"Family-oriented, very humane firm. Don’t look for any excitement, passion, or emotional involvement. The design process is not mature, thoughtful, or inspired. You won't be taking your work home with you and you won't be overwhelmed. Look for enrichment outside the office. You don't have to kiss ass, but it sure does help. Leave the designing to the old farts; just cad-it-up. Good benefits/pay and friendly work environment. Roles are clearly defined and will not change."

"I’ve heard that this is similar in other firms - but out of about sixty employees - there are two designers. Everyone else spends their days with hand on mouse, just clicking. Most of the designs tend to be a bit manufactured - a product of a formula worked out about 20 years ago, and as a result, every project looks the same as the previous. While the office atmosphere is relaxed, attitudes can often be somewhat unprofessional, and juvenile. For anyone actually interested in taking part in the design process, this firm will not be a match."

"The organizational tree of ARC can basically be broken down into three categories. The Designers, the Paper Pushers, and the CAD People. There are essentially two Designers at this firm - the 'modern' guy and the post-modern guy. A project comes into the office and it is immediately branded 'modern' or 'post-modern' and then assigned to the appropriate Designer. The next tier down is the Paper Pushers who do nothing but log RFIs, attend job meetings, and review submittals. Their lives are CA. Below the paper pushers are the CAD People, who draw and draw and draw. I don't believe that promotions really exist. People are given 'titles' that move them from a CAD Person to a Paper Pusher and enable them to enter the world of doing CA for the rest of their careers. No one really moves above Paper Pusher - you will get grander titles, but you will never stop doing CA. You will never become a designer. This firm will not see any new designers until the two current designers retire. ARC is essentially a Construction Administrator factory. You passed the ARE? Great! You are rewarded with the monotony of years upon years of CA."

"The best way to 'get ahead' or at least make your time at the firm pleasant is to become the 'pet' of one of the principals. Do that and you will be given the most cushy CAD assignments and may even be thrown a token 'design project' [most likely an elevator lobby or floor pattern]."

"This firm is seriously lacking in the Design Department and delegation of work but it is very generous with benefits and pay. The office environment at times helps you forget the monotony of your endless hours of CAD [for at least a few minutes]. The staff for the most part is friendly and social but at times the 'scene' becomes ridiculously clique-ish and resembles a high school more than an architecture office. I wouldn't quite characterize the environment as 'studio like' but I wouldn't call it corporate either. There are many extra-curricular activities and sponsored events and the pay and benefits are very generous."

"A great work environment."

"I have worked at a few different firms, and this one I would return to if I moved back to the area. I was given the opportunity to work on a project from schematics through construction. My opinion was listened to and carried almost the same weight as my superiors. At no time did I ever feel pigeon-holed, my tasks stretched from model building to design to CA - it was an extremely gratifying experience. As with most firms, you get as positive experience out of the firm as you put in yourself. The atmosphere was extremely friendly and not nearly as competitive as I have seen elsewhere."

"The look for down to earth people who know what they are doing. They office is very relaxed and people enjoy spending time with each other outside of the office. The ideal candidate for ARC would be looking for a fun employer, who rewards those who work hard."

"Design is reserved for 3 individuals who've been with the firm for at least 20 years. Everyone else does what it takes to get the building built. Design quality is low--the goal is to fade into the background. Most employees work the 9-6 shift."

"ARC likes to build. They like to build locally, within the Boston area, and beyond, and therefore most of the jobs we go after have a realistic budget, a reasonable timeline, and good potential for follow-through. I think the firm tends to take general pride in the number of completed projects, but when forced to speak to individual projects, most of the employees have little to say."

"The majority of the firms work is focused on biotechnology labs and private school and university work. A number of interns find themselves headed down a path of perpetual lab planning. This is unfortunate because the people doing this are not exposed to any real design or architecture and become nothing more than space planners. Their time is spent shifting various pieces of high tech equipment around to fit into spaces - not actually designing the spaces themselves. The only real 'design' of a biotech project occurs on the exterior elevations and maybe a lobby - which of course is done solely by one of the two firm Designers. For educational projects the process is quite similar. Interns [CAD People] are left to fit program into a 'plan shape' designated by The Designer. Much of the design focus is put on the exterior elevations which more often than not follow the same tired formula of the post-modernist follies."

"The firm tries to give clients the best design available on their budget."

"A wide variety of jobs centered on research labs. Many fun projects (boat houses) come through the office as well."

"Interns are on a slow path to becoming exactly what the firm needs: construction administrators. Affirmative action clearly being used to create women CAs."

"NO, not in the least. As I mentioned before, within a sixty person firm, there a two designers. Two! Unless, your ideal career path is drawing other people's sketches and researching their studies without ever caring to have your opinion heard, or more importantly valued, then there is no opportunity for positive and fulfilling development."

"This firm does not necessarily take an active role in developing its future leaders but instead takes an active role in developing its future Construction Administrators. There are no real challenges, no design problems to solve, just get your redlines done or your RFIs logged and try to make it until 6 o'clock."

"It seems that the people that are happy at the firm and plan to spend their careers there must value the office culture more than the quality of work. Some people are perfectly content with doing CA for the rest of their lives and if that's your goal then this is the place for you."

"They have an active IDP program. I joined the firm while in school still, in an admin only role. ARC gave me every chance to prove myself. I moved from admin, to model making, to project teams in about two 1/2 years, all while still in school."

"Positive attitude abounds. Most are competent and are generous with their time."

"The people at this firm are for the most part easy going, social and competent people."

"Everyone I worked with encouraged creative design solutions and wanted to share and teach. Thus, with all the different backgrounds, there was a wealth of information to learn. Outside of the office there was much interaction and involvement in the community."

"They never limited my growth. Every door was open, once you prove you know what you are doing. They are a fun group of people to work for."

"Mind-numbing environment occasionally punctuated with good humor."

"The day begins at 9am - you must be at your desk by 9am or you will get strange looks. Lunch is from 12 to 1. Leave the office before noon or get back after 1 and again you will get looks. The overall vibe is a quiet office punctuated by periods of extreme silliness. A workday is often a rollercoaster ride of insane boredom and tedious space planning interrupted by a brief period of levity which, for a second, makes you think that you actually like your job."

"I usually had fun at this office. There was always something interesting going on somewhere."

"Great place to work. The office is open and fun. Everyone gets along. They reward people who work hard for them. Many types of projects in the office. BIG believes in family. Office softball games, happy hours, trips, holiday party. The have a good IDP program and a LEEDS program. Clients are top notch (Harvard, Princton, GE, ect.)"

"Hierarchy reigns supreme. Very humane leadership. Mid-management is sloth-like or suffering."

"The management of the firm is made up of the original founding partners who are now somewhat disconnected [from] any of the design and are focused mainly on winning jobs and making financial decisions."