Archinect - Features

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.

Fellow Fellows: Jennifer Meakins Interrogates Power Imbalances Within Architectural Pedagogy

2021-08-23T13:37:00-04:00

Fellowships can help spark critical career-changing moves for designers and academics looking to establish their research and design perspectives through teaching. However, besides the teaching experience, research exploration, and funding, what else can an architecture fellowship provide young professionals? In Jennifer Meakins' case, she received much support as the 2020—2021 Schidlowski Emerging Faculty Fellow at Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

For this iteration of Archinect's Fellow Fellows series, we unpacked Meakins' research and studio she taught. While her research primarily focused on "architecture's role in upholding and furthering systems of inequity and injustice," we also dove into the current state of fellowships and how they impact the careers of design professionals. In addition, Meakins provided insight into why she pursued a fellowship versus a full-time position at a firm and her thoughts on fellowships as a vehicle or con...

Insights on Contemporary Mentorship in Architecture and How to Navigate It

2021-07-16T08:49:00-04:00

Every so often in conversations and considerations regarding employment, the topic of mentorship gets brought up. Regardless of whether as mentors or mentees or both, most people agree that mentorship is a vital component of an architect’s career. Despite it being recognized as important, mentorship often remains ill-defined and sometimes even fear or shame-inducing.

Archinect has recently organized an insightful panel called “The Importance of Positive Leadership and Mentorship” where Paul Petrunia discussed the topic with Donna Sink from Roland Design, Rosa Sheng from SmithGroup, Jonathan Moody of Moody Nolan, and Alan Maskin of Olson Kundig. The panel brought up numerous points for strengthening communication within a project team and company.

Below we bring a further analysis of the topic and provide actionable tips on establishing and nurturing relationships between mentors and mentees.

Becoming an Architect; Part 2: Surely there are easier ways to make money?

2021-07-08T12:47:00-04:00

In case you missed it: Becoming an Architect; Part 1: My Destiny

I moved back up north to be with my first proper boyfriend and started my first proper job. In the first week, I would sit at my assigned spot and enthusiastically say “Good morning” to everyone – no one said a word. The Partner, who I sat next to, grumbled “Morning” – I always felt he wanted to be more effusive but couldn’t as that was not the culture of the office.

Meet the Architects Designing Software to Fight Climate Change

2021-06-14T13:57:00-04:00

The 21st century has seen rapid advances in technology, allowing an ever-increasing portion of the architectural and urban planning process to move into digital space. At the same time, our understanding of the climate crisis and momentum to address it have also gathered pace. Responding to both technological advances and climate awareness, architects and designers have begun to embrace software not just as users, but as creators. To explore this further, we speak with four architecture and design studios who are developing digital tools that respond to the climate crisis. From BIM software plug-ins and carbon calculators to interactive tools that generate location-specific environmental design strategies, these four teams are carving a potential future path for the profession; one with responsibility for the design of both digital and physical systems.

On the Importance of Feedback: How Architects and Designers Can Improve Office Culture

2021-04-09T16:49:00-04:00

Whether you are a new or seasoned professional, being a fast learner is a sought-after characteristic. There are several tools and skills that will help expedite one's career advancement, yet a vital resource is feedback — to have someone share their perspective on your work and give actionable advice on how you can do even better next time.

Many companies have structured performance reviews on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis. These reviews, however, may not always be sufficient in frequency and value for new hires. It becomes easy to get enveloped in daily to-do lists, aggressive project schedules, and office politics. Instead of having a prearranged review meeting, it may be up to an individual to initiate these potentially difficult discussions.

While this may be easy for some, this much-needed mission of soliciting feedback can be daunting for many new team members. Below we deliver insights on how facilitating feedback can be a fruitful and organic conversation.

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AIA|LA's Carlo Caccavale on Setting the Tone For Architectural Practice in Los Angeles

2020-02-04T12:05:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was founded in 1857 by a group of architects in New York City led by Richard Upjohn. In the more than 160 years since, the organization has grown to over 90,000 members and now represents the interests of professional architects across the country. Nationally, AIA undertakes a variety of initiatives aimed at elevating the professional and economic standing of licensed architects and designers, efforts that include lobbying for legislation, setting ethical and professional standards for practitioners, and pushing for greater sustainability, diversity, and equity among its membership and the work they take on.

The national organization is complemented by state and local chapters, which offer support and organizational infrastructure to keep professional architects engaged with regional issues. The AIA Los Angeles (AIA|LA) chapter is no exception. Created as part of the Southern California chapter of the AIA in 1907 following the establishmen...

When Our Passion For Architecture Dwindles

2019-08-22T13:00:00-04:00

Sometimes, when we spend so many years pursuing something, striving for a far off goal, and then reach it, we can become dissatisfied, or even depressed. "Is this what I've been working toward? Will this be my whole life now?" we might think to ourselves. It's a common thing for many graduates: you go into a firm, and the shock of professional life begins to diminish the zeal you once had for architecture. Even after gaining years of experience, we reflect on how far we've come and begin to yearn for something more. "Do I still want to do this? Is this job leaving me fulfilled? Has it just become routine?" These are all legitimate questions, ones we may all ask at some point. And whether it's as a recent graduate or an experienced professional, the issue of questioning our passion for architecture is something worth addressing.