Team at Aamodt/Plumb Architects.

Over the past few years, the field has received a growing amount of attention that has highlighted long standing labor issues within the architecture industry, ranging from unsustainable pay models to unwelcoming work environments. Looking for an alternative, the Architecture Lobby created the Just Design Initiative, which recognizes fair labor practices in architecture. Beginning with nominations submitted by employees, and followed by an evaluation process, the team looked at practices that can serve as models of a new status quo within the profession. Archinect has teamed up with the Just Design crew to profile firms across the country that meet the initiative's standards. Whether it is a family-friendly work schedule or a health coverage plan that goes above and beyond, the series spotlights practices that honor the basic rights of their employees and can serve as exemplary models of what should become standard for the field.

The husband-and-wife duo behind the Cambridge-based Aamodt/Plumb Architects say they “design slow spaces for busy lives.” This sensible and laid-back approach is not only reflected in their modern, Scandinavian-inspired residential designs, but also in how the two run their firm, which currently has seven employees. From maintaining short working hours to honoring employee agency, the firm strives for a work environment centered on well-being and balance in an otherwise stress-fueled industry.

To begin, the office is structured around a 35 hour week rather than a typical 40 hour one. Workers also enjoy flex time and a number of employees are part-time. Founders Mette Aamodt and Andrew Plumb arrive at 9 o’clock and leave at 5 o’clock everyday, encouraging their workers to do so as well. “We are pretty rigorous about everybody leave at 5, go have a life, and we try to have an office culture where everyone is productive,” says Aamodt.

Diagnosed with MS in 2002, Aamodt—who also runs the blog slowspace.org to help usher the Slow Movement into architecture—says her experience encouraged her and Plumb to build their business around creating a healthy work environment. For them, bringing this holistic life view into the office is very important.

“We have our own design philosophy that we call slow space, like slow food, but with the built environment. It’s very much like stepping out of the rat race and being very present and very thoughtful, careful, considerate with what you’re doing with your time, design work, everything” she says. Part of this has to do with creating work-life balance, while the other aspects are centered on the building side, such as the materials used on projects and trying to ensure the use of fair labor and fair trade building materials on their projects. On their philosophy, Aamodt adds “we are trying to create a movement, a slow architecture movement of good, clean, and fair buildings for all.”

With a shorter work week, the practice helps ensure that workers can get what is needed to be done within that time-frame. For example, the practice now runs on an honor system and has stopped using time sheets after finding that data entry and management tasks were taking up too much of their employees’ valuable time. “We found it to be a lot of data entry and not a lot of helpful information,” says Aamodt. The firm describes this approach as both a management strategy and as a way to encourage employees to balance personal and work lives for themselves such as pursuing personal projects and/or teaching opportunities. Further, it demonstrates trust in the capability of staff and helps to build an atmosphere of balance and transparency in the office.

In conjunction with a shorter work week, the firm’s pay structure for junior staff is based on an hourly wage with employees paid overtime when necessary for them to work beyond 40 hours. Considered full-time employees, their pay scale is based on the 2017 AIA Compensation Survey. For salaried employees, the firm offers two weeks of paid vacation, alongside holidays, and an additional 5 days of sick time. For the last two years, the office has closed between Christmas and New Years, and depending on the amount of work coming into the office, is provided as extra paid time off.

When hiring, the firm has learned over the years to be more proactive in getting a broader range of candidates to apply for open positions. They recently had three open positions, for which they made a point of reaching outside of their existing networks to send to specific organizations with the aim of encouraging underrepresented groups within architecture to apply. Rather than just noting for example, that women and people of color are encouraged to apply, the firm has taken dedicated efforts in trying to make the demographics of the field more representative.

“In our office itself we’re trying to be fair and equitable,” notes the firm. Moving forward, both “globally as well as in the industry, there is so much we can do and so much we can start talking about,” they add.