I write to seek some friendly advice from one architect to another.I am a
35 year old English architect currently working in London England.I have
been working in London since my pt2 (8yrs) for high-end contemporary (if
small) firms here in London and am currently working for a well known
Dutch architect.My experience covers high-end residential/retail/arts buildings
(mostly small/medium contracts).
I suppose my architectural interests are wholly with the contemporary, and
the dutch/Denari/Lynn scope of work.
The reason for my making contact is that I am planning to move to the
States with my American girlfriend at the end of the year/early 2006.
This requires a lot of decision making as I'm sure you can guess!...but we
can't decide which is the better city/place to locate to.The problem is that
we don't think we want to do LA or NYC since my girlfriend has already lived in these
cities and for me they offer little change opportunities from the
architectural scene in London.
I say this because one of the things I find frustrating here in London
Is the suffocating atmosphere of there being too many small practices all
seeking the same work/opportunities.To be frank, a lot of people I know are thinking
of moving out ‘cause it feels like there's a slump.This has led in my opinion to little growth/stability
in these small practices.One aspect of the modern city I enjoy
is when it offers entrepreneurial opportunities for people like us.By which I
mean the possibilities to do one's own work/development/maybe eventually
build one's own house etc (no I'm not rich).We are therefore seeking cities that offer a decent
arts/architectural scene (small is ok) and offer opportunities to maybe work
with an interesting practice whilst perhaps there being opportunities to do
my own thing.
San Francisco has been mentioned a lot (yes we know its expensive!), but I
have heard places such as Phoenix, Austin and Chicago are good/better also
for architects?
I realise this is a difficult question to advise upon but we really are
finding it difficult to get any quality advice.So if you could forward any
opinions / advice on San Francisco or other cities that offer design
possibilities then we would be very grateful.Thanks.
I'm not so sure that Phoenix or Chicago offer a "cheap" alternative to San Francisco. While Austin may be a bit more economical, I wouldn't say they have a thriving architecture/arts scene.
Portland, OR is often mentioned as a great place to live/work. My friends there often complain about it being "expensive" but it isn't near what San Francisco is.
Atlanta, GA has a lot going on. It's a growing city and probably offers you a better chance to build that house than many other major metro areas of comprable size.
Minneapolis, MN has a very active architecture/arts community with mid-western prices that have kepts things relatively economical.
For a smaller city, I've always been fond of Madison, WI. The college there really brings a lot to the town in terms of the arts. It's cheap, no doubt about that, and it's an easy drive to Chicago.
Portland/Seattle are good, but you have to be able to take the gray all the time (used to that? then it's a top choice).
SF - you'd have to be rich to begin with, or you gf making tons. You'd be dirt poor forever on an architect's salary living there.
Denver - I like it here, but I can't say I love the desert. There's some stuff going on, Libeskind's museum and they are making another new Cont. Arts Museum. Lot's of modernist lofts, but that's about it, hopefully that will carry over into the sfr market's (it is starting to).
That's about all I know of. It's a roll of the dice, really.
Look at the scenes in each city and the climates/cost of living/etc.
This is a fantastic resource. It's got great PDF's for many cities with all the needed info.
if you are ambitious, you could be the next big firm in the city- there is a huge shortage of good architects in the area... and if you are a forward thinking developer, there are a ton of urban sites and a lot of work that could be done... the arts community is small but thriving (there are some really interesting characters - the music scene is also really great), and you can make a big splash in a short period of time... the city has a long tradition with contemporary/modern arch, and people are generally open to interesting/cutting edge design (much more liberal in terms of architecture than they are out east).
a few years back, the city was selling city plots for $50 (yes fifty dollars) with the one condition that people would build on it within the year... so if you plan on being a developer, you should have an easy time finding land...
some problems are that you'll need a car to live there, some neighborhoods aren't the safest - and there is a lot of racism... part of the reason people aren't developing as much in the city...
I'm surprised no one mentioned Boston. Its farily expensive to live there, nearly the same as NYC and San Francisco (or so I've been told, but I've never lived in those two). There is a strong art community, and the design community is well established also. There are a lot of firms doing interesting work, and an equal/larger amount doing not so interesting work (although I'll agree with critics that say that Boston/Massachusetts/Northeast is architecturally conservative).
Yeah, it depends on if you want to take a risk of 'up and coming' or the established. I'd live in SF if I made $250k per year (at least), but I don't so I compromised.
Boston is a great city, but man, those winters! Providence, RI has become pretty nice over the last few years. Hartford CT is nothing now, but they are pumping tons of money into the waterfront (I am from CT, so it's interesting). Pelli is building a nice Science Museum there and there is endless potentail - CT is just gorgeous. There are certainly no good architects in NE CT.
I'm 30 minutes from Hartford, and I agree that it has great potential. Oddly enough, there are only a handful of architecture firms in the city (or at least that my research has dug out) - you'd think that someone would have caught on a started doing something in that city...
and personally, I don't think the winters in Boston are that bad, but I'm used to them having lived in Massachusetts my whole life.
i'm going to agree with most when people mention the pacific northwest and/or san francisco. those two locales i think have or are developing strong design cultures and are not saturated like the NY/LA scenes.
boston isn't a bad choice. if you can tolerate the winters (they're really not so bad) the academic influence in the area is one of it's biggest assests. there's always someone cool lecturing.
California would give you the bonus of the licensing because it's among the more strict so it's somewhat advantageous to have one of those... you could transfer that elsewhere without too much trouble. You should contact state NCAARB websites for requirements if that's a concern.
-relatively reasonable housing prices
-great arts/arch scene
-winters suck but the summers more than make up for it
-great night life
-great public trans
-Goose Island beer
San Francisco is expensive, but i moved there right out of school with my girlfriend, and we are doing relatively well... by no means do we live extravagantly, on the other hand, its relatively common in our professions to make as much as we do.
renting is somewhat pricy, but knowing the locale helps when deciding whether you want a 2000 a month one bedroom in cole valley, or 1500 a month two bedroom in pacific heights... there are great places to be had, you just won't be buying a home anytime soon here.
other than rent and gasoline, SF is the same as any other american city. i would highly recommend looking into coming here, but beware, it is a transistional city for sure. imo, it is a great city to make as much money as you can, then settle into a smaller community elsewhere.
Well being in LA I probably have a different feeling on the work here - at the moment anyway it is far from saturated - everyone is hiring and we have found it fairly easy to start out on our own (my feeling today, there are ups and downs). There is a lot of entertainment industry money here and land which makes it somewhat unique. However, as has been mentioned the prices have gone up a lot recently, but its still much more affordable than SF. You will not be able to build your own house there, whereas I think it's still possible in LA. Everyone up in SF also complains about the difficulties of building in a more conservative environment (especially in the city), though we do have friends in Oakland that are happy with their jobs and bought a condo they are fixing up a few years back. They always say they plan on moving back to LA at some point...
We have considered Seattle ourselves and not ruled it out, but my impression after talking to friends (and reading lot of posts), is that there are far fewer opportunities in the smaller cities than large ones. It may be easier to start your own thing where the cost of living is less, but then your clients will also have less money.
I know someone who moved from LA to Portland about 2 years ago and the job market offered few choices. The houses do cost a lot less but I don't think the opportunities would be that great, and I also know a few people who have moved there for a few years and then left because it just felt too insular.
I love Chicago as well and would consider moving there if I could stand the weather (California girl...)
Phoenix is a good choice. It is much cheaper than San Francisco. It is a different type of design because it is in the desert so I think that should play a factor in your decision. There are some really good architecture firms here as well. There are no really big firms that create good architecture here though. Most of the big firms create mediocre buildings and it is the smaller firms doing better work. The downtown is expanding right now and the oppurtunity to help build in an expanding city is a big plus. I am currently here, but I will be going to study in Houston at Rice university. Once I go there, I will return to Phoenix because there are some good oppurtunities here.
Pixelwhore (great name, btw) - glad to see someone agrees with that assessment. I grew up in CT (by UCONN) and really love the state, there's just not much going on. I hope that's about to change, as it is one of the most beautiful places I've lived (and I've lived in Fl, Portland, RI, LA, Boston, and now Denver), with tons of wilderness that I miss.
I had hoped Van Berkel's museum would start some interest, but I believe it got killed, or at least postponed. Too bad, but at least Pelli's museum looks good and will give the city an image (not a fan by any means, but he, or rather, his firm, is doing some interesting stuff now).
I was also at the presentation for the UCONN competition (I saw Mayne, Moss, Hadid, Gehry, and others) give their presentations. While I can't say I love Gehry's design, having one of his designs in my home town of 20k people will be pretty cool! It will at least get people talking.
I've got ideas for CT and am working towards making them a reality. I think there's lots of investment potential.
I think if you're looking for good design job opportunities, you should probably reconsider NY or LA. While some of the other cities listed are nice places to live, there are probably only a handful of firms doing contemporary design work. If those companies aren't hiring you might be stuck in a mediocre job. This seems like it would be a greater struggle coming from Europe. I think in America, at least, there is a perception that all buildings in Europe are built of a higher quality and standard of design. Going along those lines, your standards for design quality in your employer might be higher, thus harder to find.
Chicago is by far the best, and the winter builds character. Minneapolis is a great city too - with natural recreation all around. Oh - and more character building.
Trace: would you care to share this master plan of yours? you don't have to worry about me stealing it, just curious as to what others see/have in mind for CT. Every time I drive through Hartford on 91 all I see is potential. Its too bad that the city hasn't started catering to the art crowd a little more, as there is a huge artist community up here in the Northampton/Amherst area of western MA. I think one thing that CT has to deal with is its reputation as being a feeder for NY (primarily along the south) and as the conservative state in the North East (the new civil union law might change that, although its somewhat in the shadow of whats been going on in MA).
Drop me a line if you care to share in more detail what your plans are.
if you believe richard florida's research (and i so far see no reason not to, though some neo-cons dislike his conclusions, fair warning) top 5 cities for creative work are austin, SF, seattle, boston, Raleigh-Durham. bottom 5 are detroit, norfolk, cleveland, milwaukee, grand rapids.
his lists (ranking top 49 regions with popn over 1 mil) are based on presence of technology, talent, and tolerance (for gay populations, etc), and mean rather specific things, but you get the idea.
Florida is the fella what wrote "The rise of the creative class". tonnes of material covering the book online from pro and con side so won't comment meself other than to say it is worth reading.
I will second "A's" Minneapolis and Madison, great place for someone who enjoys the outdoors in all season. If you are not a fan of winter but like the Midwest I would check out Kansas City. But if east coast is appealing to you, I have heard good things about Baltimore.
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with the political situation and the economic situation in the us i would strongly raise an eyebrow over hopping the pond at this point. W has exceeded the credit limit on his mastercard and he could give a shit if he sells us down the toilet. afterall, have to stop those god damn terrorist and evil doers@!!!!
and why be london-centric? there are amazing placing in the uk that arent experiencing the push and shove small practice mentality [manchester - b'ham - liverpool] theres lots of affordable land in those urban areas and thier growth shows it. until i spent an extended period of time in those areas [3 months plus] i always thought i could never live anywhere but london town. not only are they energetic -- you can walk a block or two without the continuous stench of piss at every stoop.
perhaps you should spend a month in the us before you pack your bag.
MIAMI. I can't believe no one has said it. The city is creative, full of all types of culture, and architecturally specific.
Today, Miami is the most exciting American city to practice progressive architecture. The past has set up some problems, but architects and politicians are already taking positive steps towards solutions. The architectural climate is primed and ready for new creativity. In the past 10 years, south Florida has been a laboratory for different types of urbanism (the good and the bad). Miami has payed attention, conducted its own experiments, and is taking action from this base.
As for your list of concerns (building a home, business opportunity etc.) Miami is well suited.
US relocation advice
Dear All,
I write to seek some friendly advice from one architect to another.I am a
35 year old English architect currently working in London England.I have
been working in London since my pt2 (8yrs) for high-end contemporary (if
small) firms here in London and am currently working for a well known
Dutch architect.My experience covers high-end residential/retail/arts buildings
(mostly small/medium contracts).
I suppose my architectural interests are wholly with the contemporary, and
the dutch/Denari/Lynn scope of work.
The reason for my making contact is that I am planning to move to the
States with my American girlfriend at the end of the year/early 2006.
This requires a lot of decision making as I'm sure you can guess!...but we
can't decide which is the better city/place to locate to.The problem is that
we don't think we want to do LA or NYC since my girlfriend has already lived in these
cities and for me they offer little change opportunities from the
architectural scene in London.
I say this because one of the things I find frustrating here in London
Is the suffocating atmosphere of there being too many small practices all
seeking the same work/opportunities.To be frank, a lot of people I know are thinking
of moving out ‘cause it feels like there's a slump.This has led in my opinion to little growth/stability
in these small practices.One aspect of the modern city I enjoy
is when it offers entrepreneurial opportunities for people like us.By which I
mean the possibilities to do one's own work/development/maybe eventually
build one's own house etc (no I'm not rich).We are therefore seeking cities that offer a decent
arts/architectural scene (small is ok) and offer opportunities to maybe work
with an interesting practice whilst perhaps there being opportunities to do
my own thing.
San Francisco has been mentioned a lot (yes we know its expensive!), but I
have heard places such as Phoenix, Austin and Chicago are good/better also
for architects?
I realise this is a difficult question to advise upon but we really are
finding it difficult to get any quality advice.So if you could forward any
opinions / advice on San Francisco or other cities that offer design
possibilities then we would be very grateful.Thanks.
anyone?...anyone...?
hmmm, I would suggest the following cities if you are sure of ruling out Los Angeles:
San Francisco (while I was reading your article it came to my mind, good thing you mentioned it, it's a unique city really)
Seattle (good for entrepreneurship opportunities, especially in media and communication)
Vancouver (I know, it's in Canada, but it is turning into a design hub rapidly)
good luck with the move!
I'm not so sure that Phoenix or Chicago offer a "cheap" alternative to San Francisco. While Austin may be a bit more economical, I wouldn't say they have a thriving architecture/arts scene.
Portland, OR is often mentioned as a great place to live/work. My friends there often complain about it being "expensive" but it isn't near what San Francisco is.
Atlanta, GA has a lot going on. It's a growing city and probably offers you a better chance to build that house than many other major metro areas of comprable size.
Minneapolis, MN has a very active architecture/arts community with mid-western prices that have kepts things relatively economical.
For a smaller city, I've always been fond of Madison, WI. The college there really brings a lot to the town in terms of the arts. It's cheap, no doubt about that, and it's an easy drive to Chicago.
Portland/Seattle are good, but you have to be able to take the gray all the time (used to that? then it's a top choice).
SF - you'd have to be rich to begin with, or you gf making tons. You'd be dirt poor forever on an architect's salary living there.
Denver - I like it here, but I can't say I love the desert. There's some stuff going on, Libeskind's museum and they are making another new Cont. Arts Museum. Lot's of modernist lofts, but that's about it, hopefully that will carry over into the sfr market's (it is starting to).
That's about all I know of. It's a roll of the dice, really.
Look at the scenes in each city and the climates/cost of living/etc.
This is a fantastic resource. It's got great PDF's for many cities with all the needed info.
http://www.findyourspot.com
Fill it out, it works pretty well. YOu can add more cities to the search, too.
Good luck
Detroit Detroit Detroit!!!
if you are ambitious, you could be the next big firm in the city- there is a huge shortage of good architects in the area... and if you are a forward thinking developer, there are a ton of urban sites and a lot of work that could be done... the arts community is small but thriving (there are some really interesting characters - the music scene is also really great), and you can make a big splash in a short period of time... the city has a long tradition with contemporary/modern arch, and people are generally open to interesting/cutting edge design (much more liberal in terms of architecture than they are out east).
a few years back, the city was selling city plots for $50 (yes fifty dollars) with the one condition that people would build on it within the year... so if you plan on being a developer, you should have an easy time finding land...
some problems are that you'll need a car to live there, some neighborhoods aren't the safest - and there is a lot of racism... part of the reason people aren't developing as much in the city...
-TO
I'm surprised no one mentioned Boston. Its farily expensive to live there, nearly the same as NYC and San Francisco (or so I've been told, but I've never lived in those two). There is a strong art community, and the design community is well established also. There are a lot of firms doing interesting work, and an equal/larger amount doing not so interesting work (although I'll agree with critics that say that Boston/Massachusetts/Northeast is architecturally conservative).
Yeah, it depends on if you want to take a risk of 'up and coming' or the established. I'd live in SF if I made $250k per year (at least), but I don't so I compromised.
Boston is a great city, but man, those winters! Providence, RI has become pretty nice over the last few years. Hartford CT is nothing now, but they are pumping tons of money into the waterfront (I am from CT, so it's interesting). Pelli is building a nice Science Museum there and there is endless potentail - CT is just gorgeous. There are certainly no good architects in NE CT.
trace:
I'm 30 minutes from Hartford, and I agree that it has great potential. Oddly enough, there are only a handful of architecture firms in the city (or at least that my research has dug out) - you'd think that someone would have caught on a started doing something in that city...
and personally, I don't think the winters in Boston are that bad, but I'm used to them having lived in Massachusetts my whole life.
i'm going to agree with most when people mention the pacific northwest and/or san francisco. those two locales i think have or are developing strong design cultures and are not saturated like the NY/LA scenes.
boston isn't a bad choice. if you can tolerate the winters (they're really not so bad) the academic influence in the area is one of it's biggest assests. there's always someone cool lecturing.
California would give you the bonus of the licensing because it's among the more strict so it's somewhat advantageous to have one of those... you could transfer that elsewhere without too much trouble. You should contact state NCAARB websites for requirements if that's a concern.
Sweet Home Chicago
-relatively reasonable housing prices
-great arts/arch scene
-winters suck but the summers more than make up for it
-great night life
-great public trans
-Goose Island beer
San Francisco is expensive, but i moved there right out of school with my girlfriend, and we are doing relatively well... by no means do we live extravagantly, on the other hand, its relatively common in our professions to make as much as we do.
renting is somewhat pricy, but knowing the locale helps when deciding whether you want a 2000 a month one bedroom in cole valley, or 1500 a month two bedroom in pacific heights... there are great places to be had, you just won't be buying a home anytime soon here.
other than rent and gasoline, SF is the same as any other american city. i would highly recommend looking into coming here, but beware, it is a transistional city for sure. imo, it is a great city to make as much money as you can, then settle into a smaller community elsewhere.
Heard good things aboput Austin, TX.
Well being in LA I probably have a different feeling on the work here - at the moment anyway it is far from saturated - everyone is hiring and we have found it fairly easy to start out on our own (my feeling today, there are ups and downs). There is a lot of entertainment industry money here and land which makes it somewhat unique. However, as has been mentioned the prices have gone up a lot recently, but its still much more affordable than SF. You will not be able to build your own house there, whereas I think it's still possible in LA. Everyone up in SF also complains about the difficulties of building in a more conservative environment (especially in the city), though we do have friends in Oakland that are happy with their jobs and bought a condo they are fixing up a few years back. They always say they plan on moving back to LA at some point...
We have considered Seattle ourselves and not ruled it out, but my impression after talking to friends (and reading lot of posts), is that there are far fewer opportunities in the smaller cities than large ones. It may be easier to start your own thing where the cost of living is less, but then your clients will also have less money.
I know someone who moved from LA to Portland about 2 years ago and the job market offered few choices. The houses do cost a lot less but I don't think the opportunities would be that great, and I also know a few people who have moved there for a few years and then left because it just felt too insular.
I love Chicago as well and would consider moving there if I could stand the weather (California girl...)
Phoenix is a good choice. It is much cheaper than San Francisco. It is a different type of design because it is in the desert so I think that should play a factor in your decision. There are some really good architecture firms here as well. There are no really big firms that create good architecture here though. Most of the big firms create mediocre buildings and it is the smaller firms doing better work. The downtown is expanding right now and the oppurtunity to help build in an expanding city is a big plus. I am currently here, but I will be going to study in Houston at Rice university. Once I go there, I will return to Phoenix because there are some good oppurtunities here.
Pixelwhore (great name, btw) - glad to see someone agrees with that assessment. I grew up in CT (by UCONN) and really love the state, there's just not much going on. I hope that's about to change, as it is one of the most beautiful places I've lived (and I've lived in Fl, Portland, RI, LA, Boston, and now Denver), with tons of wilderness that I miss.
I had hoped Van Berkel's museum would start some interest, but I believe it got killed, or at least postponed. Too bad, but at least Pelli's museum looks good and will give the city an image (not a fan by any means, but he, or rather, his firm, is doing some interesting stuff now).
I was also at the presentation for the UCONN competition (I saw Mayne, Moss, Hadid, Gehry, and others) give their presentations. While I can't say I love Gehry's design, having one of his designs in my home town of 20k people will be pretty cool! It will at least get people talking.
I've got ideas for CT and am working towards making them a reality. I think there's lots of investment potential.
I think if you're looking for good design job opportunities, you should probably reconsider NY or LA. While some of the other cities listed are nice places to live, there are probably only a handful of firms doing contemporary design work. If those companies aren't hiring you might be stuck in a mediocre job. This seems like it would be a greater struggle coming from Europe. I think in America, at least, there is a perception that all buildings in Europe are built of a higher quality and standard of design. Going along those lines, your standards for design quality in your employer might be higher, thus harder to find.
Just something to consider.
Chicago is by far the best, and the winter builds character. Minneapolis is a great city too - with natural recreation all around. Oh - and more character building.
Have you looked into Philly - another great one near natural beauty in Pennsylvania.
i'll throw seattle into the mix. we moved from san fran to seattle almost 5yrs ago and love it.
to san fran or seattle
seattle compared to boston
making the move to seattle
i do love philly too.
sorry, we're closed. cuidado
Trace: would you care to share this master plan of yours? you don't have to worry about me stealing it, just curious as to what others see/have in mind for CT. Every time I drive through Hartford on 91 all I see is potential. Its too bad that the city hasn't started catering to the art crowd a little more, as there is a huge artist community up here in the Northampton/Amherst area of western MA. I think one thing that CT has to deal with is its reputation as being a feeder for NY (primarily along the south) and as the conservative state in the North East (the new civil union law might change that, although its somewhat in the shadow of whats been going on in MA).
Drop me a line if you care to share in more detail what your plans are.
if you believe richard florida's research (and i so far see no reason not to, though some neo-cons dislike his conclusions, fair warning) top 5 cities for creative work are austin, SF, seattle, boston, Raleigh-Durham. bottom 5 are detroit, norfolk, cleveland, milwaukee, grand rapids.
his lists (ranking top 49 regions with popn over 1 mil) are based on presence of technology, talent, and tolerance (for gay populations, etc), and mean rather specific things, but you get the idea.
Florida is the fella what wrote "The rise of the creative class". tonnes of material covering the book online from pro and con side so won't comment meself other than to say it is worth reading.
I will second "A's" Minneapolis and Madison, great place for someone who enjoys the outdoors in all season. If you are not a fan of winter but like the Midwest I would check out Kansas City. But if east coast is appealing to you, I have heard good things about Baltimore.
baltimore is a decent city if you love lots of crime.
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with the political situation and the economic situation in the us i would strongly raise an eyebrow over hopping the pond at this point. W has exceeded the credit limit on his mastercard and he could give a shit if he sells us down the toilet. afterall, have to stop those god damn terrorist and evil doers@!!!!
and why be london-centric? there are amazing placing in the uk that arent experiencing the push and shove small practice mentality [manchester - b'ham - liverpool] theres lots of affordable land in those urban areas and thier growth shows it. until i spent an extended period of time in those areas [3 months plus] i always thought i could never live anywhere but london town. not only are they energetic -- you can walk a block or two without the continuous stench of piss at every stoop.
perhaps you should spend a month in the us before you pack your bag.
yeah, there are plenty of us over here that would rather leave, frankly... thinking of glasgow...
MIAMI. I can't believe no one has said it. The city is creative, full of all types of culture, and architecturally specific.
Today, Miami is the most exciting American city to practice progressive architecture. The past has set up some problems, but architects and politicians are already taking positive steps towards solutions. The architectural climate is primed and ready for new creativity. In the past 10 years, south Florida has been a laboratory for different types of urbanism (the good and the bad). Miami has payed attention, conducted its own experiments, and is taking action from this base.
As for your list of concerns (building a home, business opportunity etc.) Miami is well suited.
Good luck
thanks to everyone who replied...some useful info' to dwell on...
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