonathan Louie of Architecture Office. During this segment, we discuss what it means for a promising practice to take risks and excel creatively while running a firm. After founding their practice in 2015, McIntosh and Louie explore the opportunity of how different perspectives strengthen research-based experimentation.