Justin Hill of MG2: Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect
An Interview With Jason Hartman
Empathy — I got into architecture because I saw in it a merging of the social and the technical. At the time I saw it as applying technical solutions to social problems. What I’ve realized is that I didn’t fully understand the interplay of the relationship.
As a part of my series about the ‘Five Things You Need To Know To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect’, I had the pleasure of interviewing Justin Hill.
Justin Hill AIA, LEED AP, NCARB is a principal at the global architecture and design firm MG2, where he has worked for his entire 30+-year career, helping to take it from an office of 18 in a renovated house to a global design consultancy with over 425 employees in six locations. From drafting (by hand) to project management and eventually to firmwide and market leadership, Justin has done it all, including relocating from Seattle to Irvine, CA during COVID to open an office there.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to this particular career path?
Even when I was very young, I had a mathematical and technical bent. I thought I would become an engineer, but the engineering courses in college didn’t excite me. I decided to look for another path. Architecture seemed like a good blend of the technical and social sciences — all wrapped up in art. To this day, I’m still not sure how I got accepted into the University of Washington’s architecture program! After 30 years in the profession, it was certainly the right path for me. Architecture is much more of a social science than I ever would have thought. The process of design and construction is reliant on human interaction, collaboration, and understanding.
Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away, you took out of that story?
This particular story is interesting and memorable, but decidedly not amusing, even after many years! I was at a final rezoning meeting with a client one evening. After a lot of speeches and positioning, we were shocked when one of the council members reversed their position and voted against our plan.
My ears are still ringing from the roar of the crowd as he announced his deciding vote. Needless to say, this took us completely by surprise. It was devastating. After the meeting, we analyzed our process, discussed what led to the setback, and applied our new understanding successfully to another project in a neighboring city.
The takeaway? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, and know you’ll live to fight another day.
Do you have a favorite “life lesson quote”? Can you share a story or example of how that was relevant to you in your life?
Life has taught me that “the only thing I am actually in control of is me.” I alone am the common denominator in all of my wins, losses, and challenges, so focusing on what I can do instead of what others (or the world) would have done keeps me positive and moving forward. It’s about self-empowerment. And it has actually become even more relevant the longer I’ve been in the industry.
As situations get more complex and solutions more challenging to implement, it’s clear to me that no one person can go it alone. It takes a team. And when we are all doing our best, it is absolutely amazing what we can accomplish!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
So many exciting projects! And many of them are highly confidential — so I’m not at liberty to share them with you. My particular focus is on retail design, and what I can share is that we are in the midst of a dramatic shift in how goods are bought and sold, and it is having a profound effect on experiential design. There are so many ways now to connect and communicate. Providing solutions that take into account all our options — with room for new ideas — is exciting! How our projects contribute to a healthy community socially, economically, as well as aesthetically are all critical elements in our designs.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We’ve just celebrated our 50-year anniversary, and I’ve been around for over 30 of those years. But my story isn’t unique — there are many others who have grown with MG2 and are celebrating 10-, 15-, and 20-year anniversaries with the firm. MG2 is a people-first company, and that is no secret. Our motto is “people make the place”, and we truly practice what we preach. The firm was recognized by Seattle Business Magazine as one of the top ten companies to work for in Washington state in 2021!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
In a career as long as mine, there have been many. But the one person who has seen me through it all is MG2’s CEO, Mitch Smith. We started within months of one another (okay, I started three months before he did) and we’ve grown — and grown up in — the firm together. I am grateful for the opportunities and confidence he has afforded me over the years. When I struggled or faltered, he was there to coach me through. I would not be where I am today without his support.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
To be a successful business leader, you must build and maintain relationships. With your employees, absolutely. With your clients, of course. With your colleagues in the industry, certainly. I’m not talking about networking. I’m talking about developing real connections with people over long periods of time. This takes respect, integrity, and commitment.
It’s a wonderful surprise when, in pursuit of a new opportunity, we discover that people involved in the project are previous clients, colleagues we’ve worked with in the past, or even former employees. And it harkens back to our people-first mentality. We have long-standing client relationships, some continuing over 20 or 30 years, because of this approach.
Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Can you share 3 things that most excite you about architecture and the Real Estate industry in general? If you can please share a story or example.
There are so many aspects of the profession I am excited about. First is our laser-like focus on the individuals we are designing for. Our work at MG2 is human-centered and community-driven. We are not designing mixed-use developments; we are designing healthy communities. The projects we are working on now in Seattle and Vancouver are walkable, bikeable, and include core components for active and interactive neighborhoods. Here’s one example: we are redesigning the Crossroads shopping area, outside of Bellevue, WA, adding multifamily residential units, community amenities, and even a large green space that is open to the public. We’re turning an asphalt parking lot into a residential neighborhood.
We are designing creative and flexible ways to reuse spaces, which I like to call the “hermit crab” approach to architecture. Our recent work for the jewelry brand Brilliant Earth is a good example. Our new design was created as a kit of parts — to fit multiple locations, square footage requirements, and store layouts. The shop in Seattle, for example, demonstrates how the kit-of-parts design can be configured for a long, narrow space, very different from a larger space in Atlanta, or a second-floor, appointment-only showroom in New York City.
I am excited by the new tools and technologies that help us create, collaborate, and apply solutions between sectors and across offices. And it’s not just running meetings or simulating charrettes remotely, although that technology has been amazing. We are using sustainable design programs to create greener buildings and VR technology to review spaces — long before they exist — in three dimensions. Every day, it seems, we are experimenting with new technology to see how it can improve a process or perfect a solution.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest? Please share stories or examples if possible.
I am concerned about the health and wellness cost that our current environment is extracting. People are working at a level that is difficult to sustain, which is leading to burnout and talented architects leaving the industry.
I also worry that the drive for efficiency will squeeze out opportunities for creativity and inspiration. Demand is coming at us from multiple sources (email, text, chat, collab boards, etc.) 24/7. So much happening to us all the time prevents opportunities for epiphany and exploration.
Connected to this, but also a concern in and of itself, is the challenge of educating the next generation of architects. And it is not simply classes and curriculum I’m speaking of. The pace of our deadlines can make it difficult to mentor new recruits, and certainly, the rapid move to remote work has shaken up the in-person process of on-the-job training and mentoring.
Three ways to improve the industry? Firstly, it’s clear closer ties between education and the practice will benefit everyone. A closer connection between the study of architecture and the practice of operating a business, including the ability to develop relationships and build trust with clients, is a step in the right direction.
Secondly, continuing to place emphasis and focus on sustainable design cannot be overstated. The AIA 2030 Commitment is a great compass, and MG2 is advancing sustainable design with goals surrounding operating energy, embodied carbon, water conservation, and materials selection. In our Design Lab, for example, we measure materials — flooring, fabrics, wallpaper, etc. — for six sustainable attributes: human health, environmental health, embodied carbon, ethical manufacturing, regional manufacturing, and environmental justice.
Finally, the industry will be improved simply by becoming more diverse, though it has taken far too long for diverse voices to be heard. Our own support for equity, diversity, and inclusion includes mentorship, fellowship, and scholarship programs to encourage and increase BIPOC representation in the industry with NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects), ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentor Program of America, and Howard University.
Ok, here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share with our readers the “Five Things You Need To Know To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect?” If you can, please give a story or an example for each?
Here’s what you need to know: To create a highly successful career as an architect, you must have these five things: Passion, Dedication, a love of Problem-Solving, Curiosity, and Empathy.
Passion — You need to have it for the breadth and the depth of architecture because it’s so much more than aesthetic design — it is technical, but it’s also social, it’s digital, it’s physical, it’s global, it’s local, and so much more. The creative process only works if there is passion behind it.
Dedication — Much of what we are solving is neither singular nor simple. Getting to the optimal solution is a fluid process. We are constantly weighing multiple options. Some of our challenges have defined, specific solutions, but many of them are influenced by circumstances out of our control, sometimes right at the last minute.
To stay the course through the design process and to lead a team (internal, partners, client, contractor, jurisdiction, and community) to the finish line requires a depth of dedication that, at times, may border on obsession.
Problem-solving — You have to love it. Architecture is more than an end product. A building. A computer model. A set of drawings. It is the process of arriving at those ends that make for successful architecture. And that process is made up of a series of solutions tied together by an idea. Inherent in every solution is a problem or question or hurdle that was “solved.”
Many of our projects are restorations or renovations of older buildings. The floor plans we receive are not always accurate. This happened recently on a $25 million renovation project for the 100-year-old Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. We were removing a wall for the new lobby redesign and found a set of pipes that no one knew was there. Needless to say, we had to do some quick thinking to make the plan work.
The drive for solutions can be euphoric. Closing a loop. Identifying a new product. Bringing the right people together at the right time. Each step along the way is a win. But those wins require perseverance (see Dedication) and that dedication needs to be fed by a true love of solving problems.
Curiosity — The worst thing an architect can do is think that they have it all figured out. And yet that seems to be an expectation — both externally and internally — of the profession. Without curiosity, we become stubborn and bombastic. Our curiosity is not limited to architecture or design. A continued interest in technology, fashion, food, music, art — the list goes on and on — broadens the mind and expands our perspective.
Empathy — I got into architecture because I saw in it a merging of the social and the technical. At the time I saw it as applying technical solutions to social problems. What I’ve realized is that I didn’t fully understand the interplay of the relationship.
The decisions you make are informed and influenced by people and forces far beyond the problem you’re solving — and the ripple effect of the impact of your work has an enormous reach. The ability to understand different perspectives is absolutely critical in working with others to arrive at solutions.
One aspect of my work in architectural design is presenting solutions to stakeholders — clients, development teams, end-users, and public agencies — who may have differing agendas. Empathy has allowed me to help them see each other’s perspectives so that we can come to a mutually beneficial solution.
Because of your position, you are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Wow — “. . . the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people. . .” That’s not a small ask!
I wish the drive for understanding would trump the drive for profits. If we could afford to stay curious about one another and were able to explore and investigate possibilities instead of driving directly toward an easy solution, our world and our relationships with one another would be healthier and happier.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Website: www.MG2.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mg2-corporation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mg2_design/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mg2_design
Thank you for your time, and your excellent insights! We wish you continued success.
