Ok, in all seriousness - a lot is going to depend on 'really great'. If you mean any of the firms that might constitute 'starchitects', then they'll likely fail your intensity and/or office culture criteria.
Mid to larger sized good corporate firms are the most likely to fit your bill - Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Miller Hull; Eskew Dumez Ripple; firms like that. It's incredibly hard to be small and super great without long hours -
So there's this mantra in the world of architecture client relations: you can have two of the following three items in your project: speed, quality, or low cost.
- You can have it high-quality and low-cost, but it will take time, or
- You can have it fast and high-quality, but it will cost a ton, or
- You can have it fast and cheap, but it will suck.
I think you're asking for too much. A great firm that does great work will probably not be able to pay you well and/or allow you to work minimal hours. And the opposite and inverse too.
Probably a medium to largish firm will come closest to meeting what you want, BCJ being a good one with a national presence.
Donna, maybe you can still do this in Indy but in NY it is now fast, cheap, nice: pick one. And most of the time the program is make it look nice but do it fast and cheap.
If you find a firm with a really great culture, and people you truly enjoy working/socializing/interacting with, then long hours can be looked passed in some respects.
Look at firm's client bases, and dig up research on who they've worked for and continue to work for. In the minds of architects, this is who you'll be working for. If these people that are using the architects are not visionary, or flexible, or operate on insane demands and timelines, it probably isn't the place for you.
i think a lot of this will depend on the culture of the location as well. I am in the Pacific Northwest, and the culture up here is definitely more laid back than any of the places my friends work in NYC. LA seems really fast, San Francisco seems like a good bet for a reasonable mixture of work/life. I can't really speak to anywhere else.
The work life balance is hard to achieve if the firm's operations are not in order.
Some firms have fantastic downtown offices and have to pay rent on that skyline view and thus overhead is high and you the salaried engine of the firm have to work hard to earn enough to pay your salary and the rent on your desk. So Firms with huge overhead expenses may be the kinds of places that work late hours often to make ends meet.
The most frustrating reason to work late and the huge inducer of stressful twinges in my face or expletive laden tirades is technology failures. Are you idle because your computer crashed two or three times, is the printer always jammed or screwing up plots, guess what late nights are on the horizon. Successful firms with decent office culture have their IT house in order. If things crash and burn you get frustrated and short fuses and hostile moods suck the good vibes out of folks.
A decent working environment with good lighting suitable furniture, clean air, functioning heat and AC also make a difference in office culture. working in a basement like cave sucks and people get grumpy if they don't get a glimpse of the sun or sky once in a while.
I find not having some control over your space and or your job is a problem too. Are you forbidden from having a plant at your desk, are you limited to one family photo? Is your office a temple or a museum built to honor someone not sitting at your desk?
Uncertainty at work is a kill joy too. Working in a firm that has a goal of re-branding or visioning but has no clue what the image of the firm or the architecture division should be and or has no idea when or if it will make this decision is frustrating. How can you market your firm if they have a website from the 90s and a brand identity that has little or nothing to do with architecture, or the market your firms is trying to break into.
If people don't have the basics in place, a work environment can turn into a mean nasty jungle every designer for themselves.
Over and OUT
Peter N
Aug 31, 13 10:50 am ·
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Really great architecture offices doing great work with a great office culture
...and not insane intensity and incredibly long hours such that you can have a life...
Can you please name some????
Thanks.
I believe said firm is also nicknamed 'the holy grail'....
Ok, in all seriousness - a lot is going to depend on 'really great'. If you mean any of the firms that might constitute 'starchitects', then they'll likely fail your intensity and/or office culture criteria.
Mid to larger sized good corporate firms are the most likely to fit your bill - Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Miller Hull; Eskew Dumez Ripple; firms like that. It's incredibly hard to be small and super great without long hours -
So there's this mantra in the world of architecture client relations: you can have two of the following three items in your project: speed, quality, or low cost.
- You can have it high-quality and low-cost, but it will take time, or
- You can have it fast and high-quality, but it will cost a ton, or
- You can have it fast and cheap, but it will suck.
I think you're asking for too much. A great firm that does great work will probably not be able to pay you well and/or allow you to work minimal hours. And the opposite and inverse too.
Probably a medium to largish firm will come closest to meeting what you want, BCJ being a good one with a national presence.
Long hours are customary at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. It's also taken on a much more corporate atmosphere in recent years.
Define "really great work".
Donna, maybe you can still do this in Indy but in NY it is now fast, cheap, nice: pick one. And most of the time the program is make it look nice but do it fast and cheap.
If you find a firm with a really great culture, and people you truly enjoy working/socializing/interacting with, then long hours can be looked passed in some respects.
Look at firm's client bases, and dig up research on who they've worked for and continue to work for. In the minds of architects, this is who you'll be working for. If these people that are using the architects are not visionary, or flexible, or operate on insane demands and timelines, it probably isn't the place for you.
i think a lot of this will depend on the culture of the location as well. I am in the Pacific Northwest, and the culture up here is definitely more laid back than any of the places my friends work in NYC. LA seems really fast, San Francisco seems like a good bet for a reasonable mixture of work/life. I can't really speak to anywhere else.
The work life balance is hard to achieve if the firm's operations are not in order.
Some firms have fantastic downtown offices and have to pay rent on that skyline view and thus overhead is high and you the salaried engine of the firm have to work hard to earn enough to pay your salary and the rent on your desk. So Firms with huge overhead expenses may be the kinds of places that work late hours often to make ends meet.
The most frustrating reason to work late and the huge inducer of stressful twinges in my face or expletive laden tirades is technology failures. Are you idle because your computer crashed two or three times, is the printer always jammed or screwing up plots, guess what late nights are on the horizon. Successful firms with decent office culture have their IT house in order. If things crash and burn you get frustrated and short fuses and hostile moods suck the good vibes out of folks.
A decent working environment with good lighting suitable furniture, clean air, functioning heat and AC also make a difference in office culture. working in a basement like cave sucks and people get grumpy if they don't get a glimpse of the sun or sky once in a while.
I find not having some control over your space and or your job is a problem too. Are you forbidden from having a plant at your desk, are you limited to one family photo? Is your office a temple or a museum built to honor someone not sitting at your desk?
Uncertainty at work is a kill joy too. Working in a firm that has a goal of re-branding or visioning but has no clue what the image of the firm or the architecture division should be and or has no idea when or if it will make this decision is frustrating. How can you market your firm if they have a website from the 90s and a brand identity that has little or nothing to do with architecture, or the market your firms is trying to break into.
If people don't have the basics in place, a work environment can turn into a mean nasty jungle every designer for themselves.
Over and OUT
Peter N
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