This presentation provides professional development insights for design students. It discusses trends in office culture and workplace design, the importance of networking within the industry, and the various roles that make up a project team. It also addresses factors that influence compensation and career advancement, such as licensure, location, experience, and skills. The presentation examines how technology, business practices, and passion can impact one's career in architecture. It provides an overview of the Dallas design industry and resources for students.

1. Design Insight
Professional Development
Workshop

2. ● What is a Professional Development Workshop?
o This presentation has been compiled as part of an academic
workshop to provide professional insight to design students
participating in a building arts program.
o This presentation examines social, economic, and technological
factors associated with career advancement & professional growth.
o All views expressed within the following slides are perspectives of the
author and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of any organization to
which this presentation may have been associated.
o Background images are taken from public sources and used for
academic purposes only.

3. ● Office Trends
● Networking
● Project Team
● Compensation
● Market
● Technology
● Business
● Resources
Contents

4. Office Trends
Culture & Workplace

5. ● Office Trends - Culture
○ Culture is the character and personality of your organization.
○ Food Culture: From Breakfast “Tabletops” to Lunch & Learns to
Happy Hours to Coffee Breaks, food amenities are a major trend that
firms implement in order to enhance employee satisfaction,
engagement, and productivity.
○ Social Culture: Team-building activities such as office competitions,
games, leadership training, lectures, site tours & community service
are vital for physical & relational well-being and for building loyalty.
○ Company mission statements or vision statements will often speak to
an organization’s approach to culture as well as its future goals.

6. ● Office Trends - Workplace
○ Workplace is the environment in which professionals conduct day to day business
operations and includes the associated technologies, collaboration processes &
services necessary to function profitably.
○ Workplace design can tell the story of a firm and can be a means for recruiting and
retaining top talent.
○ Innovative collaboration spaces, health & wellness programs, technology-
integration, social amenities, remote & mobile access, dining & coffee pubs,
wayfinding & art displays, customizable workspaces, research & development labs,
open space, office transparency & privacy, access to outdoor amenities, and
education & training facilities are all examples workplace design enhancement.
○ Currently, Millenials (ages 18-34) now outnumber both Gen X (ages 35-50) and Baby
Boomers (51-69), effectively activating an evolution of the workplace in leadership,
services & expectations.

7. Networking
Industry & Community
Involvement

8. ● Networking - In the Industry
o Networking - to interact with other professionals in order to build
relationships, exchange information and develop career insight.
o Why?
■ To advance one's career & the careers of others
■ To promote your firm & share services
■ To gain insight into other industries
■ To build relationships
o How?
■ Industry Organizations
■ Social Media Networks
■ Community Involvement

9. ● Networking - In the Industry
o Listed below are several examples of Industry Organizations in Dallas.
o These groups are typically non-profits that host education, networking,
fundraising and community outreach events in order to better shape the
community and its inhabitants.
AIA American Institute of Architects
IIDA International Interior Design Association
CORENET Corporate Real Estate
TREC The Real Estate Council
GDPC Greater Dallas Planning Council
CSI Construction Specifications Institute
NOMA National Org. of Minority Architects
TEXO The Construction
Association
IFMA International Facility Mgmt. Association
TxA Texas Society of Architects
DJCC Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce
NTCAR North TX Commercial Assoc. of Realtors
DIHC Dallas Institute of Humanities &
Culture
DDI Downtown Dallas Inc.
PD Preservation Dallas
SMD Social Media Dallas

10. Project Team
Architect, Engineer,
Contractor, Owner, Consultant,
Facility Mgmt, Operator, IT,
Investor, Broker

11. ● Project Team
o Designers - Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, Planning, Branding & Graphics
o Engineers - Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Civil
o Consultants - Acoustics, Waterproofing, Code, Technology, Legal, Other
o Contractor & SubContractors
o City & Community Review Boards
■ City Council, Planning & Zoning, Parks & Recreation, Design Review Board
o AHJ (Authorities Having Jurisdiction)
■ Fire Dept., Corps of Engineers, Code Officials, Inspectors
o Owners - Developers, Institutions, Other Private or Public Entities
o Brokers, Investors & Stakeholders
o Facilities & Management Teams
o Operations & IT Teams

12. Compensation
Expectations & Experience

13. ● Career Advancement & Salary
o Design Talent, Leadership Skills, Management Abilities, Technical Expertise, Project
Experience, Business Development, Professional Licensure and Personal Integrity
are all areas of professional development that affect career advancement and salary.
o Setting goals to excel in each of these areas adds value to both
employee and employer.
o Several factors must be considered in evaluating a compensation package, including
base salary, bonuses, benefits, mentorship, work-life balance, firm size & stability &
specialization, workplace, culture, individual role within a firm, and the current state of
the market.
o Several online sources such as Glassdoor help professionals evaluate employment and
compensation. Recruiters are also a helpful source for job placement.
o An intern or recent graduate may start at $40k to $50k (before taxes) with some type of
benefits package. 5 to 10 years experience may yield a range of $50k to $100k.

14. ● Salary - Licensure
o Licensure
■ Why?
1. Increase your Value to a Firm and to the Industry
2. Salary increase / negotiability
3. Professional Design & Technical Expertise
4. Leadership & Management opportunities
■ How?
1. NCARB – National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB.org)
2. ARE 5.0 (Architectural Registration Exam)
3. AXP – architectural experience hours
4. Define your supervisor
5. Registration can carry over to other states
6. TBAE – texas board of architectural examiners

15. Market
Location & Economy

16. ● Market - Economic Variables in Architecture
o Key Factors Affecting the Industry
■ Geographic Location, City & State Economics, Population Growth, Construction,
Technology, Consumer Diversity, Infrastructure (Roads, Transit, Utilities)
o Median Wage for Architects
■ $76,100 annual / $36.59 hourly (as of May 2015 - bls.gov)
o Best States to be an Architect
■ Texas, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri,
Colorado, Delaware
o Best Cities to be an Architect
■ Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Dallas,
Boston
o Variables that Determine the Best Locations for Architects
■ Concentration & Number of Architects Employed in the Workforce, Living Cost Index,
Annual & Hourly Wage
o Resources for Industry Economics & Statistics
■ U.S. Dept. of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)

17. o Retail & Restaurant
o Residential
o Office
o Entertainment
o Healthcare
o Education
o Church & Worship
o Institutional
o Master Planning
o Industrial - warehouse, manufacturing, distribution
o Environmental Design & Way-Finding
o Sustainable Design
o Mission Critical
o Corporate Interiors
o Civic - Museum, Convention
o Automotive
o Big Box Commercial
o Hospitality - Hotel, Resort
o Parks & Recreation
o Infrastructure - Parking
o Historic Preservation
o Landscape
o Mixed Use
o Government
o Data Center
● Market - Services & Specialties in Architecture

18. Design
Technology

19. ● Design Technology
o Technology is ever-evolving and continues to transform both business & design
operations. It is important to ask how technology impacts the architecture industry.
o Digital insights & initiatives seek to improve the way people interact & do business.
o Innovative technologies for design, construction, and operations continue to enhance
the built environment. Trending technologies include some of the following topics:
Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality
Nanotube Electronics
Autonomous Vehicles
Software-Defined Security
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
3D Printing
Connected Home
Smart Buildings
Building Automation
Micro Data Centers
Cloud Storage & Computing
Gesture Control Devices
Internet of Things
Drones
Brain-Computer Interface
Smart Workspace
4D Printing
Smart Dust
Enterprise Connectivity
Design & Construction Software
Digital Fabrication
Smart Glass
Holograms

20. Business

21. ● Business
● Think Like an Entrepreneur / Think like a CEO / Be a Designer
o In a design degree, the business side of architecture can go undiscovered at a
university level, but basic business knowledge is essential to success in the
profession. Electives in design & business management can be advantageous.
● Understand Commonalities between Designers & Entrepreneurs
o Innovative, Creative, Strategic, Intelligent, Critical Thinking & Analysis
● Demonstrate Professionalism
o Act the part - Attire, Attitude, Admonition, Appreciation
● Gather Industry Insight by:
o researching office trends and design trends, networking & serving with others in the
community, seeking mentors & advisors, evaluating market economics &
compensation statistics, and investigating new design technologies.

22. Passion
Purpose & Value

23. ● Passion - Purpose & Value
o Determine your Passions, your Goals, and your Self Worth.
■ Our self-worth is often weighted on what others tell us about ourselves.
■ Our goals are often grounded on what others say we should become.
■ Our passions are often based on what others suggest our purpose should be.
o Evaluating your professional role, place of residence, office environment, social network, and
career opportunities are essential for success in the industry, but secondary to determining your
ultimate value & purpose.
o People, Places, Technologies, Enterprises, and Design Trends all eventually pass away,
henceforth the greatest career advice may come from the words of wisdom that endure forever:
■ Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Col. 3:23)
■ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourself (Phil. 2:3)
■ But when perfection comes, what is imperfect will pass away (1 Cor. 13:10)

24. Resources
Dallas Design Firms

25. ● Resources
o Listed below for reference are several leading design firms in Dallas.
o These firms are just a handful of the companies that continue to shape the
people, places & possibilities of the Dallas metroplex and beyond.
GFF
5G Studio Collaborative
720 design inc.
A Gruppo
A2 visualization
Archiphy
Architexas
Bernbaum/Magadini
Boka Powell
Brown Reynolds Watford
Buchanan
Callison RTKL
Camden Design Group
Carrell & Yost
HDR
Hensley Lamkin Rachel
Hilda Rodriguez
HKS
HOK
Howard Glazbrook III
HPD
Hughes Building & Design
Jennings Hacklers
JHP
KAI
Malone Maxwell Borson
Marc McCollom
Merriman Anderson
Mitchell Garman
MnKhan
NIMMO
Norman Alston
OFFICIAL
Oglesby-Greene
OMNIPLAN
Page
PBK
Perkins + Will
Plus one
Rittiluechai
RPGA
SBLM
Shanks
smitharc
T. howard + associates
The Beck Group
Three: living architecture
welch
WHR
WRA
Clinton + Company
Corgan
Curtis Group
D2
David Benners
Devenney Group
Domiteaux + Baggett
Edwin B Smith
Epsilon
Fifth Dimension Design
GDA
Gensler
GSR Andrade
GUIDE

26. ● About the Author
o Cole Henson currently works as a designer and project architect at GFF Architects in Dallas
and specializes in Mixed-Use projects including Lifestyle Centers, Retail & Restaurant, Multi-
family Residential, Office Buildings, High Rise, Music & Entertainment, Corporate Campuses,
Automotive, and Riverfront Development
o Cole continues to remain involved at The Savannah College of Art and Design as a guest
lecturer, career & thesis advisor, portfolio analyst, and recruiter.
o cole.henson@gff.com