Searching for Signs of Recovery
While some areas of the economy are experiencing an upswing, architects likely won’t see a boost until next year.

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction

Where Are They Now?
One year ago, Architectural Record profiled design professionals we had met at AIA New York’s Center for Architecture during a “Not Business As Usual” forum — one in a series of events geared toward helping architects during the recession. We recently followed up with our interviewees to see how they have fared in the past year.

Read the original profiles >>

Photo courtesy Angelina Pinto

Putting Yourself Out There
Three recent projects attract clients by offering design services in unconventional locations.

Recession Marketing Strategies
Three architects at established firms share how they land new projects when work is scarce.

• Kohn Pedersen Fox: Eugene Kohn
• SHoP Architects: Gregg Pasquarelli
• Olson Kundig: Alan Maskin

Photo © Michael Hanson

Leadership, Mentoring, and Networking
In 2009, several unemployed designers banded together to form LMNOP, a professional development organization. It quickly took off. “It’s been insane,” says founder Jennifer Graham. “The first six months, we didn’t know how to keep up with ourselves.”

Photo © Danielle Austen/Architectural Record

RECORD reports on how the troubled economy is affecting architects.

• Perkins + Will Expands Again
• A Once Eminent Firm Meets a Bitter End
• Cubellis, One of Boston’s Largest Firms, Shuttered
• Job Creation Focus of Lobbying Agenda
• Construction Spending Slump to Persist in 2010

View all Economy Coverage >>

Pictured: The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) compiled by the AIA

Riding Out Recessions
In part one of our interview with Eugene Kohn, he discusses how he and three partners launched Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in the middle of a recession in 1976. He describes how the fledgling firm found work despite the bad economy and offers advice to younger architects navigating the current recession.

In part two, Kohn discusses the contemporary economic crisis and its impact on his firm—from projects falling through, to layoffs, to where the firm is finding work despite the recession. In the final minute of the interview, he predicts that the long-term effect of the recession on design will be the death of the “icon.”

KPF in the late 1970s / Photo courtesy Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

Managing Layoffs
Making the worst task slightly easier for all.

Read additional Practice Matters stories:

• Stimulus Success Story
• Preparing for That Make-or-Break Job Interview
• Greening Your Design Culture
• Client Care: How to Keep Them Coming Back for More
• Professionalizing Pro Bono Practice
• Nonprofit Work Experience
• Could Owner’s Rep Work Be a Good Move?

Image courtesy SmithGroup

How architects can survive the economic crisis—from revamping your resume to getting government contracts.

• Strategies for Unemployed Architects
• Firms Adapt to Tough Times
• Land a Government Contract
• Top 10 Resume Tips

View the full Survival Guide >>

Photo © David Albanese/Architectural Record

What will the Recovery and Reinvestment Act mean for U.S. architects? RECORD tracks the plan’s impact on the architecture world.

• Stimulus Success Story
• GSA Awards $435 Million Contract for Coast Guard HQ
• At Last, New GSA Contracts Start to Surge
• Park Service Releases $750-Million List of Stimulus Projects
• How Architects Can Land a Government Contract
• The Final Stimulus Bill, Sector by Sector

Image courtesy SmithGroup

From Our Archive
Read earlier coverage of the recession’s impact on the design profession.

Photo © Danielle Austen/Architectural Record