A Manifesto for the Architects Who Still Love to Design
We Got Into This for a Reason
We became architects because we love to design. We love the act of shaping space, of crafting buildings, of imagining something better and then bringing it to life. That passion brought us here—but somewhere along the way, design became the smallest part of our day.
The Drift Away From Craft
Instead of sketching, modeling, or iterating ideas, we now spend our days buried in emails, digging through data, wrangling submittals, and formatting spreadsheets. These tasks are tangential to design, and yet they dominate our time. Some of them are necessary. Many are not.
Too many of these distractions exist simply because of the tools we’ve been given. Tools that were never made for how we actually work. Tools that create friction. Tools that demand workarounds. Tools that drain our creative energy.
The Problem Isn’t You—It’s the Tools
Legacy software wasn’t built to empower architects. It was built to tick boxes. It fragments our workflows, forces us to duplicate effort, and leaves us with piles of busy work that has nothing to do with making better buildings.
This is not what we signed up for.
Reclaiming Our Time—and Our Craft
At Layer, we believe it’s time to design again—in both senses of the word. To return to the act of design. And to reimagine how we design in the first place.
We believe software should give you superpowers, not slow you down. It should integrate with your thinking. It should shave hours off your day—not add them. It should feel like an extension of your creativity, not a limitation of it.
Design Is the Work
Every decision, every sketch, every iteration matters. We’re here to eliminate the noise. To help you cut through the clutter. To get you back to what you love—and what you’re best at.
We’re building tools that work the way you do. Tools that connect your team, your data, and your ideas. Tools that let you focus on the work that actually shapes the built world.
Join Us
Let’s return to our craft. Let’s take back our time. Let’s design again.
A Manifesto for the Architects Who Still Love to Design
We Got Into This for a Reason
We became architects because we love to design. We love the act of shaping space, of crafting buildings, of imagining something better and then bringing it to life. That passion brought us here—but somewhere along the way, design became the smallest part of our day.
The Drift Away From Craft
Instead of sketching, modeling, or iterating ideas, we now spend our days buried in emails, digging through data, wrangling submittals, and formatting spreadsheets. These tasks are tangential to design, and yet they dominate our time. Some of them are necessary. Many are not.
Too many of these distractions exist simply because of the tools we’ve been given. Tools that were never made for how we actually work. Tools that create friction. Tools that demand workarounds. Tools that drain our creative energy.
The Problem Isn’t You—It’s the Tools
Legacy software wasn’t built to empower architects. It was built to tick boxes. It fragments our workflows, forces us to duplicate effort, and leaves us with piles of busy work that has nothing to do with making better buildings.
This is not what we signed up for.
Reclaiming Our Time—and Our Craft
At Layer, we believe it’s time to design again—in both senses of the word. To return to the act of design. And to reimagine how we design in the first place.
We believe software should give you superpowers, not slow you down. It should integrate with your thinking. It should shave hours off your day—not add them. It should feel like an extension of your creativity, not a limitation of it.
Design Is the Work
Every decision, every sketch, every iteration matters. We’re here to eliminate the noise. To help you cut through the clutter. To get you back to what you love—and what you’re best at.
We’re building tools that work the way you do. Tools that connect your team, your data, and your ideas. Tools that let you focus on the work that actually shapes the built world.
Join Us
Let’s return to our craft. Let’s take back our time. Let’s design again.
A Manifesto for the Architects Who Still Love to Design
We Got Into This for a Reason
We became architects because we love to design. We love the act of shaping space, of crafting buildings, of imagining something better and then bringing it to life. That passion brought us here—but somewhere along the way, design became the smallest part of our day.
The Drift Away From Craft
Instead of sketching, modeling, or iterating ideas, we now spend our days buried in emails, digging through data, wrangling submittals, and formatting spreadsheets. These tasks are tangential to design, and yet they dominate our time. Some of them are necessary. Many are not.
Too many of these distractions exist simply because of the tools we’ve been given. Tools that were never made for how we actually work. Tools that create friction. Tools that demand workarounds. Tools that drain our creative energy.
The Problem Isn’t You—It’s the Tools
Legacy software wasn’t built to empower architects. It was built to tick boxes. It fragments our workflows, forces us to duplicate effort, and leaves us with piles of busy work that has nothing to do with making better buildings.
This is not what we signed up for.
Reclaiming Our Time—and Our Craft
At Layer, we believe it’s time to design again—in both senses of the word. To return to the act of design. And to reimagine how we design in the first place.
We believe software should give you superpowers, not slow you down. It should integrate with your thinking. It should shave hours off your day—not add them. It should feel like an extension of your creativity, not a limitation of it.
Design Is the Work
Every decision, every sketch, every iteration matters. We’re here to eliminate the noise. To help you cut through the clutter. To get you back to what you love—and what you’re best at.
We’re building tools that work the way you do. Tools that connect your team, your data, and your ideas. Tools that let you focus on the work that actually shapes the built world.
Join Us
Let’s return to our craft. Let’s take back our time. Let’s design again.
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