Pros
I came to AE7 Pittsburgh after having worked at a large corporate firm based out of Chicago with multiple domestic and international offices. As a “young architect” while working at my previous employer I was never given the opportunity to take on more responsibilities--day to day work was prescriptive and involved very little cognitive engagement (i.e. “put this sketch into Sketchup, Rhino, Revit, etc.” or “build a model of this…”). At AE7 Pittsburgh, I was given the opportunity to leverage my skills and education, and to work on tasks that I found to be interesting as well as educational. The studio culture at AE7 is extremely warm and welcoming and I love working alongside my coworkers. My former employer was one which practiced a top-down approach to design, at AE7 there is very little top-down direction and more so lateral direction from your peers or a senior specialists. If you have the drive and are hungry for new experiences or stretching your comfort zone then then you will be rewarded by this firm. I find the workplace environment of AE7 Pittsburgh to be very pleasant because it allows me to advance my career without getting pigeonholed into a set repertoire of tasks. One day I might be working on a couple of massing schemes for one project and the next I may be working on wall details and sections or an RFP.
Cons
Due to the nature of the office’s environment, I have found that self-directed individuals (who are capable of being team players) thrive in this office. Individuals that lack that drive or those who do not know how to function on a collaborative team don’t seem to fair too well here.