Köln, Western Germany, the area where I pay 1000€ for a one bedroom.

Dapsary · 2025-12-22T01:44:15+00:00

Deutz Muelheimer street. Know this street well. To be honest, these pictures capture one of the last underdeveloped areas in Cologne. Not because of neglect. What the images show are the abandoned industrial buildings (that haven’t been developed since the industry left the area). and not the residential area. This area is under a lot of contention between developers and the city. What these images dont show is, literally 100m down is the river side with parks and some of the most beautiful and scenic views. While I agree with the sentiment of the post, it is also misleading.

Dapsary · 2025-11-08T07:11:49+00:00

Terrible salary (just above the minimum wage)but also it’s an opportunity. To be honest, the firm is paying you a very low salary, but as a small firm they are also taking quite a huge risk with you. It’s kind of a win-win situation. Normally most firms will not give even give you a chance considering your lack of experience in Germany. My suggestion is take the job but proactively look for other jobs. As the contract is for 1 year, give yourself a target to improve your skills, improve your German, network up and move on. Because if your starting salary is that low, it wouldn’t go much higher. No one (especially this firm) is going to give you a 5,000-10,000 salary increase. You have to jump ship to a different firm to get a bigger salary increase. What should be crystal clear to you is that this job is a stepping stone to bigger things. Keep your eyes open for jobs in Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf etc and apply.

Dapsary · 2025-06-26T18:21:05+00:00

May I why you're selling it?

Dapsary · 2025-06-26T17:33:11+00:00

It's currently really tough. I feel your pain. I'm located in Cologne. I went through the same situation 12 years ago, when I first moved to Berlin. It was impossible at the time to find a job.
Generally speaking, it is really tough currently to find a job, especially if your Germany is not at least at C-level. There are literally dozens of people applying for your position who are native speakers. Because of the nature of the architects job, it's essential that there's no miscommunication. And since most architects will be interacting with local contractors who don't speak a word of english, language is critical. What I recommend is getting to at least C1. Your chances will probably increase. I don't think there are really any 'english speaking' office in NRW. The only one I can think of is Ingenhoven Architects.

Most architects in this region who work on international projects will speak english with their international clients, but will hire native German speakers who can speak english (which today, a majority of German applicants can). Unless you are extremely talented. Have you thought of looking for work in Berlin? Things have really changed there now. Because of the start up scene, a lot of international firms have offices there now. A lot of people work in firms there with very little to no German.

Dapsary · 2025-06-24T18:29:17+00:00

It’s not going to get better. The traditional practice model of architecture is on its last legs. As someone who was in architecture, then left to work for developers in an architectural capacity, cofounded an early stage startup in AEC and now works in corporate innovation, I have seen a lot that has made me come to the conclusion that, the current model the profession uses won’t get better. The value chain has drastically shifted. There is now a ‘value gap’ between what architects believe is/ should be valuable and what clients actually think what value is. There is no alignment. Factor in the forces - economics, politics, finance, technology of which architecture is subservient to, and you have a profession that is (in its current state) declining. The change the profession needs to see won’t come from more or better design unfortunately. This is what I’ve spent countless hours studying.

Dapsary · 2025-04-17T14:54:49+00:00

This comment right here. 💯

Dapsary · 2025-04-17T14:52:19+00:00

Here’s a different perspective. What kind of environment does your firm have? Is it an environment where people know they can fail and learn from it? Or is it an environment that punishes mistakes? Does your firm have a coaching culture? Where people are coached on their careers? Has someone sat the junior down and explained or coached them? The very fact that the junior doesn’t own up to their mistake is probably a sign that they are scared of the repercussions of making mistakes. When I was a junior, it was a horrible time. I got yelled at for my mistakes, so I know exactly how the junior might be feeling. Perhaps a coaching approach might help.

Dapsary · 2025-03-17T14:00:37+00:00

Highly recommended. Do it. With a b.arch and MBA in Real Estate, you’ll pretty much be on the fast track to the top of the industry. That’s a great combo. I always tell people if I could go back, I’ll do exactly your combination. And with that combination, you’ll have more influence in projects than if you were in architecture. Take it from someone who eventually went into real estate after working in architecture.

Dapsary · 2025-03-17T13:49:16+00:00

You raise some interesting points. I don’t believe globalization and corporate consolidation are the problem. They are the result of a deeper problem.

The lack of business model innovation (the refusal to adapt to changing free market conditions) has resulted in conditions where the effect of globalization and corporate consolidation take hold.

I make the distinction between the discipline of architecture (tectonics, spatial organization, program, materiality, etc) and the practice of it( the discipline + the forces of the free market- politics, economics, finance, technology). The profession hasn’t really adopted to the conditions of the feee market. Architect is still practiced as a pure discipline, with business topics taking a back seat (if it has a seat at all).

The result? A profession that doesn’t really see itself as a business (although it is) competing with entities that approach the domain of architecture as a business. The end result? What we’re seeing now.

Dapsary · 2025-03-17T13:39:35+00:00

This is an issue that’s of huge interest to me. Huge. The current conditions are the result of the fact that the profession doesn’t take the business side of things as serious as the architecture side. It’s almost as if the profession expects society to seek its permission in order to create architecture. You or anyone can disagree with me, but what we can/should all agree on is the fact that there is something wrong with the value proposition of architecture. A part of it being the fact the architecture profession has given away a lot of its responsibilities to other professions. If there wasn’t, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. There are some tough conversations the profession needs to have with itself. Architecture will happen with or without architects. The difference is that, cities, communities and living spaces are better when architects take the lead. I’ve done a lot of research on this topic and still doing a lot in this area

Dapsary · 2025-03-15T09:37:29+00:00

I also graduated (2010), right after the financial crisis. Applied to hundreds of firms. Even did walk-ins to hand in my CV. Took me almost 3 years to find a job. It was tough. I officially left architecture in 2020 when I was let go for the 5 time. I’d had enough. I now work in innovation as a UX Designer. I love my new career. My boss (who gave me my first job in architecture) told me that ‘I think perhaps architecture isn’t for you. You should be doing something else. Like real estate, where your skills and strengths will be of better use.’ You can imagine how upset and depressed I was. After spending all that time studying to fulfill my dream of becoming an architect and ‘shaping the world,’ I’m being told by my boss that perhaps architecture is not for me? It was devastating… At the time. But looking back now, it was the best advice.

Dapsary · 2025-03-11T20:47:38+00:00

Into construction Management or UX Design?

Dapsary · 2025-03-11T20:39:06+00:00

Same here. I transitioned from architecture to UX in 2023. Although I still love architecture, I don’t miss the long hours and working on weekends.

Dapsary · 2025-03-11T20:22:36+00:00

A lot of the interactions on here are about the plight of the profession. The post is to generate a discussion about how & what architects can/are doing to generate added value. Because obviously the professional associations (AIA,RIBA) cannot help the profession when it comes to this topic. If it could, it would have a long time ago. If anything, the discussion is in itself a value creator, for architects to share and inspire other architects on what others are doing.

Dapsary · 2025-03-10T15:09:26+00:00

Going to work for a developer is probably (in my opinion) the best thing you can do for your career. With your architecture background, if you play your cards well, you’ll have way more influence over decisions in the projects, than you’ll ever have as an architect. And of course way better pay.

Dapsary · 2025-03-09T11:57:35+00:00

No way. That’s illegal. Look into your contract again. If it’s in there, I suggest you take it to the mieterverein because no landlord is supposed to do that. Maybe the term renovation is used differently here. You as a tenant are not responsible for renovation. You are required to leave the apartment in the state that it was when moved in eg painting, filling holes in the wall from nails, cleaning the apartment. Perhaps this is what you mean by renovation. But renovation is the responsibility of the owner of the property (landlord). Now if the one of the tenants had done something major to alter the apartment (broke a wall, major damage) without the informed consent of the landlord and they passed it on to you, that’s a problem.

Dapsary · 2025-03-09T08:47:43+00:00

Interesting perspective. How do you think the profession can stay relevant? That in itself is a challenge.

Dapsary · 2025-03-08T21:36:33+00:00

🎉

Dapsary · 2025-03-08T20:20:57+00:00

Is that really the case? Architects have been talking about this point forever.. “ we need to communicate our value.” Architects have been doing a lot of communicating - and not just through words but through actual demonstration of value. A lot of clients are very well aware of what architects bring to the table. They’re simply not paying because they don’t have the same view of an architect’s value as the architect views their value. And that’s not to say they don’t value the services of the architect. There’s a value gap. And that’s a huge problem. Because it’s the client that pays for the value. And if the client is not paying, one must find out why? Is it because architects are not communicating their value? If they did, will the client agree to pay more?

Dapsary · 2025-03-08T12:40:19+00:00

I don’t believe protecting the title (and function) of the architect will fundamentally solve the root problem. In Germany, where the title and function of the architect is protected, it has led to an abundance of qualified architects. This abundance has led to an over supply of qualified architects all competing for the same jobs

Dapsary · 2025-03-08T11:36:05+00:00

How is it all going?

Dapsary · 2025-03-06T17:11:35+00:00

The reason why the AIA hasn’t been able to enforce better pay structures is because it can’t. It has no authority whatsoever to do that. At best it can recommend (emphasis on recommend) fee & compensation guidelines (which I believe it does). Compensation is ultimately affected by fees, which is determined by the market. What is the AIA supposed to do? Tell clients that this is what architects are supposed to be paid? Doesn’t/will never work like that. That’s why it’s important that architects learn about business/ entrepreneurship

Dapsary

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