With this evolution of the building industry, marked by significant cultural, economic and technological shifts, the role of architects gains a multidisciplinary dimension that allows them to pursue a broader range of career opportunities. New production techniques, computational design, innovative organizational structures and the amalgamation of industries through technology are bringing forth an array of new, exciting job profiles.

We have compiled a list of 5 open career opportunities in firms that combine different disciplines, allow architects to shepherd projects from inception to completion, and gain insights into the business side of the profession.

Industrial Design Intern at BIG IDEAS

BIG’s incubator, called BIG IDEAS, is the place where the firm develops innovative ideas, design prototypes, products and new materials for the AEC industry. Here they work on products and designs that push the envelope and come up with original solutions that broaden the scope of the architectural practice.

BIG IDEAS is looking for an industrial design intern studying in the field of production design, industrial design and furniture design to collaborate with designers and architects in Copenhagen. To be considered, you must be a current student for the duration of the internship, have at least 2 years of design school behind you, and have relevant work experience. Candidates should have advanced knowledge and experience with Rhino, Solid Works (or similar 3D software), V-ray, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Knowledge and experience with prototyping is a bonus.

Link to job ad

Design Applications Manager at Perkins+Will Global

One of the leading architecture offices in the United States, Perkins + Will, experiments with new technologies to improve healthcare design. The firm is at the forefront of the efforts to integrate technology and architecture.

This position requires experience in all phases of the architectural design process, high-level of proficiency leveraging Revit in the architectural production process, and working knowledge of design visualization, VR, computational design and environmental analysis applications. Among other responsibilities, applicants will be expected to represent and coordinate with the firm-wide Digital Practice group to promote local adoption of new technologies, including Virtual & Augmented Reality, Computational Design, Digital Fabrication, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence & Internet of Things, workflows and practices.

Link to job ad

Architect for Innovative Timber Building at Menges Scheffler Architects

Those experienced working with innovative uses of timber in architecture should check out Menges Scheffler Architects, led by Achim Menges, one of the leading figures in computational design and material exploration. Menges is also Director of ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction in Stuttgart.

The firm is looking for an architect for an innovative building project with a novel timber shell structure. Responsibilities include leading the architectural design of the project from schematic design to construction within an interdisciplinary team of consulting engineers, ICD researchers and the timber manufacturer. This is a project-based job related to building an innovative timber building in a prominent city location in Germany, and will last approx. one year ((with longer term employment perspective).

Link to job ad

Project Architect at WeWork

WeWork is redefining space as a service by offering co-working and, as of recently, co-living spaces for a generation of young entrepreneurs.

The firm is currently in search of a Project Architect who is proficient and highly experienced with all phases of the design and construction process from schematic design through the bid process and construction administration. The candidate is expected to ensure efficient and quality design projects, by collaborating with all teams on the execution of WeWork standards, goals and brand ideals. You would work collaboratively with internal and external team members, determine and organize functional requirements, provide programming and space planning, and code analysis with minimal direction. Candidates should have 4+ years practical experience in high end hospitality, residential, commercial or retail architectural design. They should also be proficient in the following programs: Revit, all things Google, CAD, SketchUp, and MS Office.

Link to job ad 

Senior Project Management at AE3 Partners

AE3 Partners is a 26-person architecture and construction management practice headquartered in San Francisco. They work on projects as a prime, joint venture partner, or as a member of larger team. This could be a great opportunity to work on design-build projects with a vertically integrated process.

The idea candidate will report directly to the firm owners and be involved in key decision-making processes. You have to be a licensed architect in California with a Bachelors or Masters in architecture, and have advanced skills with Revit Building Design Suite and AutoCAD. Ideal candidates should also have great writing skills and the ability to assist principals and business development team with technical writing for presentations, RFP responses, and other business correspondence.

Link to job ad

Have you worked in any of these firms? Let us know about your career opportunities and experiences.

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To companies who wish to advertise their job positions here:

Please contact us at media@archipreneur.com

The post Jobs in the Digital Era: New Career Opportunities in the Building Industry appeared first on Archipreneur.

We recently published a list of must-watch TED talks for archipreneurs, which includes the one delivered by growth specialist and business strategist Knut Haanaes. Looking for reasons why companies fail, Haanaes finds that exploiting what you already have can be bad in the long term, while focusing only on exploration can be bad short term. Innovation and competence both need to be in place in order to successfully run a business today, and avoid becoming obsolete tomorrow.

Many among the most successful architecture firms in the world have long begun to widen the scope of their work, and continue to branch out into various fields outside of what we conventionally see as architecture. Technological innovation, cross-disciplinary partnerships and research collaborations go hand in hand with consistent delivery of successful projects. In fact, while offering reliable, top notch products and services is a great basis for building a successful business, innovation is the aspect that propels these firms forward and allows them to stay ahead of the competition.

1# BIG

By exploring new financing models and experimenting with innovative design solutions and materials, BIG is broadening the scope of architectural practice. Its incubator, called BIG IDEAS, allows innovators to create design prototypes, products and new materials for the AEC industry.

Among the projects being developed under the BIG IDEAS umbrella are an Internet of Things door lock called Friday, prototypes for a life-sized Tesla coil, steam-ring generators, smart building materials and even a Hyperloop high-speed transportation system. Also, the firm rigorously incorporates popular media and new technology in their marketing campaigns, utilizing GoPro videography, augmented reality, comic books, holograms to name a few.

2# Perkins + Will

One of the leading architecture offices in the United States, Perkins + Will, experiments with new technologies to improve healthcare design. They have recently established an in-house incubator program, which allows them to develop and support small research projects through micro-grants.

The firm also created 10 new laboratories that aim to tackle sustainability issues, resilience, the human experience, the design process, and mobility. In order to encourage designers to innovate, Perkins+Will organized an annual competition through which the most promising projects that are further developed within the Innovation Incubator System.

The first Innovation Incubator call-for-submissions resulted in 89 entries from Perkins + Will professionals competing for micro-grants of 40 hours of company-paid time over a six-month period. Nineteen were chosen from across their global offices, and each successfully completed projects, presentations or publications. Since then, the firm has awarded two cohorts of Innovation Incubator participants annually – in spring and fall of each year – funding at least ten projects per class.

3# NBBJ

NBBJ is among the first architecture firms that fully embrace Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). While a number of firms in the design industry have examined the promise of VR, the firm’s partnership with Visual Vocal marks the first instance of an established design firm incubating a VR startup inside its own offices and developing new tools to improve decision-making.

The initiative is part of NBBJ’s ongoing investment in and development of digital tools. It will pilot the Visual Vocal software on design projects for healthcare, corporate, and urban planning clients. Ultimately the tool will then become available to the greater architecture, engineering, and construction industry.

4# KieranTimberlake

Philadelphia-based design studio, led by architect KieranTimberlake, has embraced innovation by turning their own office into a research lab where they test out various design and technological solutions related to energy efficiency, sustainable design and sensor-driven products for the AEC industry.

Here the team produces full-size prototypes of architectural elements, using their own “home” to create efficient innovative products such weather-tracking software and smart materials. They collect data from their own office to explore natural thermal comfort, as well as mass customization, off-site fabrication and prototyping.

5# Foster + Partners

Foster+Partners have managed to stay ahead of the competition for many years. The practice is on the frontier of innovative design thanks to it is dedicated research and development teams and numerous research collaborations. Their in-house team of researchers is a mix of material specialists, mathematicians, aerospace engineers, architects, artists and acousticians who use state-of-the art technological tools to design.

They were recently asked by the European Space Agency to design a habitat for the Moon. For this project they teamed up with space engineering company Alta and D-Shape, the organization behind the world’s largest 3D printer. The project is an inflatable skeleton structure that can be transported flat-pack style and assembled by robots using local materials like Moon dust to 3D print a protective shell.

While this specific project might seem too out there for those concerned with revenue and business growth, it is useful to notice that this dedication to innovation is also behind the projects such as the Gherkin in London and Hong Kong International Airport.

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What role does innovation play in your business? Do you think having an in-house idea incubator is something archipreneurs should consider?

The post Architectural Idea Incubators: How 5 Successful Architecture Firms are Fostering Innovation appeared first on Archipreneur.

However, some architecture firms are utilizing their high profiles, international success and the influx of talented, young designers to establish in-house research divisions and incubators that support the development of new ideas in the AEC industry. The following five companies are consistent in pushing the envelope and helping architecture adopt some of the latest technologies:

Our top 5 most innovative architecture firms list:

#1 BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

One of the most renowned architecture firms in the world, BIG, is a great example of architects keeping step with pop culture and new business trends. Both their design and company culture reveals a nimbleness and experimental attitude that allow them to explore different avenues for practicing architecture. BIG’s founder, Bjarke Ingels, is a rare example of an archipreneur attuned to the latest media trends and business strategies. He embraces social media, invests in new enterprises, and implements innovation in his projects.

Recently, BIG teamed up with aerospace organization Rumlaboratorium, the Danish Technical University and artists from realities:united to launch a Kickstarter campaign to design a prototype of a unique steam-ring generator that would be part of the “cleanest power plant in the world.” The initiative shows a readiness to invent and extend their involvement in the construction process to engineering. In 2014, they launched a new division within the company and called it BIG Ideas, which was intended to act as a research and development lab where the firm could create products and new building materials. Several other independent projects are currently underway, many of which are focused on finding new engineering solutions to be incorporated into BIG’s projects.

#2 SHoP Architects

SHoP Architects and SHoP Construction (SC), collectively known as SHoP, are among New York’s 10 largest architecture firms. What makes them stand out among other mainstream architecture firms is their interest in addressing the gap between real estate development, architecture and engineering. A hybrid business model allows them to function as a combination of a real estate development firm, a think tank, and a one-stop shop for clients.

Five people with individual backgrounds in design, construction, business, marketing and development founded the firm in 1996. The team was led by Gregg Pasquarelli, who had previously worked as an investment banker on Wall Street. They first experimented with trading fees for equity on their Porter House project, and went on to develop several other projects, as well as their own, and collaborating with other architects.

SHoP is a trailblazer when it comes to redefining the way architecture is practiced. They are rethinking the role of architects in the project development process and looking for ways to get more autonomy, better pay, and innovative design projects off the ground, all while cutting construction costs through smart fabrication.

#3 Perkins + Will

Perkins + Will is one of the United States’ leading architecture firms in healthcare design, delivering buildings that focus on better patient experience and high performance. Their new in-house Innovation Incubator program aims to “foster, through micro-grants of money and time, a culture of innovation, creativity and experimentation by supporting small research projects proposed by individuals.” So far the program has awarded more than 150 groups of participants with the most innovative proposals.

The firm also formed 10 laboratories this year, which are focused on sustainability issues, resilience, the human experience, the design process, and mobility. Their annual design competition encourages talented designers to experiment. Design solutions selected through the contest are often further developed through the Innovation Incubator system.

#4 NBBJ

One of the first architecture offices to fully embrace Virtual Reality (VR), Seattle-based NBBJ, developed its self-contained venture Visual Vocal to build a VR platform integrated into the firm’s design process. By using VR, NBBJ hopes to speed up collaboration and communication between designers and allow them to make decisions based on client feedback. The new productivity tool will allow architects to build VR versions of 3D models that can be explored on a smartphone.

Together with mobile and cloud-based solutions, VR is expected to replace conventional communication such as email. The team, led by John San Giovanni and Sean House, raised $500,000 for Visual Vocal, which will be developed as a tool not only for architecture but also for other industries. Future plans for these platforms include solutions for working in the aerospace industry, product design, and biotech.

#5 HOK

Recently, HOK partnered with the Biomimcry Guild in order to foster bio-inspired innovation in the field of architecture. The partnership began in 2004 and the two companies have collaborated on several projects since, including HOK’s proposal for the “City of the Future” competition in 2008.

“We believe biomimicry will not only help us significantly reduce the environmental impact of our projects, but also has the potential to help define a whole new sustainable standard for our profession,” said HOK Sustainable Design Director, Mary Ann Lazarus, “Because biomimicry addresses critical environmental issues at the habitat scale, it gives us lessons on how to achieve significant results even restorative outcomes at all scales.”

HOK is also a great example of an architecture firm embracing new media tools, as one of the most active users of social media in the architectural industry. The firm launched Life at HOK in 2008 as a supplementary resource to the company’s main site. It is an employee-authored blog, dedicated to showing the processes behind their projects and office culture. HOK employees from around the country post different types of content, such as links to YouTube videos, Facebook profiles and Flickr images. The site aggregates several social media platforms and encourages feedback and interaction with and between its users.

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These five most innovative architecture firms are consistently showing a readiness to adopt new design and communication tools, design strategies, and business models. This attitude allows them to remain flexible and absorb various cultural and technological shifts instead of simply trying to keep up with the world. Which other architecture firms do you find innovative?

The post 5 of the Most Innovative Architecture Firms appeared first on Archipreneur.