Workplace culture resources
These resources provide a snapshot of workplace culture in an architecture firm. Whether a sole proprietorship or a firm of 5 or 5,000 employees, it is important to have the infrastructure for an equitable practice in place that aligns with the firm’s business philosophy, vision, and values.
Human Resources
AIA's Architects Handbook of Professional Practice, chapter eight includes: Human Resources Management; Compensation Strategy and Philosophy; Recruiting and Hiring: Strategies and Methodology; and Professional Development and Mentoring. The handbook provides a comprehensive overview of human resources in architectural practice.
Buy the Architects Handbook of Professional Practice >
Guides for Equitable Practice
In partnership with the University of Minnesota, AIA has published the first three chapters of the Guides for Equitable Practice focusing on workplace culture, implicit bias, and compensation.
How to combat harassment in the architecture profession
Human resources expert Shirley Davis spoke at A'18 about how architects can foster inclusive workplaces where employees can thrive personally and professionally.
Know your next-gen leaders, inside and out
See how to support the success of architecture and design’s next generation of leaders with these Best Practices from AIA.
The Boyer Report: Sevens principles for action
"Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice"—published in 1996 and commonly called "the Boyer Report"—addressed the importance of architecture in society and called for a renewed focus on architecture’s public benefits. It also discussed the direction of architecture education and outlined seven principles for action. The report argued that incorporating architecture into the fundamentals of liberal arts education would help architects better understand and respond to society’s design-build needs and provide the general public with a basic understanding of the value and principles of architecture.
What to do about employee benefits
Employee benefits are often defined as compensation paid by an employer to an employee over and above regular salary and wages. Employee benefits come in many shapes and sizes and are an integral part of an overall compensation package offered to employees. Employee benefits are essential in keeping current employees happy and have become an important ingredient in attracting new and highly skilled employees to a firm.
Site safety: Managing risks and liability
Risk management is important to all aspects of the architectural profession. We must always be aware of potential risks, especially on a job site. It is important to understand which situations have the potential to result in an architect being faulted, and how to manage a situation before it becomes critical.
Employee onboarding best practices
Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence, empower, and inspire others so that they in turn maximize their efforts. The process of onboarding employees, from their recruitment and orientation through to their achieving peak performance is ultimately the result of leadership. Are you that leader?
Salary Calculator
This AIA salary calculator includes data for full-time architectural staff employees at AIA member firms in the U.S. with three or more architectural staff employees. Data is current as of January 1, 2019. Note that salaries found in this calculator are not adjusted for specific factors that may affect salary like exact location, firm size, firm type, and other factors. These salaries are broad averages and ranges only, and may vary substantially based on your location, years of experience, specific job duties and/or other factors. These salaries are intended as a broad guide only.
AIA Compensation Report
The AIA Compensation Report offers salary data and analysis for a comprehensive variety of architecture firm positions. It’s the industry’s most comprehensive report on salary and compensation trends and the only one used by the Department of Labor. Get data for 44 firm positions in 28 states, 28 metro areas, and 16 cities.
Making space for the LGBTQIA+ community
A young architect describes how a collaborative design competition is pushing forward an LGBTQIA+ Community Center for Austin. Making space for the LGBTQIA+ community that is equitably created, accessible, and supports community building requires the work of diverse teams committed to participatory design. As architects, we are uniquely situated to advocate that these processes become incorporated into our projects so we may better serve the public. As members of our communities, we have an obligation to our fellow neighbors to design with them and not just for them.
How Does the ACA Impact Your Firm?
The AIA Trust knows that it’s a confusing time for healthcare coverage, they continue to monitor healthcare insurance reform to identify any potential future healthcare coverage options and provide quarterly healthcare updates in The AIA Trust newsletter.
Meeting the #MeToo moment
Architects may have found themselves at a critical juncture to take a leadership position on harassment and inequity, and therefore change the culture of the profession forever.
A global voice for architects: How the UIA helps AIA members
The International Union of Architects represents over one million architects worldwide; what specific benefits does it offer AIA members?
UIA Professional Practice Commission
The UIA is an international non-governmental organization recognized by UNESCO as the only architectural union operating at an international level. Through its triennial Congresses and Forums, its international Design Competitions, its Working Groups and its Commissions, the UIA acts as a platform for knowledge sharing, helping craft innovative and collaborative solutions for architectural advancement, with a particular focus on sustainable development. Over time, UIA has become a world-renowned organization and an incomparable professional network of architects that reaches all continents.
Image credits