Natasha Gill on becoming a Senior Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects

I pursued my undergraduate architecture degree in Bangalore. The design faculty in my college was flexible and open to ideas, which helped me nurture my creativity.

They let me experiment with ideas and I was allowed to do what I wanted. However, I do believe that architecture didn’t need to be a five-year course! Everything I learnt into college could have easily been condensed into a three year program.

After graduating,I worked at inFORM Architects in Bangalore. Again, I had a great experience and learnt a lot while working there. I had a great boss and was encouraged to experiment with my designs

After working there for over a year, I got accepted in a Master’s program at the Architectural Association in London.

I worked at Populous, London after completing my master’s degree. The biggest difference I found was that the work environment was very well-structured. I wasn’t used to people leaving the office at 6 pm everyday! There was a very healthy work-life balance at Populous, which is absent in most architecture offices.

ZHA on the other hand is a more intensive design studio. When I joined at a junior position, I used to work for long hours everyday because I felt like I had a lot to learn. Now that I a senior designer, I have begun to streamline my work hours.

I think the most usual and effective way to get hired at ZHA is to pursue your Master’s in Architecture from AA. Since Patrick Schumaker teaches a class at AA, he often directly hires students to work at the firm. If you want to specifically work at Zaha, you can choose to enroll into the course taught by him. If you put your best into your assignments, you could be offered a job right out of college.

Along with my Master’s degree and my portfolio, the work I did in an internship at SPARK Architects in Singapore also helped me in my application.

[Read about an alternate ideology to design: Why is Chris Precht One of the Most Popular Young Architects Today?]

[Read: 10 Respected Parametric Design Firms in India to Look Out For ]

I understand that studying at AA is not an option for everybody because it can be a little expensive. I would advise against taking a loan to pay for your education at AA because your salary in the initial years after graduating won’t be very high, and it might take a while before you prosper financially.

The best way to get hired in Zaha is to network with people who work there or have previously worked there. This will give you a chance to gain visibility for your portfolio, which is arguably the most difficult task of the process! You can look for people you know from your college/ professional network who are working at the firm and ask them to take a look at your portfolio.

Also, there are many architects who have opened their own studios around the world after working at ZHA, who follow the same design philosophies and have incredible work. If you are interested in designing organic and innovative forms, you can start by working with them. This will help you build a portfolio, learn and even network. Summer school and other workshops at AA also help you stand out in your application.

[Read: Choose the right thesis topic to enhance your portfolio and application! 7 tips on Choosing the Perfect Architecture Thesis Topic For You ]

Like I said, since we get hundreds of applicants everyday, it becomes difficult to get the recruiting team to even look at your application. However, if there’s a requirement and they are looking at your application, the one of best ways to stand out is to have striking 3D visuals. The projects in your portfolio should reflect the design philosophies of the firm- they should look like something the studio would design, as they are always on the lookout for creativity. Knowledge of sophisticated 3D softwares such as Rhino and Maya is also a plus.

Currently, we are also expanding our BIM team. Applicants who are proficient with Revit are being preferred over the others, even for remote jobs.

(While ZHA is hiring for remote roles, they still only offer jobs to applicants who are qualified to work in London.)

Zaha is a rigorous design studio with tight deadlines and a lot of work, but full of passionate and talented people! I love that the designs here are very organic and innovative. The clients who come to Zaha also know what kind of design to expect, so they are very flexible and open to ideas.

Since we are more of a design firm, we don’t look very deeply into the construction aspect, which makes the project timelines very exciting and dynamic. Once we have the conceptual design ready, we also look into coordinating with the consulting engineers and delivering a well-rounded design!