Pros
A very educational place to learn how a design firm can successfully package “human-centric design” to the outside world, while internally giving young graduates a full masterclass in endurance, survival, and the slow extraction of passion.
Cons
A beautifully curated sweatshop experience where fresh graduates are welcomed with big design ideals, then slowly squeezed for every remaining drop of passion, energy, and belief in architecture. Career growth appears to depend less on genuine effort, learning attitude, or capability, and more on whether you are filtered into the right side of the internal favouritism pyramid. Once a director forms an opinion of you, the office culture seems to follow accordingly. Those who are favoured may receive better opportunities, visibility, and support, while those who genuinely want to learn but are not in the preferred circle can be quietly sidelined. Work-life balance is largely theoretical. The expectation is simple: work, work more, sacrifice, repeat, and somehow remain grateful for the opportunity. The firm publicly champions innovative and human-centred design, but internally it often feels like the same design language is being recycled while everyone is expected to treat it as groundbreaking every time. The office culture also feels stuck in an older era, where long hours, loyalty, and sacrifice are expected, but pay raises, bonuses, recognition, or meaningful appreciation are not. Hard work does not necessarily translate into growth; it often just leads to another cycle of the same demands.