Archinect - Features

Happy National Volunteer Week! Here's a resource guide for architects and designers looking to lend a hand

2024-04-22T14:14:00-04:00

This week, from April 21–27, is officially National Volunteer Week in the United States. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Archinect has curated a handy guide of resources for architects looking to donate their time and skills to various causes that will ultimately lead to healthier communities, a cleaner planet, and a more just society.

A Guide to Salary Transparency Laws Across the United States

2024-03-26T08:54:00-04:00

At present, there is no federal pay transparency law in the United States. However, as Archinect frequently reports on, several states and cities across the United States have enacted their own requirements for employers seeking to hire or promote within their organization.

Below, we have listed the details of salary transparency laws across American cities and states as they exist in March 2024. As is noted towards the end of this resource, several more states with no existing requirements are currently in the process of debating or passing legislation to strengthen salary disclosure requirements.

You can help us make architecture salaries more transparent through Archinect’s ongoing salary poll. The poll, currently approaching 20,000 submissions, allows workers from practices across the U.S. and globally to anonymously offer their salary levels.

Creativity Won’t Protect Architects from Automation — But Labor Unions Might

2024-02-27T07:31:00-05:00

The proliferation of generative AI tools such as Midjourney and ChatGPT has undermined long-held assumptions that artificial intelligence would not threaten creative disciplines. In an effort to balance the opportunities and limits of artificial intelligence in the architecture studio, we ask what lessons architects can take from recent successful labor actions by screenwriters and actors in Hollywood's entertainment industry.

This article is part of the Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence series.

How to Get a Job at Workshop/APD

2023-10-26T07:41:00-04:00

Established by founding principals Andrew Kotchen and Matt Berman in 1999, New York City-based firm Workshop/APD has grown into a design force whose reach far exceeds the American Northeast with completed projects also in the Rocky Mountains, South Florida, California, Europe, and the Bahamas. As a vertically integrated practice with offices in NYC, Nantucket, Greenwich, and Minneapolis, the studio now employs a diverse team of more than 100 whose background and qualifications allows them to unite a wide range of services — including architecture, interiors, product design, planning, and branding — under one roof.

For this episode of Archinect's "How To Get A Job At ____" series, we talked to members of the Workshop/APD leadership team to learn more about their hiring process, what the firm is looking for in prospective new "Workshoppers," and how the company encourages work-life balance within the office.

Meet Tulane School of Architecture's New Faculty Hires

2023-10-16T08:00:00-04:00

Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), one of Archinect’s School Partners, welcomes nine full-time incoming faculty members who will hold permanent positions at the school starting in the 2023/24 school year.

TuSA Dean Iñaki Alday shared that the aim for this new round of faculty hiring was to respond to the school's growth and impact on the school's programs housed within the school – Real Estate Development, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Social Innovation, Design and Architecture. Dean Alday explained, "...new people equals new perspectives, new reach, and a richer learning environment." He adds, "We're very committed to this work because we need our faculty to represent different perspectives, different cultures, different educations, and different experiences. Diversity of thought is essential for excellence and innovative thinking."

Archinect's 2023 Mental Health Survey Results

2023-10-10T15:45:00-04:00

To create a space that discusses and shares insights on mental health within the industry, Archinect recently conducted our latest Mental Health survey to better understand how our community has navigated the stressors inherent to the architecture industry. On this October 10th, World Mental Health Day, we share the results of this survey.

Archinect's Tips for Recent Graduates Navigating Architectural Employment

2023-06-26T11:49:00-04:00

In 2023, navigating the job market for recent graduates can be daunting. Discussions surrounding portfolio advice, crafting an effective resume, and if one should follow their "dream job or a dream school" have been ongoing topics on Archinect and our forum. Within the last few years, expanded discussions over work conditions, ethical labor, and internship opportunities for graduates across our editorial have also been widely discussed. More recently, discussions of fair wages and unionization have propelled the launch of salary transparencies across several U.S. states and parts of the U.K.

For students who have recently graduated and preparing to enter the workforce this summer, Archinect aims to provide as many tips and resources for those preparing to step into professional practice.

How to Get a Job at Safdie Architects

2022-11-07T11:44:00-05:00

Few design firms have managed to build a portfolio of realized projects so instantly recognizable and beloved around the world as Safdie Architects has. Established in 1964 by Israeli-born Canadian architect Moshe Safdie to construct his now-iconic Habitat ’67 commission, the studio has grown into a globally-active design heavyweight over the past six decades. Headquartered in Somerville/Boston and closely connected to its satellite offices in Jerusalem, Shanghai, and Singapore, the firm has been making headlines with high-profile projects like Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport in Southeast Asia, Raffles City Chongqing in China (featuring the world's longest sky bridge), or Arkansas' soon-to-be-expanded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

For this episode of Archinect's "How To Get A Job At ____" series, we interviewed members of the Safdie Architects leadership team to learn more about their hiring process. Chris Mulvey (Partner), Jaron Lubin (Partner), and Wen Wen (Ass...

Unionization in Architecture: Reviving a Dormant Movement to Fix a Broken Industry

2022-05-27T12:50:00-04:00

After decades of inactivity, 2022 saw the resurgence of the union movement in architecture with an effort by workers at New York-based SHoP to collectively organize. Where does this effort, which was ultimately withdrawn, sit within the broader discourse of architectural labor conditions? How might unionization impact employer-employee dynamics, architectural fees, and the design process itself?

In search of answers, we speak with IAMAW union organizer, and former SHoP employee, Andrew Daley, who assisted in the unionization effort while at the firm. We also speak with Peggy Deamer, founding member of The Architecture Lobby, for whom the SHoP effort was the culmination of years of activism and campaigning for reform of what an increasing number of architects see as a broken business model.

Cooperatives: The Real Employee-Owned Firms?

2022-05-06T09:00:00-04:00

In a follow-up to our January 2022 feature on employee-owned architecture firms, we question if the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) models which represent the majority of employee-owned architecture firms adequately fulfill a growing worker-led clamor for reform within the profession. For organizations such as the Architecture Lobby, and its founding member Peggy Deamer, meaningful worker ownership of an architectural firm goes far beyond the ESOP model of stock and retirement plans, and instead requires a fundamental rethink, or even abolition, of the employer-employee dynamic.

How to Get a Job at Snøhetta

2022-03-24T15:13:00-04:00

Founded in 1989 as a collaborative workshop following the competition-winning entry for the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, Snøhetta has continuously grown into a global powerhouse with high-profile commissions in its portfolio such as the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion in New York, the Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, the SFMOMA Expansion in San Francisco, or the viral underwater restaurant "Under" in Southern Norway.

Today, the firm employs nearly 300 team members with backgrounds in a variety of disciplines operating from offices in Oslo, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Innsbruck, Hong Kong, and Adelaide.

For Archinect's latest episode of the "How To Get A Job At ____" series, we interviewed members of the Snøhetta leadership team to learn more about their hiring process. Craig Dykers (Founding Partner; Architect), Elaine Molinar (Partner; Managing Director - The Americas), and Matthew McMahon (Director;...

Archinect’s Guide to Job Titles: Building Façade/Envelope Specialist

2022-03-14T19:54:00-04:00

Expertise in facade design has become a growing niche for firms and individuals who specialize in building envelopes, facade fabrication techniques, and performance-based design solutions. A facade specialist helps firms create unique building exteriors that blend architecture, engineering, and material innovation.

Our latest installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles explores the role of a façade/envelope specialist, the qualifications needed to pursue this as a career path, and what firms are looking for when hiring.

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.

A Guide to Employee-Owned Architecture Firms, by Those Who Have Made the Change

2022-01-10T12:09:00-05:00

Throughout 2020 and 2021, the world of work has been subject to a relentless evaluation, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversations around remote working, asynchronous office hours, and workers’ wages have gained added agency, as almost all economic sectors seek to balance health and safety with turnover and productivity. Stepping back from specific employment topics such as these, COVID-19 has also caused a more fundamental re-evaluation of how work shapes our lives. A study earlier this year found that 66% of unemployed Americans were considering changing their occupation, dwarfing levels seen during the 2008 recession, while research by McKinsey found similar metrics even among those still in employment.

Within this context, it is perhaps no surprise that the topic of employee ownership of businesses has gathered pace. In a time where many are critically reflecting on how meaningful or fulfilling their core occupations are, the idea of employment generating results for the...

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Model Maker

2022-01-04T13:55:00-05:00

When beginning architecture school, a student is introduced to four basic design elements: Point, Line, Plane, and Volume. The process for designing a building requires these four elements to operate. These elements serve as the backbone to crafting an effective design proposal and successful project for a design firm. For our eighth installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles, we explore the role and career path of a Model Maker.

An architectural model serves as the physical manifestation of a design proposal. A model may highlight the use and aspects of a planned structure beyond the reach of a composite sketch or digitally composed image. A tangible, three-dimensional form, the architectural model is a key component to the visualization of a building and the communication of layout and inter-spatial design relationships.

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.

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...

How Do Architects Attract and Retain Staff in a Post-Pandemic World?

2021-05-04T08:01:00-04:00

On Wednesday 15th April, The New York Times wrote ‘The American Economic recovery is gathering steam, renewing confidence that a vibrant revival awaits as the pandemic recedes.’ How do architecture firms prepare for this? And how do they make sure that they retain their best people and attract talented staff as we move into a buoyant economy and post-pandemic world? Is it just a case of throwing more money at the issue in the form of bigger salaries and bonuses to urge people to stay, or is it more nuanced and delicate?

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...

Academia and Professional Practice: Cal Poly Pomona's Graduate Architecture Program Fosters Architecture Leaders

2021-03-03T14:53:00-05:00

While applications for graduate programs have passed, there are a handful of schools whose application deadline extends into April. In preparation for their Fall 2021 term and its prospective applicant pool, Archinect dives into the graduate program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Department of Architecture (CPPARC)

According to Department Chair and Professor George Proctor AIA, "The learning environment at CPPARC cultivates both individual skills and knowledge while providing the context and tools for collaboration [...] The learn-by-doing methods and collaborative components of every CPPARC studio have produced leaders who run many of the region's largest and most successful firms." Newly appointed Graduate Coordinator Victor Jones shares, "our graduate students are outfitted to harness architecture’s potential to address the many of environmental, political, social, and economic challenges that face our communities and cities."

To further expand on their gradua...

How to Use Archinect to Get a Job: Optimizing Your Profile With Your Current Portfolio and CV

2021-01-26T09:00:00-05:00

It goes without saying that the job market for architects is really tough right now. It does need to be said, however, that there is much more job seekers can do to improve their chances of getting hired. Naturally, Archinect, the first and only go-to talent marketplace for the Architecture industry, is the place to start.

Archinect currently hosts nearly 40,000 active job seekers within our huge directory of architecture portfolios and profiles in Talent Finder. Archinect also hosts tens of thousands of firms that are actively utilizing Archinect to find new staff. The problem, as we've heard from many employers, is that too many job seekers are doing a less-than-stellar job at selling themselves.

But fear not, we're here to help! We've compiled the feedback from employers, and studied our huge database of job seeker profiles, to put together a simple guide to help you optimize your profile to increase your chances of getting employed.

How Jeffrey Montes Pivoted From Terrestrial Architecture to Becoming Senior Space Architect at Blue Origin

2021-01-13T09:00:00-05:00

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths.

In this installment, we're talking with a design professional who hasn't left the profession by definition but pivoted from conventional, terrestrial architecture to a whole new environment: Jeffrey Montes is a Space architect and technologist with a keen interest in designing ever-better extraterrestrial habitats that, one day, will shelter human missions.

Jeffrey currently works at Blue Origin as Senior Space Architect. He is also a research fellow at Open Lunar Foundation and has previously been a driving force behind the widely published and NASA Centennial Challenge-winning proposal for a Martian habitat, Marsha.

Archinect Tips: Employment Edition

2020-11-10T09:12:00-05:00

Archinect Tips is a popular series here on the site, but sometimes the best insights can get lost. When it comes to architectural employment, Archinect has provided a slew of resources. Consider this a comprehensive round-up of all things employment from our Archinect Tips series. There are four sections divided here: the job application, the job hunt, career development, and the workplace. And be sure to follow the tags (news/features), for updates on new tips and insights.

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Interior Designer

2020-11-06T13:59:00-05:00

Interior Design is one of those disciplines that the architecture profession can often overlook. Many of the misconceptions about Interior Designers come from misinformation or old "traditional" mindsets within the industry. But, we should take this important professional's role in the design of spaces quite seriously.

For our eighth installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles, we take a look at the Interior Designer. What qualifications does one need to operate in this role? What's the pay like? And how does it function alongside other design disciplines?

2020 Architecture Graduates Share Their Thoughts on the Current Job Market

2020-07-21T08:53:00-04:00

There's no denying the events that have taken place in 2020 have shaken the globe socially and economically. From a pandemic to social unrest, not to mention unruly government leadership, it's easy to turn on the fate of the architecture industry. With several architecture students who have recently experienced their first "virtual commencements," they now enter somewhat uncharted territory as they embark on their careers.

In a continued effort to provide a voice for students and emerging professionals, Archinect connected with recently graduated students from six schools to learn about their concerns and perspectives as they begin to navigate professional practice and explore the job market.

What Architecture Firms are Hiring Right Now?

2020-06-26T14:17:00-04:00

Archinect has offered most popular architecture and design job board for over two decades, and that standing enables us to get a unique look at hiring trends throughout the industry at any point in time. With the economy taking a hit, and employers navigating many unknowns due to COVID-19, job seekers are wondering what the future holds for them. We decided to create a brief outline of what we’re currently seeing on our job board in hopes of providing some insights into what might be occurring in the larger architectural employment market.

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Project Manager

2020-06-05T12:48:00-04:00

As we continue our investigation of the most foundational job titles in the architecture industry, we now move to the Project Manager (PM), a title often closely associated with the Project Architect (PA), which we covered in a previous article. Because a Project Architect and a Project Manager can sometimes be the same person or share many of the same responsibilities it can be tricky to differentiate between the two. In team structures where the PM functions in a separate role, duties can include internal and external team management; financial and budgetary management; scheduling; staffing; and overall communication between the parties involved in a project.

This is our seventh installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles. We’ll look at the Project Manager and explore the nature and essence of operating in this role. We will also investigate what one might expect from an individual pursuing this career path in architecture.

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Project Architect

2020-03-13T16:52:00-04:00

In our study of the various job titles within the industry of architecture, we’ve so far explored a wide variety, each with its own unique qualities. Today we move to the Project Architect (PA), a position that quite literally captures the essence of the architect. Project Architects are typically tasked with the technical delivery of a project: leading the production of the construction documents, ensuring its quality, coordinating with consultants, leading an internal team of design professionals, and a number of other duties key to the development and delivery of a given project. Sometimes this role might overlap with that of a Project Manager (PM), and sometimes they are one in the same, both topics we’ll discuss in this piece.

This is our sixth installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles. We’ll look at the Project Architect (PA), the multi-faceted position that truly captures the historical and intrinsic characteristics of the architect. Let’s look at what this role entails,...

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Designer

2020-02-25T14:26:00-05:00

Within the architecture studio, designers exist as a polymorphic phenomenon so varied and nuanced that there subsists no exhaustive description of their fundamental nature. On a foundational level, designers design, but they are also so much more than that. Some might run their own projects, working through all phases of a project, while others may only operate in the schematic phases. The differences are endless. Moreover, designers can be junior, intermediate, and senior; all experience levels spanning eons uncommon in other positions. And so the challenge becomes one of defining such a wide-ranging position, a task this series has set out to tackle.

For our fifth installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles, we peer into the nature of the Designer, probably one of the most varied job titles in the profession, in an effort to wrap our heads around its essential building blocks. How might we better understand the foundations of this role? How does one fit into the larger team str...

Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Job Captain

2020-02-06T12:09:00-05:00

As projects move from pre-design to construction, the coordination and maintenance of the operational progress of the project team, both internal and external, and the work itself must be managed closely. Project Managers (PM) often oversee multiple projects, regularly interacting with the client, multiple smaller teams for each project, and ensuring the vision of the work stays on point. But, the PM often relies on a Job Captain to oversee the actual production of design deliverables, construction documentation, construction administration tasks, and other daily maintenance duties required to keep projects moving and on schedule.

For our fourth installment of Archinect's Guide to Job Titles, we dive into the Job Captain, that in-between team member crucial to the project flow. What qualifications does one need to operate in this role? What's the pay like? And where does it lie in one's larger career trajectory?