Building Community: Writing the next chapter of the architecture profession.

We like to think that Signal Works attracts people who share our people-first philosophy, and that’s certainly the case for Project Manager and Architect Bryan Buckley. Bryan serves as the director at large for the local American Institute of Architects (AIAri) chapter and recently volunteered to be Rhode Island’s representative for the Young Architect’s Forum (YAF). The YAF is an AIA program that’s designed to address issues important to architects in the first decade of their career, and Bryan says everything YAF does is built on a platform of putting everyone on equal footing. “The group is about helping emerging professionals and young architects gain exposure and make changes to the industry overall. It’s about inclusivity, advocacy and diversity, and finding fundamental ways to change the profession for the better,” he says.

As RI’s YAF rep, Bryan recently headed to South Carolina for their annual meeting, which was a new experience for him. His reaction? “I was blown away,” he says. “It exceeded my expectations in every regard.” Bryan was most impressed not only by the meeting’s diversity, but by the young ages of the attendees. “I got licensed late [in life],” Bryan says, “and to see people in their early 20s with the passion to be instruments of change was very powerful to witness.”   

Over the two-day meeting, Bryan was excited to meet industry leaders from across the country. “Being able to communicate with the whole group and then meet in focus groups gave us a fundamental understanding of where each other was coming from,” he says. Bryan was part of the communications focus group, which releases a quarterly publication called Connections. Not only will be he acting as senior editor and fulfilling a lifelong dream to be a published author, he’s using the platform to share his knowledge with others. “My article is about how people can advance their careers in an architectural firm. It also touches on the great resignation, which was more like the great layoff in our industry, and discusses how people handled that moment in time.”

In true people-first fashion, Bryan is applying what he learned during the annual meeting to helping others. “I learned how to better understand my younger colleagues so I can more effectively empower them to grow in their careers,” he says. But it isn’t just Signal Works’ staff members who benefit from Bryan’s knowledge. “It helps me guide clients as well,” he says. “By better understanding people new in their architecture careers, I have my finger on the pulse of industry trends and the needs of the next generation. And I can share that with clients when we talk about design work.”

Working with people who share values is part of what makes Signal Works an outstanding place to be. And we want to hear from you! What makes your company outstanding? How do you share your industry knowledge with the next generation, and how do you learn from them? Send us an email at hello@signalworksarchitecture.com to tell us about it!