Their DC office looks like a very good environment. I would imagine that all of their offices look like that.

Their office is really nice, getting a job there maybe hard tho.

Oops, maybe i'm thinking of KPF, sorry.

you should be really careful, most chinese branches of those bad boys like SOM, KPF, NBBJ, RTKL, Gensler, maybe HOK is very different operation modes.

in my experience of these firms in China,

som is windy, principal change fast, relocation at least two times, stuff goes and leaves fast

KPF is defin different comparing to the NY office, the so-called partner in china branch is from china, and they seldom has a system there, sort of a plug-in-out place.

NBBJ is not so positive, visit their office once, 10-15 stuff, doing all of boring commercial jobs

RTKL is a bit close to their LA office in terms of operation mode, you get over-time exchange, annual bonus, 30-50 stuff, principals are from usa, recently relocated to otherplace from the central metro Shanghai

Gensler is totally different, that is what I have heard by their principal in shanghai. i guess he hints the payment, the working hrs, the whole system is very different.

HOK, have no idea.

tips,

if you wanna better understand this big names's branches, go for their project lists firstly. basically, the scale of the undergoing projects tells you a lot of info. like gensler, they recently won the Shanghai's so-called dragon tower, and then they are hiring. I do not think i heard of their office in SH before, and i do not think everyone could be involved in that dragon team.

so try to get a project lists, see if you like it, then you could always figure out your "better" life there.

I agree with the above comments regarding cultural differences between offices within the same organization. As noted, the individual office leadership plays a significant role and usually supercedes the overall firm culture.

My firm, API Partners, is an Executive Search and Career Management Firm focused on Architecture + Design professionals.

We are working with a number of firms in Shanghai and are engaging talented Architects + Design professionals in dialogue regarding active career opportunities.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Regards,


Lonny Rossman, AIA
Principal

API Partners, LLC

New York
212.255.5055

Philadelphia
610.660.6128

London
+044 (20) 8099 5484

www.apipartners.com

all the 'big boys' are fricking crappy. Save your soul and work at a smaller place where you might actually learn something.

LonnyRossmann:

i made similar experiences, having worked in Shanghai for about 2 years (mainly with tongji related office, which was great) and just came back from Hong Kong, where i was working with a mayor australian office - but had massive mobbing problems.....

Now having offers in the UAE i still would prefer working in China or HK again; livingwise its just better than the desert...

xing:

on your experience of these chinese branches.

well, i guess no one could get rid of the overwhelming force in this market. the way how those firms operate simply bare some traces of 'chinese characteristics', it's fine though.

the fact is 'they are doing some large projects', now this is what really affects, right?


and sameolddoctor:

smaller firms may be fine, but it's really hard to find anywhere.

nowadays many smaller firms are just doing naughty design and concentrating on money-making. they prefer green-hands (so that they save more, which is irresponsible for both those employees and the clients) and do design in an extremely arbitrary and individual way (without any senses of other disciplines but only so-called feeling or weird 'thoughts').