Red Emma’s

In popular imagination, as Beck observes, the architect is a singular genius, obsessively working alone in the studio. Surrounded by beautiful drawings and intricate models, the architect wrestles only with themselves and the purity of their design. This is certainly no longer the case—and perhaps never was.

Today, a new generation of designers encounters a different reality: exploitative work places, a financial crisis that ravaged the housing sector, sexist and racist hiring practices, and a quickly worsening climate catastrophe in which designers have played no small. Providing insight through his direct experiences organizing and negotiating from within the world of architecture, Beck explains how a design-based union movement can create a new reality for the labor of architects and designers, arguing that they have more in common with other unionized industries than generally assumed. Ultimately, THE LABOR OF ARCHITECTURE is a call for designers to prioritize collective action over their own individualistic pursuits—not just for the betterment of their profession, but for the sake of the society they help to build each day.

C. G. Beck designs, draws, paints, and writes in Brooklyn, and is a Registered Architect in the state of New York. His research examines the creative process in art and design fields, focusing on the effects of digital technology on methods of making, and systems of capital on labor and production. He also teaches and studies at The New School, and serves as a strategic advisor for the IAM Union, utilizing his experience organizing the first private-sector architecture union. His book, _THE LABOR OF ARCHITECTURE,_ is available Fall 2025.

Thomas Gardner is a designer and educator. His teaching and research explore design methodologies and tactical technologies, with a particular focus on pedagogy, fabrication, community engagement and emerging practices. He is the co-founder of HousingOperative, a design-build agency based in Detroit and dedicated to the realization of architecture for social and cultural change.