Has anyone here know much about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill? About their culture, types of work, personal experiences?
More specifically their NY, LA, and SF locations
archanonymous
Dec 17, 20 10:27 am
This is such a generic question as to be comical.
They do a huge range of work. The culture is demanding but they also do some of the best design of the corporate giants. You will learn a ton. You will work a ton.
Non Sequitur
Dec 17, 20 11:03 am
Do I have thoughts? Yes, I do, but they are not that interesting or pertinent to this discussion. Thanks for asking tho.
My understanding of these mega large offices is that you're most likely to end up in projects for months on end drafting whatever details are required without ever really knowing anything more about the building. Sure, some will rise above this but I doubt those people use online forums to ask ridiculous questions anyways.
monosierra
Dec 17, 20 11:09 am
You're far better off asking alumni and classmates to be honest.
thisisnotmyname
Dec 17, 20 11:15 am
Have you tried glassdoor.com?
The_Crow
Dec 17, 20 11:16 am
In NYC I find SOM is widely considered as an excellent entry job to get 3 years of experience and then provides an opportunity to feed into some of the more "starry" offices if that is something you're interested in. It's rigorous, so you learn how to work hard and build quality buildings. The design is rarely "innovative", but is also definitely "A"architecture. Pay is $$$ relatively speaking.
sameolddoctor
Dec 17, 20 7:31 pm
You will learn quite a bit, in entry level positions. Both in terms of getting shit built, and dealing with massive egos.
zonker
Dec 18, 20 6:06 pm
It's were I started, learned a lot, kind of a post grad school studio if you will. two of the projects I worked on there are very precise, both stand in SF. Massive egos? there was a few, every firm has a at least one. Long hours, expect to work until 8pm every day, except Friday, then it's "posting party time" to 12:30 or 5am iof there are complications. there always is.
randomised
Dec 19, 20 3:57 am
it’s where code started, that’s all one needs to know!
caramelhighrise
Dec 20, 20 4:06 pm
My only $.02 is that I "toured" an office in college. And by toured, I mean sat through a dull presentation led by a couple burned out structural and software engineers explaining how to make a computer design a mega high rise that practically cantilevers off the earth so the wind doesn't knock it over. If you're into that sort of thing.
tduds
Jan 5, 21 11:46 am
Earth-cantilever, the new 'sky hook'!
ryanl
Jan 5, 21 8:54 am
The NYC office works their employees to the ground, and lays off people when it helps suit their bottom line. .If you're an ego hound and think its worthwhile to work more than 90 hours a week with no overtime pay, then I'm sure they would love to have you there. People mention the pay is good. It's not - it is decent relatively speaking, not considering the abuse or ahem "rigorous training" coming your way.
Fresh grads apply to these types of firms with excitement about the "exciting projects" they will work on, and the companies know this. They will keep emphasizing their "greatness" as they exploit every waking minute of your life.
thisisnotmyname
Jan 5, 21 10:27 am
What is the design/production issue there that leads to so much overtime?
archanonymous
Jan 5, 21 10:29 am
Washed-up old principals and design directors searching for ideas/ concepts/ any shred of originality by having young designers crank out countless iterations of what is fundamentally the same ideologically bankrupt, environmentally destructive building typology.
thisisnotmyname
Jan 5, 21 10:49 am
That's just like the AIA-darling "prestige" firm I used to work for. It was not SOM, however.
PaulKersey
Jan 27, 21 3:03 pm
Kid - there are pro's and con's working in any type firm, small or large corporate like SOM. In a large firm you would think there is a little more stability (I know there is no stability in architecture), exposure to different project types, when you leave a larger pool of colleagues, etc. There is also a good reason Frank Lloyd Wright referred to them as Skidding's, Own More, and Sterile.The NY office has had an extreme range of talent, and not, from a gifted designer like Roger Duffy, to a hack like David Childs.
b3tadine[sutures]
Jan 28, 21 5:07 am
go to the gram. If you want to know about the culture.
midlander
Jan 28, 21 5:47 am
there are several repugnant statements there. without having the slightest knowledge of who said this or reposted it, it's impossible to evaluate. the evident pleasure expressed in the tone of it gives me the sense the speaker enjoys making racist and sexist comments and then washing his hands of it by attributing them to unspecified others. do you really believe this is a useful source of information?
b3tadine[sutures]
Jan 28, 21 7:17 am
Yes...yes I do.
b3tadine[sutures]
Jan 28, 21 7:25 am
Does this comment "bring joy"?
square.
Jan 28, 21 9:51 am
ha, they are getting shit on quite hard lately. love it.
Has anyone here know much about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill? About their culture, types of work, personal experiences?
More specifically their NY, LA, and SF locations
This is such a generic question as to be comical.
They do a huge range of work. The culture is demanding but they also do some of the best design of the corporate giants. You will learn a ton. You will work a ton.
Do I have thoughts? Yes, I do, but they are not that interesting or pertinent to this discussion. Thanks for asking tho.
My understanding of these mega large offices is that you're most likely to end up in projects for months on end drafting whatever details are required without ever really knowing anything more about the building. Sure, some will rise above this but I doubt those people use online forums to ask ridiculous questions anyways.
You're far better off asking alumni and classmates to be honest.
Have you tried glassdoor.com?
In NYC I find SOM is widely considered as an excellent entry job to get 3 years of experience and then provides an opportunity to feed into some of the more "starry" offices if that is something you're interested in. It's rigorous, so you learn how to work hard and build quality buildings. The design is rarely "innovative", but is also definitely "A"architecture. Pay is $$$ relatively speaking.
You will learn quite a bit, in entry level positions. Both in terms of getting shit built, and dealing with massive egos.
It's were I started, learned a lot, kind of a post grad school studio if you will. two of the projects I worked on there are very precise, both stand in SF. Massive egos? there was a few, every firm has a at least one. Long hours, expect to work until 8pm every day, except Friday, then it's "posting party time" to 12:30 or 5am iof there are complications. there always is.
it’s where code started, that’s all one needs to know!
My only $.02 is that I "toured" an office in college. And by toured, I mean sat through a dull presentation led by a couple burned out structural and software engineers explaining how to make a computer design a mega high rise that practically cantilevers off the earth so the wind doesn't knock it over. If you're into that sort of thing.
Earth-cantilever, the new 'sky hook'!
The NYC office works their employees to the ground, and lays off people when it helps suit their bottom line. .If you're an ego hound and think its worthwhile to work more than 90 hours a week with no overtime pay, then I'm sure they would love to have you there. People mention the pay is good. It's not - it is decent relatively speaking, not considering the abuse or ahem "rigorous training" coming your way.
Fresh grads apply to these types of firms with excitement about the "exciting projects" they will work on, and the companies know this. They will keep emphasizing their "greatness" as they exploit every waking minute of your life.
What is the design/production issue there that leads to so much overtime?
Washed-up old principals and design directors searching for ideas/ concepts/ any shred of originality by having young designers crank out countless iterations of what is fundamentally the same ideologically bankrupt, environmentally destructive building typology.
That's just like the AIA-darling "prestige" firm I used to work for. It was not SOM, however.
Kid - there are pro's and con's working in any type firm, small or large corporate like SOM. In a large firm you would think there is a little more stability (I know there is no stability in architecture), exposure to different project types, when you leave a larger pool of colleagues, etc. There is also a good reason Frank Lloyd Wright referred to them as Skidding's, Own More, and Sterile.The NY office has had an extreme range of talent, and not, from a gifted designer like Roger Duffy, to a hack like David Childs.
go to the gram. If you want to know about the culture.
there are several repugnant statements there. without having the slightest knowledge of who said this or reposted it, it's impossible to evaluate. the evident pleasure expressed in the tone of it gives me the sense the speaker enjoys making racist and sexist comments and then washing his hands of it by attributing them to unspecified others. do you really believe this is a useful source of information?
Yes...yes I do.
Does this comment "bring joy"?
ha, they are getting shit on quite hard lately. love it.