Architects discuss strategies for staying alive. Layoffs. Each week the numbers of layoffs grow as architects frantically attempt to curtail the fallout from the current recession, when projects are killed, postponed, or don’t materialize. Few firms want to shed their trusted, well-trained architects, and few firms want to talk about it with the not-so-trusted members of the press. As Andrew Bartle, AIA, puts it (nicely), if the press sticks to its current role as harbingers of doom, won’t it only exacerbate the problem by keeping clients ultra-nervous? In spite of such suspicions, Bartle—whose firm, ABA Studio, is known for private

Architects discuss strategies for staying alive. John Lahey, AIA, chairman and principal in charge of design at Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), in Chicago, says that after having been through the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, he finds it better to lay off architects than offer a four-day work week. “People who are raring to go don’t like working four days a week,” he says. When SCB, known for its privately sponsored residential construction, was affected, “We reduced the staff, even though painful, ” says Lahey. Its head count now totals 130 after losing between 25 to 30 people to

Dana Byrne, manager of talent acquisition and professional development at RMJM, recently attended one of the Not Business As Usual workshops to offer suggestions on how to make cover letters and resumes shine.

Architects discuss the pros and cons of self-employment during an economic downturn. How does Ginseng Chicken, a young architecture studio, save money in the recession? “You’re sitting on it,” says Sang Hwa Lee, 31, pointing to a futon against the wall of a modest room on the 22nd floor of an apartment tower near Battery Park, at the tip of Manhattan. This is Ginseng Chicken’s office. To Lee’s business partner, Hosung Chun, it also is home. Photo courtesy Ginseng Chicken Sang Hwa Lee, Hosung Chun, and Jeeyong An, started their New York-based studio, Ginseng Chicken, last summer. Last summer, as

A quick guide to applying for unemployment benefits.

Volunteering can provide architects a chance to strengthen their skill set and expand their professional network while hunting for employment.

Sinking Real-Estate Market Forces Architects to Reconsider their Prospects In recent years, architects descended upon Dubai, eager to capitalize on its feverish building boom. But while the Persian Gulf city’s sprawling skyline is still dotted with cranes, the market here has fizzled. As of early February, more than half of Dubai’s real estate projects were on hold or canceled, from the 3,281-foot-tall Nakheel Tower designed by Woods Bagot to the Hydropolis, a 220-suite underwater hotel envisioned by designer Joachim Hauser. Analysts predict that Dubai property values, in total, will decline up to 60 percent in 2009 after years of record

Architects Hit Hard by Job Losses With its economy expected to shrink nearly 3 percent this year, Britain is facing the most severe recession in the developed world. And with troubled banks unwilling to lend, building projects are at a standstill and architects are hurting. “Every firm, regardless of size, is affected,” says John McAslan, chairman of London-based John McAslan & Partners, whose 100-person practice downsized by about 10 percent over the past six months. Image courtesy Richard Rogers Leadenhall Building in London, by Richard Rogers. Related Links: Global Report: Brazil Global Report: China Global Report: Germany Global Report: India

The construction industry lost considerable momentum in 2008, and McGraw-Hill Construction reported the value of new construction starts fell 15 percent last year, to $547 billion.

The latest forecast from McGraw-Hill Construction spells it out. In 2008, the leading market for multifamily construction was New York, which experienced a relatively modest 6 percent drop in the number of dwelling units started from the previous year. This compares to more severe 2008 declines in such markets as Washington, D.C. (down 23 percent), Atlanta (down 24 percent), Los Angeles (down 40 percent), Las Vegas (down 61 percent), Miami (down 60 percent), and Chicago (down 62 percent). In 2009, the New York market will see greater retrenchment, affected by the upheaval in its financial sector and declines in financial