PRP Now! Hayley Gillette // Studio Gang

Tell us about your PRP firm. Where are you working?
I am at Studio Gang Architects in Chicago.

Do you enjoy the city you’re working in? Favorite aspects?
Every neighborhood of Chicago I have visited offers beautiful architecture, food, museums, parks, etc. etc. etc. There’s always more to explore, and the city really values its great architecture.

What is currently on your desk? What are you working on?
I have been working on a model for an exhibition at the 2025 Venice Biennale, so I have been in the model shop. Currently on my desk I have a syringe of glue, a pile of basswood planes and linears, triangles, a can of spray paint, a sketchbook, and tweezers.

Describe the firm culture? The office atmosphere?
Studio Gang itself has an immense sense of responsibility to the environment and to their community, which really comes through in their firm culture. Their design process is very collaborative, and the designers here are driven and passionate. There’s lots of social events going on around the office. Every Thursday there is an office pin-up, where we get together for drinks and discuss recent work. And just this week we’re going to a happy hour to celebrate Women’s History Month, and going on a trip to the Field Museum of Natural History to learn about bird safe design, as much of the museum’s collections come from birds who died in
window strikes.

What is the first thing you'll tell your classmates upon your return to UT?
Working models are just as helpful as presentation models! And weld bond > tacky glue.

As you’re finishing up the week, what are your plans for this weekend?
It’s starting to warm up here, so some friends and I will be going to visit the Farnsworth House, which is just an hour outside of Chicago.