Unemployed and legally in the Nation's Capital

Concerning the Professional, DC, economic issues 4 Responses »
Apr 012009

The Washington Post ran an article recently highlighting the human side of how this recession (depression?) is affecting architects in the DC area.

One of the people they interviewed is a former co-worker of mine from a few years back. I’m saddened to hear that she is also going through what I am dealing with. Like most of us unemployed architectural professionals, she is a hard worker and team player and does not deserve to be jobless. Unfortunately she is in a worse situation than I. She’s a foreign national and when she lost her job she lost her work visa. I can’t imagine having to deal with the pressure of knowing that not only do you need a job to pay the bills, but also to keep living here.

Posted by spencer at 5:56 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Laid Off

Concerning the Professional, DC, Graphic Design, News 7 Responses »
Feb 232009

I normally don’t post my personal/professional life to this blog, but I figured I’d give it a shot. I just got laid off today due to workforce realignment/restructuring. My office laid off 20% of their staff – 4 people including me. Honestly, I’m not really upset, more relieved. Now I don’t have to worry if I will get laid off or not. Though, I now have to find a new job. So, does anyone know of any opportunities in the DC area? My resume is on here. I’d be interested in anything architectural, graphic design, urban planning, or IT.

Posted by spencer at 2:40 pm

Top 24 Architecture Design Firms in the Washington DC area

Architectural thought, DC, Web Links 8 Responses »
Oct 242008

Since moving to the DC area it has been easy to feel lost in the neoclassical and federalist architecture that pervades the area. Many of the firms here still work within those vernaculars. Those who differ seem to err on the side of bland post modern boxes. I decided that there had to be firms in the area who had a more avant-garde/metropolitan sense in their design aesthetic and so I searched through the websites of over 400 firms listed in the Washington, DC / Northern Virginia (NOVA) / Maryland region. I only looked at architecture firms whose only office is in the DC metro area, and selected those that I felt had a more contemporary/avant-garde design sensibility. I feel that I have achieved my goal of proving that there are small to medium firms in the DC metroplex that focus on creating buildings/spaces that further the architectural dialogue and do not just rehash old building styles for the sake of building. The following firms are in no particular order. amestudio Geier Brown Renfrow Architects Robert M Gurnery, FAIA David Jameson Architect, Inc Randall Mars Architects Fox Architects French Studios Suzane Reatig Architecture envision Schick Goldstein Architects Bonstra Haresign Architects [...]

Posted by spencer at 2:01 am Tagged with: , ,

Lord, all firms can't be corporate!

Architectural thought, Concerning the Professional, DC 1 Response »
Oct 142008

The DC area is filled with architecture firms, but I have been hard pressed to find many that are real players in the current avant-garde architecture climate. Most of the big name firms that have local offices focus on government work and not theoretical/concept work. To wit, I am compiling a list of the best firms in the DC metroplex for publication as a future post to hopefully dispel the belief that good design cannot be found in DC. Does anyone have any suggestions of architecture firms that go beyond the norm? I am specifically looking at firms that have an exemplary design identity.

Posted by spencer at 10:06 pm Tagged with: ,
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