Pros
Lots of high profile clients and incredibly knowledgeable staff, the people at this firm really know their stuff. The company has lots of resources in-house, and so you won’t go wanting in that department. The starting pay is higher than most places—but the raises can be meager in comparison, so it more or less evens out. The understaffing does come with the benefit that you’ll have to wear multiple hats, so you will learn a lot. The firm has a diverse portfolio of projects in some very resilient market sectors, so the fear of job loss is slim. Overall ZGF is a great place to grow, despite the frustrations.
Cons
The project I worked on required insane hours; I pulled 60-80 hour weeks on average for about 10 months. During that time I was doing documentation and presentation work. The middle management seems a bit bloated, with managers whose sole role is to manage managers. The culture is really left wanting, it feels a bit soulless working here—people often get caught up with the, albeit important, technical and logistical aspects of architecture and design often takes a seat on the back burner. There are a few egos in the office, but there’s no clear culture built around design, so if this is something you value it can be a frustrating place to be.