Workers Rights
Snøhetta is a global organization and recognize that frameworks and practices for unionization may vary from country to country. Although the belief in individual freedom to organize is a core value at Snøhetta, each studio has to operate within regional framework and legislation.
In Norway and many European countries it is an individual choice to unionize, while in certain American states, as is the case in New York, unionization is decided by a majority of the group of employees, meaning the majority determines the outcome by vote.[9]
On July 7, 2023, after months of campaigning, a group of employees at Snøhetta's New York office where able to coordinate a vote on unionizing and joining Architectural Workers United (AWU) a division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).[10] 29 votes where cast in favor of Unionizing, while 35 votes where cast in opposition.[10] Prior to the vote several prominent Architectural firms had voted in favor of unionization, namely; SHoP, Bernheimer Architecture, and Sage and Coombe Architects, with the defeat of the vote at Snøhetta largely ending the trend.[11] After the vote several employees filed a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) stating they were being discriminated against at work by management due to their support of Unionization, the lawsuit was defeated.[12] Later in 2026 the IAM stated that Snøhetta has retained a prominent union busting law firm, even after the vote specifically to defeat discrimination lawsuits.[11]
If the vote had been successful, it would have made Snøhetta the second private-sector firm in the United States to unionise, following Brooklyn-based Bernheimer Architecture, which unionised in the fall of 2022.[13] However, as management at Bernheimer Architecture had agreed to the decision – making it unnecessary to hold a vote – Snøhetta was the first union to have a federally recognised vote in a private-sector architecture studio in over 50 years, according to AWU.[14]
The vote included "all designers, architects, project leaders, and operations staff" and excluded management, partners, financial officers as well as executive assistants, accounting and human resource personnel, according to the NLRB, a standard breakdown in the process.[14]
Whereas the US at the time of the election only had one private architectural firm with members in a union, Norway, where Snøhetta was founded, has the Norwegian Union of Architects (AFAG), which boasts 5,700 members. However, a spokesperson from the New York studio said in an interview with Dezeen that the Norwegian Union of Architects is "closer to the bar association than unions as we know them here". "For example, AFAG does not negotiate on behalf of employees nor does it play a role in their studio," said the spokesperson.[14]
Furthermore, the spokeman stated that the US studio uses the same internal employee system as the Oslo studio, where employee representatives advocate for their interests and get a seat on the board.[14]
On January 16, 2026, eight former employees of Snøhetta again filed to the NLRB stating they had been fired due to their support of the pro-Unionization campaign.[11] This time the IAM has taken a more active role in the legal battles, accusing Snøhetta of "repressing the rights of their employees" and that there will be "consequences."[11] Snøhetta denies the accusations, stating the firings where part of routine downsizing.[11] Snøhetta then went on to release a statement that they support members of the firm joining unions in Norway, but not the United States, because "participation in unions in Norway does not require collective action."[11]
“The signs of a workforce reduction, including projects going on hold and a general climate of economic uncertainty across the A&E and real estate industries, were evident at least 6 months earlier. However, once we became aware of the campaign, we held off on layoffs as long as possible to preserve the integrity of the election process.”[11]
Furthermore, Snøhetta’s spokesperson said the terminations were not union-related: “Snøhetta has had three rounds of layoffs since 2023. In every instance, business considerations, such as projects going on hold and fewer new projects coming into the office, have led to workforce reductions, which we have strived to avoid.”[11]
