Archinect - News

Gensler sets the record as the first-ever architecture firm to reach 3,000 employees globally

2023-01-23T14:45:00-05:00

Gensler has set a new record for firm size after the 2023 Building Design WA100 survey listed its total design staff at just over 3,000 for the first time in history.

After losing its founder in May of 2021, Gensler grew by 14% over the last year to breach the 3,000-employee threshold. The company now employs some 3,069 architects globally, according to the UK-based publication.

That figure makes the international giant more than twice the size of HDR, whose architectural staff was listed at 1,404 globally. Aecom, Sweco, and Japan’s Nikken Sekkei were the only other companies with totals numbering over 1,000. Perkins Eastman, which has acquired three smaller firms since the beginning of 2021, ranked behind them with 832 architects.

The survey also noted firms’ reluctance to commit to downsizing efforts in spite of the assumed recession. Overall, half of...

UK architecture workers preparing for 'historic strike ballot' over pay and conditions dispute

2022-09-14T10:30:00-04:00

Workers at London-based Atomik Architecture are preparing to ballot for strike action, following a dispute over pay and conditions at the firm. Workers at the firm informed management on Tuesday of their intention to ballot for what could become the first ever strike by private-sector architecture workers in the UK.

In a statement released via the UK trade union UVW-SAW, the workers say that the decision follows months of being ignored by management after raising issues regarding pay and conditions, both individually in annual reviews and in a collective letter.

The group also claims that management at Atomik have responded to the dispute by triggering a redundancy consultation, which may lead to job losses. “This came as a shock to the workers, who until recently were under the impression the company was looking to expand the number of employees,” the UVW-SAW statement says.

The group also claims that management have refused to postpone an upcoming redundancy consultation meeting ...

First architecture union formed by workers at New York firm Bernheimer Architecture

2022-09-01T10:40:00-04:00

Workers at New York firm Bernheimer Architecture have formed the first functioning union at a private-sector architecture firm in the United States. The workers group, collectively known as BA Union, will join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), as first reported by The New York Times.

The firm, led by Andrew Bernheimer, has chosen to recognize the union voluntarily, which avoided the need for a secret ballot election to be held in coordination with the NLRB, a procedure which we explained in our recent feature article on the subject. Bernheimer has also been publicly supportive of the union’s formation at his 22-person firm.

"We know that architecture is a discipline and profession that has a legacy of exploitation," Bernheimer told The New York Times. "I am of the opinion that one possible way for things to improve is for educators and professionals to show that they value the people who make all of our architecture happen."

Related on Arch...

Belgium approves four-day workweek and other worker protection measures

2022-02-16T15:29:00-05:00

Workers in Belgium will soon be able to choose a four-day week under a series of labour market reforms announced on Tuesday. The reform package agreed by the country's multi-party coalition government will also give workers the right to turn off work devices and ignore work-related messages after hours without fear of reprisal.

Belgium’s new labor reforms aim to improve the work-life balance of employees in both the public and private sectors. Workers in the gig economy will receive stronger legal protections and full-time employees will be able to work more flexible schedules. As reported by Euronews, employees will be able to request to work four days a week for a period of six months. Following this, they could choose to continue the arrangement of return to a five-day week.

Previously on Archinect: Revisiting the 4-day work week in architecture

In Belgium’s new model, the 38-hour working week would be condensed into four days, with the additional day off compensating for the longer workdays. In addition, workers will be able to request variable work schedules, and companies will be required to provide work schedules at least seven days in advance. The draft legislation must now pass multiple readings by federal lawmakers before being enacted.

Following the withdrawal of SHoP's unionization effort, the architecture community reacts

2022-02-04T17:25:00-05:00

A unionization effort at SHoP Architects that drew attention from across the industry has now been defeated after organizers officially withdrew their petition with the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) to form a labor union within the office.

After a push toward unionization was first made public by the New York Times in December, staffers at the 26-year-old firm are now abandoning the effort, citing a “powerful anti-union campaign” from within and decisions amongst the petitioners to pursue “alternatives” to address some of the abusive workplace conditions that the effort has brought to the fore.

Previously on Archinect: SHoP staffers announce unionization as the industry continues to shift away from traditional firm models

In a statement posted to an Instagram account associated with the group Architectural Workers United (AWU) on Thursday, organizers cited a dissolution of the unity which had carried the effort thus far, claiming that the newfound lack of a quorum was born out ...

SHoP staffers announce unionization as the industry continues to shift away from traditional firm models

2021-12-21T20:24:00-05:00

On Tuesday, employees at the well-regarded firm SHoP Architects said that they were seeking to change the formula of long hours for middling pay by taking a step that is nearly unheard-of in their field. They are seeking to unionize.

The labor organizers at SHoP Architects, which recently became employee-owned, are proposing to join ranks with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Architecture, in general, is behind the rest of the economy in terms of similar efforts that could become more and more common now with the public backing of industry groups like The Architecture Lobby, which recently threw its support behind employees at the firm.

“The Architecture Lobby stands in solidarity with Architectural Workers United at SHoP Architects and unequivocally supports their efforts to form a union in their workplace,” the group's Statement of Support reads. “As an organization of architectural workers, we call on the firm’s principals to voluntarily recognize the union and engage in good faith negotiations with the collective bargaining unit.”

“We’re very innovative in a lot of our office work,” SHoP employee and unionization backer Danielle Tellez told the NY Times. “This feels like an...

Seattle's F5 Tower is a case study for improving employee satisfaction

2019-11-14T18:00:00-05:00

Tall buildings do more than just help shape skylines. The architects who design these buildings, for example, often strive to create the most "alluring" structures using sometimes mind-boggling structural feats. The corporations and developers who commission these towers, on the other hand, seek the expertise of architects and their teams of engineers and construction experts to create office buildings that can help establish physical representations of their businesses within the built environment.

And what about the employees, the actual users of these towers?

When the Seattle-based technology company F5 Networks relocated their headquarters to what was formerly called "The Mark tower," their goal became to create a new space that places these users at the center of the design. Kurt Schlosser of Geek Wire reports that F5 executives wanted to find ways to improve their employees' commutes and work experiences, for one.

F5 Tower interior stairwell connecting 28 floors of office spa...

Do New Graduates Want More Money or More Time?

2019-07-26T15:48:00-04:00

Every summer, a new cohort of graduates enter the workforce. Eager to learn and grow, many will get their first taste of professional life. It is an exciting new chapter for many of them. But what are these emerging practitioners looking for in their new careers? As firms struggle with retention and talent acquisition, an understanding of what new graduates look for in an office can be a valuable investigation. What is it that they value most? Money over time? Or vice versa? And does one have to be had at the expense of the other?

Professor Ashley Whillans has a take. Her research shows a mix of values amongst students, some valued money more so than time and others time more so than money. This comes from many factors, such as the upbringing of the individual. "People who grew up in households that fought about money also are more likely to focus on money (versus time) as adults, even if they have a lot of money in the present," Whillans writes.

The professor discovered that over ...

As visitor attendance at the Louvre skyrockets, museum staff express they've had enough

2019-05-31T13:55:00-04:00

The Louvre in Paris turned away thousands of tourists waiting in line to enter the museum yesterday after security staff staged a walkout. The employees are on strike to protest the museum’s handling of its exploding attendance, which exceeded 10 million people last year. This growth has resulted in “unprecedented deterioration in visiting conditions, and obviously working conditions,” according to the guards’ union.

The beloved Louvre in Paris is one of the most visited museums in the world. With its iconic pyramid expansion designed by the late I.M. Pei it has become a must-see site. Just last year, the museum attracted 10.2 million visitors, a record-breaking attendance in the museum's history. Other than its breathtaking architectural design and fantastic art collection, the Louvre's publicity has skyrocketed thanks to various celebs who have used the museum as a backdrop for personal use.

However, with the increase in visitor numbers, foreign tourists have outnumbered local Parisian visitors making the number of museum-goers almost too much to handle. Museum staff have found difficulty in managing the crowds and have demanded an increase in visitor services staff as well as the adoption of a new cap on the number of visitors allowed to enter the museum at one time. Recently, the museum has initiated new programs to address these issues. However, Louvre employees do not see these measures so...

Architecture employees don't think supervisors think it's important they get licensed

2017-03-21T13:25:00-04:00

Combining all the tension of a passive-aggressive relationship with the clarity of survey-derived data, a new study released by the AIA and NCARB reveals that while both employees and supervisors think attaining licensure is important, employees don't think supervisors think it's important.

Dubbed the "perception gap," this disparity is quite sharp: as the NCARB blog notes,

While the results revealed that almost all supervisors surveyed (98 percent) believe it is important for emerging professionals to obtain licensure, just 66 percent of emerging professionals reported believing that their supervisor thinks it is important for them to become licensed. In fact, just 27 percent of emerging professionals indicate they believe it is “very important” to their supervisors for them to obtain licensure, while 88 percent of supervisors indicated that it was “very important” to them for the emerging professionals they supervise to get licensed.