Growing a Practice + Shaping a Career: A Conversation with Robert Holzbach, FAIA, LEED AP
For three decades, Robert Holzbach, FAIA, LEED AP, Director of Commercial Office and Principal, has shaped how people experience the workplace. Since joining Hickok Cole in 2004, he has helped guide our Commercial Office practice through significant market shifts. In this Q+A, Rob shares what’s driving his thinking today, from where the industry is headed to the lessons he’s carrying forward.
Q: Why Hickok Cole?
A: I’ve been here for over 20 years, and what’s kept me here is the opportunity to develop my career on my own terms. One of our founders, Mike Hickok, used to say something that resonated with me: “It’s your career, not ours. If you’re successful, then we benefit from your success, so it’s our job to help you succeed.” That philosophy is what makes Hickok Cole special. Yes, we need people to work and produce great design, but more importantly, we want people to be happy and thrive in their careers. And when they do, everyone benefits. I try to carry that same attitude forward in my own leadership.
Q: What are the best ways that leaders can support other leaders?
A: Communication is fundamental, keeping each other informed about what you’re doing and what’s happening. More importantly, leaders need to be comfortable both giving and receiving constructive feedback. We’re all passionate about our work, and we all have different personality types and different ways of approaching problems. The key is assuming positive intent, trusting that people are acting for the right reasons.
I also think about leadership in terms of service: how can I make others’ jobs easier? How can I collaborate to make their projects better? When leaders operate that way with each other, it creates a culture where everyone is lifting each other.
WHAT’S NEXT
Q: Where do you see the future of office going, and what do you hope for, no matter where the trends tend to be going? Where would you want it to be?
A: The massive footprints we used to see are obsolete. Law firms once needed enormous libraries with high-density shelving that required reinforced slabs. All that deep interior space, it’s gone. New buildings will not be designed for it, and we are left with older buildings whose floorplates are wrong for how firms work today. What’s worse is that these deep buildings don’t convert well to residential.
In addition, everyone wants access to natural light and outdoor space. They expect high-level amenities such as fitness centers and rooftop lounges. They want to feel comfortable in their environment and desire myriad choices to work, whether it is private, head-down, collaborative, creative, neurodivergent, or a traditional closed office; tenants demand choice in work styles. This lends itself to slimmer floor plates, which happens to be much easier to convert in the future. That’s why I believe that the future of office building design must prioritize adaptability. We need to design buildings that can evolve, that can enjoy a second life when needs change. Flexibility isn’t just good practice anymore; it’s essential to ensuring these assets remain viable for decades to come.
Q: How do you think the firm can continue and expand on our mission to do work that matters?
A: Everybody defines “work that matters” differently. I don’t think there’s a hierarchy where some projects inherently matter more than others. It’s about making every project matter, finding unexpected value in whatever we are designing.
For me, that could mean finding multiple uses for the same space or contributing something meaningful to the community. The Innovation District Pump Station is a perfect example. It could have been a simple utilitarian box, but we transformed it into community-enhancing architecture. Yes, it provides an essential service, but it adds beauty and civic value. That’s how we can make work matter: by improving people’s lives and enriching the places they live, regardless of the project type or budget.
Q: What are you seeing in the office market?
A: There is a growing divide in the office market. Aging Class A minus and Class B buildings are struggling, with many being sold at steep discounts. Meanwhile, Trophy and Class A buildings are in high demand. The “flight to quality” is real, and there are not enough quality assets available. This creates an urgent need for transformation. We need to think bigger than just office-to-residential (O2R) conversions; we need to think about office to anything (O2X). Do we transform these assets into entertainment or athletic hubs, universities, schools, data centers, urban farms, or even storage? In some cases, should we just tear them down and start fresh? We are actively researching which transformations are feasible and how to unlock value in these underutilized assets.
Q: What trends should clients be aware of?
A: AI is transforming the way we work and how buildings are designed. While it will never replace the creative, human, intuitive aspects of design, it can replace the repetition and drudgery, freeing us as designers to focus on what we do best. Our value as architects is not based on our ability to quickly produce construction drawings; it lies in our ability to create transformative value through the spaces we design. At the end of the day, we’re selling ideas, not just hours.
LOOKING BACK
Q: Why Hickok Cole?
A: I’ve been here for over 20 years, and what’s kept me here is the opportunity to develop my career on my own terms. One of our founders, Mike Hickok, used to say something that resonated with me: “It’s your career, not ours. If you’re successful, then we benefit from your success, so it’s our job to help you succeed.” That philosophy is what makes Hickok Cole special. Yes, we need people to work and produce great design, but more importantly, we want people to be happy and thrive in their careers. And when they do, everyone benefits. I try to carry that same attitude forward in my own leadership.
Q: What is your favorite Hickok Cole memory?
A: There have been so many great memories, but a few stand out. In the early 2000s, we had a softball team that played on the National Mall, and we’d hang out afterward for hours. We worked hard, long hours together, and that combination of work and socializing created bonds that still exist today. So many of us are still here, and there is a connection that you just can’t replace.
The National Public Radio (NPR) headquarters design competition is probably my most memorable project pursuit. We spent an entire summer working 60-hour weeks, and we won. We were up against nationally recognized firms, and nobody expected us to pull it off. That project put Hickok Cole on the map and remains the standout project of my career. It was my first real design opportunity in a national competition and winning felt like validation that we belonged at that level.
Q: What was your path to this position?
A: I’ve always been drawn to design and leadership roles. After joining Hickok Cole in 2004 and spending 15 years focused on design, I felt that I couldn’t be both a design lead and a firmwide leader, so I “hung up my pen” and focused on firmwide leadership. In 2005, I took on the role of Director of Staff Operations in addition to being a design leader. In that position, I oversaw recruitment, retention, and firmwide staffing management, hiring more than 200 people over 15 years. This role provided invaluable experience that helped me expand my career and grow as a leader and has been my pathway to firmwide leadership. Now, as a Principal in the firm, I still have input on design, but I’m also able to impact the overall direction of the firm, which was my ultimate goal.
Q: How did you get into this field initially? When did you know you wanted to be an architect?
A: I’ve known since childhood, and while I say it as a joke, it’s true: that Mike Brady, from The Brady Bunch, sparked my interest in architecture. Watching him draw and build models, I thought, “That’s what I want to do.” In 7th grade, when we had to research a career, I wrote a letter from Pittsburgh to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) headquarters in Washington, DC, asking how to become an architect. When that pamphlet arrived in the mail, I was thrilled. All these years later, I’m now a Fellow of the AIA, and it’s come full circle.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
A: Earning Fellowship in the AIA and becoming a shareholder at Hickok Cole both represent years of work, and I’m deeply proud of them.
Fellowship in the AIA was always a career goal. Going through the application process forced me to reflect on my impact on the profession: serving as the president of AIA DC and seven years on the board of directors, co-creating a committee that’s still active today, and hiring 200 people at the firm. What’s my ripple effect? I realized Fellowship isn’t just about the credential, but about telling your story in a way that hopefully inspires others to pursue the same path. It’s about the work that earns it and the influence that follows.
Becoming a shareholder at Hickok Cole means something different but equally important. I always wanted my own architecture firm. Over time, I realized that the firm I would build for myself would look exactly like Hickok Cole. Why start from scratch when I’m already part of something that embodies everything I value?
Q: What is one thing you wish someone had told you early on in your career journey?
A: Control your career. Don’t let it happen to you. Drive it intentionally but still find value in every project along the way. Always ask yourself: What will I learn from this? How will this advance my career?
I also wish someone had pushed me to get involved with industry organizations earlier. I didn’t engage with the AIA, DCBIA, ULI, or NAIOP until I was two decades into my career. If I’d known sooner how much you gain from active participation: joining committees, making connections, learning from peers, I would have started immediately. These organizations truly give back what you put in, and the relationships and knowledge I’ve gained have been invaluable. I just wish I’d started sooner.