Table Of ContentOUT OF ARCHITECTURE
Out of Architecture is both a call to reassess the architecture profession and its
education, and a toolkit for graduates and working architects to untangle their
skills, passions, and value from traditional architectural practice and consider
alternate pathways.
Written by design professionals and expert career consultants, this book
is informed by numerous client accounts as well as the authors’ own stories
and routes out of architecture. The initial chapters follow the narrative
of a typical architecture training in the US, highlighting the many highs
and lows, skills honed, and ultimately the huge disconnect that can occur
between architectural education and practice. Subsequent chapters explore
a disillusionment with the profession, unhealthy work cultures, mentorship,
working with lead architects, toxic perfectionism, and the notion of a “calling.”
Authors then present the hopeful accounts of many architects who escaped
a profession known for its grueling working conditions to find fulfilling,
well-paying, creative jobs that better utilize the skills of architecture than the
architectural profession itself. Written in a unique combination of storytelling
and analysis, this patchwork of client and author stories makes for an
immersive, provocative, and enjoyable read.
A wide range of architecture students, graduates, educators, and
professionals will recognize themselves within the pages of this book and find
prompts to reassess their working practices, teaching styles, and the profession
itself. It will be of particular value to those students skeptical of joining the
architecture workforce, as well as those further along and considering a career
change.
Erin Pellegrino and Jake Rudin co-founded Out of Architecture in 2018.
Out of Architecture is a career consulting firm helping architects and designers
find challenging and creatively fulfilling roles beyond the bounds of traditional
architectural practice.
“Out of Architecture does not simply problematize architecture as a
profession that devours its young through overwork and underpay
because of their passion for design. Drawing on their experiences as
students, working designers, and career consultants, the authors give
practical advice, moral support, and proven alternatives to conventional
practice. They show how to rebalance life and work by reimagining
and repurposing design values and skills already learned. Amidst the
Great Resignation and stirrings of collective action among architectural
workers, Out of Architecture could not be more timely or necessary.”
– Mary N. Woods, Professor Emerita, History of
Architecture, Cornell University
“Yes, the authors of this book are career consultants; yes, they have
MBAs; yes, this book is an extension of their consulting practice. But do
not be deceived. The practicality of their advice is more than matched
by the humanity they bring to their narrative and the love they show for
architectural sensibilities. Any architectural graduate who is honored to
be part of a club – yes, an aesthetic bootcamp, but one that nevertheless
yields the best of friends and the most amazing insights – but is dismayed
by the tasks they will or do perform in the profession, has to read this
book.”
– Peggy Deamer, Professor Emerita,
Architecture, Yale University
“As a creator who has shifted my practice and career profoundly over
the last few years, I found Out of Architecture to be a critical book for any
concerned professional in the world of architecture. As our world is
changing, disciplines are evolving, and architecture as a practice needs
to adapt. This is a precious book for anyone looking to understand the
motivations behind the changing tide of the profession.”
– Dror Benshetrit, Founder of Supernature Labs
OUT OF ARCHITECTURE
THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTS BEYOND TRADITIONAL PRACTICE
Jake Rudin and Erin Pellegrino
Cover design by Noura Alhariri and Out of Architecture
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Jake Rudin and Erin Pellegrino
The right of Jake Rudin and Erin Pellegrino to be identified as authors of
this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-29296-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-29294-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-30092-2 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003300922
Typeset in Garamond
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
Out of Architecture did not start as a business; it began well before that as a
group of individuals seeking to make change and find their way through their
early years in a love affair with architecture. Of that original group, none has
been more impactful in the creation of this book than Rachel Bacus.
Rachel’s journey from school into the working world through firms of many
scales and sizes was one of the key resources as we developed the idea for
Out of Architecture. As an architectural designer, Rachel worked on projects
from embassies to airports and all stages of the architectural process. During
her time at university, core to her thesis, she held a strong fascination for all
things sensory – studying the ways in which the built environment can create
unique phenomenological experiences. After six years of working in traditional
firms, she realized her passion for sensory design on a new adventure out of
architecture and established Bacus Vineyards.
Throughout the years, Rachel has been a constant supporter, collaborator,
friend, and spouse. She has lent her stories to a number of sections in the
following pages and this book would not have been possible without her.
Thank you, Rachel.
CONTENTS
About the Authors ix
Acknowledgements xi
Client Endorsements xii
Introduction 1
Part One
THE DISCONNECT 11
1 Love at First Sight 13
2 An Education 26
3 The Disconnect 39
4 When the Dream Becomes a Nightmare 51
Part Two
WHY IS IT LIKE THIS? 67
5 Welcome to the Family 69
6 Perfect Gentlemen 81
7 The Insecure Overachiever 94
8 Imploding Teams 107
9 The False Dichotomy of Pay and Passion 119
Part Three
YOUR CAREER IS A DESIGN PROBLEM 133
10 The Newbie 135
11 The Techie 148
12 The Fashionistx 160
13 The Questioner 172
14 The Associate Principal 184
Conclusion 197
Index 205
viii Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Erin Pellegrino and Jake Rudin co-founded Out of Architecture in 2018. Out of
Architecture is a career consulting firm helping architects and designers find chal-
lenging and creatively fulfilling roles beyond the bounds of traditional architectural
practice.
ERIN PELLEGRINO
In addition to her work as co-founder of Out of Architecture, Erin
Pellegrino is the founder and principal of Matter, a design/build studio
that explores design problems through graphic design, furniture, and small-
scale architectural work. Matter has completed award-winning projects in
architecture, product and brand design, and has been recognized globally.
She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, a Master of
Architecture II from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and an MBA
from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.
Erin has been recognized with an Autodesk BuildSpace Fellowship, First
Prize in the 2021 Rethinking the Future Design Awards, an AIA New
England Design Honor Award, a Core77 Design Award in Built Environment,
two Architizer A+ Awards, a Paul M. Heffernan International Fellowship,
and a nomination for the EU Mies Van der Rohe Award. Her work on Alpine
Shelter Skuta was featured on the cover of Phaidon Press’s publication
Environmental Living. Early in her career, she trained in the offices of Tod
Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Studio Gang.
Erin is also a Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University and leads design/
build studio and fabrication courses at New Jersey Institute of Technology. In
2018, NCARB named Erin their inaugural Scholar of Professional Practice,
recognizing her commitment to incorporating issues of ethics and equity
into architectural training. Cornell then recruited her to redesign and teach
the department’s Professional Practice course, where she merges the course’s
traditional curriculum with a consideration of issues like fair pay, self-efficacy,
and gender and racial disparities in the profession.
