FXCollaborative, New York: Collaborative, Collegial, Passionate.

    Founded in 1978, FXCollaborative leverages broad expertise in architecture, interiors, and planning to enrich our world with responsible, intelligent, and beautiful design. The firm’s holistic approach integrates client aspirations, an urban sensibility and a celebration of the craft of building. The firm’s work ranges from the scale of an individual building – office towers, multi-family residences, cultural facilities, K-12 and higher education institutions – to the city as a whole, addressing both infrastructure and transportation. 

    The collaborative nature of how they work is the most distinguishing feature of the practice. “We are committed to collaboration within the office,” explains Managing Partner Guy Geier, who is responsible for the strategic direction of the firm and its operations. “We see design as a collaborative exercise with the client but also the engineers and consultants that are part of the team. We value everyone’s input at the table.” 

    Located on the top floor of a building in the Flatiron District, the open space studio is blessed with an abundance of natural light thanks to skylights, big windows and high ceilings. Being the kind of collegial organisation that they are, it’s a democratic space where everybody can see each other. 

    In the central part of the floor, taller partitions enclose a library and a resource space. A dedicated gallery space that showcases new artists on a quarterly basis has been an important part of the firm’s culture since its conception. 

    Connectivity is the heartbeat of the practice, which makes a deliberate attempt to break through technology isolation. Relationship-focused activities include a ‘sketch crawl’ where folks choose a neighbourhood and take a couple of hours sketching buildings and environments. 

    What the firm does around issues of concern and equity is particularly notable. ‘Women of FXCollaborative’ presents evenings of candid conversation between women leaders in the A /E/C industry while there is also an active LGBTQ group. “Our commitment to social goals and making the world a better place is a big part of why people come here,” says Geier.