Employees of Sage and Coombe Architects have declared the formation of a new union within the New York office, the firm announced via a social media post late Thursday.

“Sage and Coombe Architects is pleased to announce it has recognized a union as requested by a committee of firm employees. Although we are uncertain about the impact of this process on an architectural office of our size and history, we respect the right to organize and are proud of what the committee called our 'humane, open, collegial, and supportive culture,'” a portion of their statement reads.

With the move, Sage and Coombe joins Bernheimer Architecture as the second significant office in the United States to have successfully formed a union within the past year. Another effort at Snøhetta’s New York and San Francisco office failed over the summer, prompting an investigation at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the group Architectural Workers United (AWU) charged the firm’s leadership with misconduct and unfair labor practices during the unionization push, which resulted in a narrow defeat and included the retention of an outside law firm known for advising management teams with anti-unionization tactics.

“We, the bargaining unit at Sage and Coombe Architects in New York, are excited to share that we have formed a union through voluntary recognition! Our union is rooted in our deep appreciation for our workplace and a shared vision of the opportunity it presents both for our office and the broader industry,” organizers said via the AWU’s Instagram. 

“Community collaboration and collective action inform and strengthen the public spaces we design — libraries, schools, outdoor performance spaces, and more. We are excited to mirror this vital dynamic in our own workplace. We look forward to collectively bargaining and using our voices to help shape a more equitable and sustainable profession for all design workers,” the post continued.

Sage and Coombe was founded in 1994 by Jennifer Sage and Peter Coombe. Their portfolio includes a significant amount of public building commissions, for which Sage was recognized with an AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture in 2021. A 2016 renovation of the Noguchi Museum also garnered an AIA Brooklyn/Queens Design Award. The firm employs 14 total staff and is registered as a certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) in New York City and New Jersey.