editor Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Today I had an interesting experience.I was sitting in a Starbucks eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations the way I usually do when I heard a couple of guys at one table talking architecture. Unlike most of the drivel I hear, this was intelligent conversation and went into a lot of interesting style and design aspects of the trade. Eventually one of them started talking about his resume and I learned that he is an architect for a VERY big name architecture firm.I don't normally blankly introduce myself to people, but I thought this might be an opportunity to learn something. Many of you know that the other half of HAIF is an architectural photography business. I usually work for developers and building owners and investors. But I've always been curious about working directly with architects. So I introduced myself and told him the same thing and started asking questions.At the end of the conversation as I was excusing myself he said a curious thing. He asked if I'd recommend him to any of my "developer friends." I thought it was a joke and gave a nervous laugh as I made my way back to my squishy chair a few feet away.Then tonight I read this: Nothing on the Drawing BoardIt turns out the measure of architectural activity is at an all-time low. The current number is 34.7. Anything below 50 means a decline.Maybe that guy from the very big name firm wasn't kidding after all. Things are tough all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgriff Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I don't think most people realize how bad things are going to get. I don't know much about commercial buildings and residential but I know a lot about petrochem and there is nothing coming up in 2010. In 2009 we're going to still be coasting on old projects from before the crash. Even if the economy turns around overnight we're still looking at a year of no construction projects. Once the projects that are funded are done, there's not going to be anything new for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniepwils Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I don't think most people realize how bad things are going to get. I don't know much about commercial buildings and residential but I know a lot about petrochem and there is nothing coming up in 2010. In 2009 we're going to still be coasting on old projects from before the crash. Even if the economy turns around overnight we're still looking at a year of no construction projects. Once the projects that are funded are done, there's not going to be anything new for a long time.You are indeed correct. Most of my work is with commercial real estate transactions and it has already begun to decline (it actually started declining in the summer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 It turns out the measure of architectural activity is at an all-time low. The current number is 34.7. Anything below 50 means a decline.Maybe that guy from the very big name firm wasn't kidding after all. Things are tough all over.Yeah, it's gotten scary. I know of one big firm that hasn't had layoffs yet. I've heard rumors of some degree of layoffs at 4 others. And I could list four firms that have laid off 15-25%... Anyone in the business that has survived so far should be updating resumes and portfolios over the holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilettoninja Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Yeah, it's gotten scary. I know of one big firm that hasn't had layoffs yet. I've heard rumors of some degree of layoffs at 4 others. And I could list four firms that have laid off 15-25%... Anyone in the business that has survived so far should be updating resumes and portfolios over the holiday.I work for that "big firm" that Highway6 is referring to. We've had our annual reviews and a lot of us were even given bonuses and raises, and so far, no sign of layoffs. Some of the firms my friends work for have seen a significant number of layoffs, mostly due to the lack of (or cancelled/on-hold) developer and/or residential projects. Our firm does mostly institutional, healthcare and petrochem, and more recently, international projects, and I think that's what's kept us afloat so far. But 2009 is creeping just around the corner so I'm not sure if some of the folks returning from holiday are going to be in for a surprise. I sure hope not. I'm not a designer, though. I work in the marketing department and to be honest, January is a busy busy month for us! But in these tough times, more firms are submitting proposals for projects they probably would normally overlook, increasing the competition and making it even more difficult just to get shortlisted. Now there's an even greater amount of pressure for us in marketing anytime a proposal is due. No matter how crappy my day is (like the fact that I'm at work the day after Christmas), I'm just glad and thankful that I have a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilettoninja Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 And I just want to note that there seems to be a general feeling about continuing a career in architecture for those who have been laid off or are worried about their job security. Most people are just going to give up on the field all together and are considering switching careers. Or so I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 At the end of the conversation as I was excusing myself he said a curious thing. He asked if I'd recommend him to any of my "developer friends." I thought it was a joke and gave a nervous laugh as I made my way back to my squishy chair a few feet away.Wait, he didn't know you were the webmaster of HoustonArchitecture, did he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted December 26, 2008 Author Share Posted December 26, 2008 Wait, he didn't know you were the webmaster of HoustonArchitecture, did he?Nope. I didn't mention the web sites. I only talked about the photography side of the business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Websites plural? There's HAIF and some LA site, is there more?edit: nevermind, I found themDo you maintain ALL of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBuddy06 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Many people that you will assume should see the big picture about this tanking economy just don't have the right pair of glasses on. People are losing homes, homes are losing values and so are all of those skyscrapers around. Property and stock are a sizeable part of company assets and they're chipping off. I feel sorry for architects and builders because they'll be the part of the last to recover from the slowdown, when good times get around. With so many businesses closing, filing for bankruptcy, or sizing down, new office building will be announced only by nutsy execs. I know people on this forum know all this and more, but it beats me when other people makes comments like 'once Bush is gone this bad economy is going with him' and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Today I had an interesting experience.I was sitting in a Starbucks eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations the way I usually do when I heard a couple of guys at one table talking architecture. Unlike most of the drivel I hear, this was intelligent conversation and went into a lot of interesting style and design aspects of the trade. Eventually one of them started talking about his resume and I learned that he is an architect for a VERY big name architecture firm.I don't normally blankly introduce myself to people, but I thought this might be an opportunity to learn something. Many of you know that the other half of HAIF is an architectural photography business. I usually work for developers and building owners and investors. But I've always been curious about working directly with architects. So I introduced myself and told him the same thing and started asking questions.At the end of the conversation as I was excusing myself he said a curious thing. He asked if I'd recommend him to any of my "developer friends." I thought it was a joke and gave a nervous laugh as I made my way back to my squishy chair a few feet away.Then tonight I read this: Nothing on the Drawing BoardIt turns out the measure of architectural activity is at an all-time low. The current number is 34.7. Anything below 50 means a decline.Maybe that guy from the very big name firm wasn't kidding after all. Things are tough all over.A blog I read regularly lists the architectural billings index as an economic indicator. It has been running at an all-time low, although to be fair the index has only been computed since 1995. It seems that right now everything possible is being put on hold as people wait to see how bad things get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Websites plural? There's HAIF and some LA site, is there more?edit: nevermind, I found themDo you maintain ALL of them?For varying amounts of "maintain," yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 A blog I read regularly lists the architectural billings index as an economic indicator. It has been running at an all-time low, although to be fair the index has only been computed since 1995. It seems that right now everything possible is being put on hold as people wait to see how bad things get.Oh, come on. The 1990s were great economically. If it went back to the 1920s, then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archinspired Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 It turns out the measure of architectural activity is at an all-time low. The current number is 34.7. Anything below 50 means a decline.Maybe that guy from the very big name firm wasn't kidding after all. Things are tough all over.editor, that guy wasn't kidding at all. a lot of my co-workers are also tyring to network to get into different careers in which their architectural degree would be of some meaning or use. thankfully my firm hasn't experienced any layoffs as we have international projects keeping us afloat, but i do know of serveral firms that are cutting back as much as 50% of their employees and are still having a hard time surviving. personally, i think those are the firms that will hit rock bottom simply because i highly doubt any work will come in for 2009. lending isn't going to happen over night. our economy has to heal and it's going to take time. in my opinion 2009 will have more layoffs for us in the architecture field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 ...What size firm do you work for and what is your project specialty?While i can list numerous firms that have laid of lots.. I can also list several that have only laid off a few or none at all. I think the above two questions have a big effect on which firms are surviving easier these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 A year later... I can report that most firms still aren't hiring.Big firms/small firms/firms specializing in healthcare.. doesn't matter.It's a depressing world out there for the jobless architect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 My daughter started out as an architect major at Rice but later changed majors. Meantime she has graduated and is employed but all her fellow archy students that graduated a year or two ago and are all unemployed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new major on the block Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 My daughter started out as an architect major at Rice but later changed majors. Meantime she has graduated and is employed but all her fellow archy students that graduated a year or two ago and are all unemployed. lol, I'm one of them. Graduated in August of 09 with my Masters of Architecture and am unemployed. Im actually gonna start on my Law Degree this coming fall, god willing I do great on my LSAT this saturday.My luck, 3yrs down the line, the economy is still in the can so architecture will still be bad, plus there will be an oversaturation of lawyers which will then force me to Medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 lol, I'm one of them. Graduated in August of 09 with my Masters of Architecture and am unemployed. Im actually gonna start on my Law Degree this coming fall, god willing I do great on my LSAT this saturday.My luck, 3yrs down the line, the economy is still in the can so architecture will still be bad, plus there will be an oversaturation of lawyers which will then force me to Medical school.wow, sorry to hear it. Unfortunately, there's already an oversupply of lawyers. Unless someone else is paying your school bill....it's a gamble. The degrees simply don't pay for themselves as quickly or easily any more. Purely anecdotal, but instructive: a fair number of my high school friends went to engineering school. This was back in the big Houston oil bust years. EE and PetE were really popular and highly competitive majors, but when they got out of school in the late 80s, there was no work and all but one went to law school. Of them, only one ever practiced law. The only reason most did well ultimately was because their families had land out in the rice patch and they took over the family concern. When it comes down to job security, if I could snap my fingers and be anything right now? I'd be a bilingual RN/nurse practioner with a willingness to do shift or travel work. Good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
names Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Most professional firms depended on foreign projects to get through the last year and a half. Now that most projects are in the construction phase, it seems most firms are on a steady diet of cutting ~10% of the workforce per quarter. Commercial firms have been cleaning house too but are more likely to close shop than to reconfigure operations. Artistic firms are simply wandering in the desert. Edit: It's actually a great time to be an architect worth his salt. All the bluffers, cheap skates, & phonies have been cleared out of the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyTree Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 http://archrecord.construction.com/news/economy/2010/1003searching_for_signs_of_recovery.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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