Team building for architecture firms

The best team building for architecture and engineering firms is hands-on: a kit workshop where everyone makes something, like wood burning, a terrarium or a painting, booked for the week after a big submission with every office on one video call. A live instructor runs each session, prices are live, and the firm can pay by card, invoice or PO.

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Architects build glass terrariums at a studio worktable beside white foam models, rolled drawings and a laptop video call with another office

Team building activities for architecture and engineering firms

People who design for a living tend to want to make something, or to solve something. Each activity runs about 60 minutes with a live instructor or host, and shows its live price.

Make something with your hands

Kit workshops with a live instructor. A box arrives for each person, and everyone ends the hour with an object on their desk. Book about 3 weeks ahead.

Puzzles for people who solve problems all day

Hosted games on your video call, nothing to ship. Small teams, a clock and a story, booked about 2 weeks ahead.

The studio holiday party

A seasonal kit for the people who like to build, and a game with no kit for every office and every guest.

More making: virtual wood burning, terrarium workshops and Origami, for a firm that already folds paper models. More puzzles on virtual escape rooms.

Plan around submissions, not into them

A firm's year is a chain of deadlines. Four rules that put the event in the gap between them.

  • Book after a submission

    Competition entries, permit sets, bids and proposals. The week after a big one is when people can relax.

  • Book before the crunch

    Kits need about 3 weeks. Nobody books anything during a deadline week, so pick the date while the schedule is still calm.

  • Ask each project lead for dates

    Schematic design, design development and construction document sets all end in a crunch. Find the week most teams are clear.

  • Use the last hour on a Friday

    Nobody starts a new set of redlines at 4 pm on a Friday. Every activity here runs about 60 minutes.

Run it like a pin-up

Studios already know how to gather around work on a wall. Add 20 minutes after a making workshop and turn the crit into the fun part.

  1. 0:00

    The workshop

    A live instructor leads the hour: wood burning, a terrarium or a painting. Everyone makes their own piece.

  2. 1:00

    Pin it up

    Everyone sets their piece in front of the camera, or on the table if you are in one room.

  3. 1:05

    A kind crit

    One minute per person, praise only: one thing that works, one question. No redlines today.

  4. 1:15

    The jury

    Vote in a few categories: best detail, boldest move, most buildable, best use of negative space.

  5. 1:20

    Done

    The pieces stay on desks, which keeps the conversation going for weeks.

The instructor runs the workshop; the pin-up is yours to run. It works best with Wood Burning or Terrarium Making, where every result looks different.

Several offices, and project teams that change every job

In a firm, the people you work with are set by the project. The event is the chance to meet everyone else.

Run it once, with every office on the same call. Our hybrid team building page covers the room setup when part of the studio is together and part is remote.

  • One call for every office. Each office gathers in front of one screen and remote people join from a laptop. Zoom by default; Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request.
  • Mix people who never share a project. Project teams change every job. Ask the host for teams made of people who have not worked together yet.
  • Architects and engineers on the same team. In an A/E firm, put civil, structural, MEP and design people together. The puzzle games reward every kind of thinking.
  • Offices outside the US. Wood Burning ships to US and Canadian addresses and its tool needs a 120V outlet. Terrarium Making and the painting class also ship internationally, at an added cost per kit.

The studio holiday party: December 2026 book-by dates

Hosted games need about 2 weeks, kit workshops about 3 weeks for US addresses, and about 5 weeks with guests in Canada or abroad. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, so book before the long weekend.

Book-by dates for a December 2026 studio holiday party
Party dateHosted gameKits, US addressesKits, Canada or abroad
Thu, Dec 10, 2026Thu, Nov 26Thu, Nov 19Thu, Nov 5
Fri, Dec 11, 2026Fri, Nov 27Fri, Nov 20Fri, Nov 6
Wed, Dec 16, 2026Wed, Dec 2Wed, Nov 25Wed, Nov 11
Fri, Dec 18, 2026Fri, Dec 4Fri, Nov 27Fri, Nov 13

Everyone in one office? A host can run a painting workshop in the studio in any of the 30 US cities on our in-person list, with every material brought in and cleaned up after.

Mixed group? Pair a kit like Gingerbread House Decorating with a game that needs no kit. Full plans are on virtual holiday party.

What it costs, and how the firm pays

Totals for a small studio, a mid-size firm and a firm with several offices, from our live catalog prices.

  • Card: reserve online with a 50% deposit.
  • Invoice or PO: a booking with a purchase order gets an invoice instead of a card charge.
  • Headcount not final: book with an estimate and confirm numbers before kits ship.
  • Several offices: a free team account lets each office book and track its own events. Enterprise adds monthly invoicing and budgets per team.
Total price for the whole firm, by headcount
Terrarium MakingKit workshop, shipped to each person12 people$1,38735 people$3,319100 people$8,779
PaintingKit workshop, shipped to each person12 people$1,02735 people$2,269100 people$5,779
Beach Vacate-tion Escape RoomHosted puzzle game, no kit12 people$87535 people$1,095100 people$1,535

Kit prices include continental US shipping; Alaska, Hawaii, US territories, Canada and other countries cost extra per kit. Need an exact number? Get a free quote.

Architecture firm team building questions

What are good team building activities for architecture firms?

Hands-on kit workshops where everyone makes something, like wood burning, terrarium making or painting; hosted escape rooms and mysteries for people who like a problem; and a gingerbread house or holiday game for the December party. Each runs about 60 minutes with a live instructor or host.

Does this work for engineering firms too?

Yes. Civil, structural and MEP engineering firms work to the same submission deadlines, often in the same A/E firm as the architects, and the same formats suit them. If you are planning for software engineers instead, see team building for engineers.

When should an architecture firm schedule team building?

In the week after a big submission, like a competition entry, permit set or proposal. Book kit workshops about 3 weeks ahead and hosted games about 2 weeks ahead, so pick the date before the crunch starts.

Can several offices join one event?

Yes. Each office joins the same video call from one screen, and remote people join from a laptop. Kits ship to each person's own address. Hosted games run on Zoom by default, or on Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request.

What is a pin-up team building event?

A making workshop followed by 20 minutes the firm runs itself: everyone shows their piece, gets one minute of praise-only feedback, and the group votes in a few playful categories. It borrows the studio's own review format and leaves out the stress.

When should we book a December 2026 holiday party?

For Friday, December 11, 2026, book a hosted game by November 27 and a kit workshop by November 20, or by November 6 with guests in Canada or abroad. Hosted games need about 2 weeks and kits about 3 weeks for US addresses.

How much does team building for an architecture firm cost?

Terrarium Making for a studio of 12 comes to $1,387, with continental US shipping included. Beach Vacate-tion Escape Room, a hosted game with no kit, is $1,095 for a firm of 35. Every activity page shows the price for your headcount.

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