Forty years ago, our client was regarded as an inventive and unconventional architect whose experimental use of materials and forms brought both national and increasing international attention. The small studio was unconventional, too — more like an atelier than a professional services firm. 

After meeting with a business consultant, the client decided to hire a senior architect to build and manage the practice. Within weeks, we introduced an experienced design leader who was hired to focus on the management of the firm, from clients through project delivery. Working closely with the new studio leader, we worked together to craft a new talent strategy and framework for the practice, adding experienced design and design development architects, as well as aligning existing talent with new roles and ways of working. 

The next step was to recruit a new Director of Technical Services who not only had experience with delivery and construction of world-class projects, but also had inventive ideas for practice — exploring new technologies that could be applied on cutting-edge architectural design. He continued to build the practice, as we identified and acquired more experienced technical architects and project leaders. By the end of the decade, the atelier was now a 100-person design firm, capable of designing and delivering complex institutional projects. Our client was receiving international acclaim, including the Pritzker Prize.

Our client’s firm had always had a magnetic attraction for talented people, and that continued. There was now a cohort of key people who could take on specific leadership roles. We had recruited several senior technical architects who had proven to be accomplished client-facing partners in the firm, and one person had evolved from a designer in the model shop to a senior managing partner role. It was time to recruit a design operations manager who could work with all of the partners, business leaders, and project leaders to manage the practice. 

We worked with the partners to define the operations role and successfully recruited an accomplished senior architect who had experience managing another signature architectural studio with an international portfolio. That person works directly with the founder and partners to ensure that everything runs smoothly, including projects in global locations. And of course, we continue to work with him, helping to identify key leaders for projects within the U.S., as well as international locations.

It continues to be a great honor to work with such remarkable people, and to support them in building an exceptional firm.

“As a firm, we are fascinated by digital technology. We have always led the industry to explore as much data as we can relating to the technical complexity of architecture.”
— Scott Kelsey, Managing Principal, CO Architects

Following the departure of their digital technology lead, CO reached out to us to identify candidates for a Director of Digital Design + Technology (D3T). CO was a new client, although we had a longstanding relationship with the Managing Principal.

We recognized that CO was defining the next generation of design practice. Their evolving digital platform blurred the line between design and technology and pushed the boundaries of design excellence — enabling novel design solutions that enhanced their work and expanded their sphere of influence within the industry.

CO was seeking a leader who would drive digital exploration and continuity throughout their practice ecosystem. The D3T role was an opportunity to engage in a significant role within a technology-forward practice focused on design and technical excellence. 

The position required a resourceful visionary, ready to roll up their sleeves to get things done as well as lead the way — using both vision and individual/team contributions to solve diverse, complex challenges for the practice and their clients.

We had met an exceptional candidate the previous year, and we reached out to him. He is an architect who had worked with Zaha Hadid (London) and Sasaki Structural Engineering (Tokyo), and had recently completed an MS from MIT.

The candidate joined CO in 2021 and is driving strategic research development and implementation of digital design technology.

In 2022, our client was selected for a major museum project in NYC, requiring a new on-site studio. We were identified as consultants, and we assisted the founder with development of the studio leadership, as well as operational guidelines. 

The founder intended to bring three architects from their existing location, but wanted to bring in experienced architects who were licensed in New York and understood the process of design and delivery for such a prestigious project.

We interviewed the three architects who would relocate to NYC and then proceeded to reach out to our network in NYC to identify additional possibilities. We identified a slate of candidates who had worked with premier firms on museum projects in NYC and would create a good balance with the existing architects.

We then created an “organigram” that referenced the organizational information that our client submitted in the original proposal, and also created a framework of roles and responsibilities that would be necessary for the NYC museum projects, as well as additional projects as they developed. We aligned the organigram with the framework that our client had in their existing location.

This allowed our client to select the candidates to interview, and subsequently hired them for practice and project leadership roles. In addition, we helped the founder connect with business advisors, including legal representation to negotiate the final contract with the client and peer advisors who were able to provide guidance regarding project services and workflow.

Our client is a celebrated architect with an international reputation, who in the early 1990s had offices in the Northeast, with several partners and approximately 75 employees. Our initial engagement was a search for a Managing Principal. The person in that role was needed for a major international project, and there was an opportunity to bring in an individual with a stronger business background.

We identified a slate of candidates, among them an architect — a second-generation architect who had received an MBA before pursuing an MArch. At that time, he was working with a publicly traded A/E firm, evaluating candidate firms for M&A. Although our client and the candidate reached an agreement for him to join the firm, it allowed the candidate to complete a major deal, which would take several months. One year later, the new Managing Principal joined the firm and became our primary client.

During the next few years, there were a number of inflection points, including a major recession, and the Managing Principal transitioned to academia, while continuing as a business advisor to the founder. One of the other partners took on responsibility for management of the firm.

A few years later, that partner died unexpectedly, and we were once more asked to identify candidates for the Managing Principal role. We were fortunate to recruit a wonderful former Management Partner from SOM NYC, who continued to lead our client’s firm for 18 years, developing their first ownership transition program and mentoring his successor, whom we continue to support.

Over a span of 35 years, we’ve partnered with the firm on recruiting for roles spanning marketing, archivists, design, and technical leadership, while continuing to advise on talent and organizational strategy.