Open Studio 2026: Connecting Student Work to Professional Practice
Open Studio 2026 transformed SCI-Arc’s campus into an evening exhibition of student work, with projects pinned up across galleries and presentation spaces and presented directly by students. The event brought together leading architecture firms alongside professionals working in design-build, technology, media, and specialized design fields, creating a focused opportunity for students to connect with practitioners from across the industry.
Throughout the evening, students presented their work one-on-one to visiting professionals, discussing ideas, processes, and research while receiving feedback from those actively working in contemporary practice. Open Studio functions as a critical career moment for students, offering direct access to firms and companies that regularly recruit SCI-Arc students and alumni for internships and full-time roles. These conversations often serve as the starting point for professional relationships that continue well beyond the event.
The range of firms in attendance reflected the breadth of career pathways available to SCI-Arc graduates. Alongside global architecture practices were firms specializing in infrastructure, interior and lighting design, construction technology, digital production, and community-focused work. Together, they represent a professional ecosystem that values the critical thinking, adaptability, and experimental approach that define SCI-Arc’s pedagogy and that actively seeks out emerging designers ready to contribute to practice.
Six months after graduation, 85 percent of SCI-Arc graduates are employed in their chosen fields, including architecture, design, and art, underscoring the role Open Studio and related career-facing events play in translating academic work into professional opportunity.
Firms in Attendance, by Industry
Architecture and Urban Design
- AO Architects
- Arshia Architects
- BA Collective
- Bell Design Group
- Bestor Architecture
- Bickel Group Architecture
- breakform
- Conner and Perry Architects, Inc.
- Corgan
- Foster and Partners
- Gehry Partners LLP
- Gensler
- HDR
- HKS Architects, Inc.
- HMC Architects
- HNTB Architecture
- House and Robertson Architects, Inc.
- JAAX
- JTC architects
- Little
- LOC Architects
- Mithun
- Morphosis
- MVE
- NAC Architecture
- NBBJ
- NEC
- ODGA
- office42
- ORA Oonagh Ryan Architects
- PBK Architects
- scrafano architects
- Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)
- SmithGroup
- Steinberg Hart
- studio:AZ design
- Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign
Design-Build, Engineering and Infrastructure
- Clayco/LJC
- Stantec
Interior and Specialized Design
- SAA Interiors
- KGM Architectural Lighting
- WET
Technology, Media and Creative Industries
- Sony Corporation of America
- Production Club
Construction Technology and Digital Practice
- MOCA Systems, Inc.
- Trimble Consulting
Nonprofit and Community-Focused Design
- HPP Cares The Rebuild Center