With the recession halting major construction projects across the country, architects are struggling. Thousands have lost their jobs. Some firms have closed their doors.

Instead of waiting for an economic rebound, three Chicago architects have formed an unusual alliance with one of the city's largest developers to hunt for work in growing overseas markets like China. The developer, the Magellan Development Group, will invest at least $1 million in the architects' small firm, while the architects will contribute design skills and global experience managing large-scale work.

One of the architects, Tom Kerwin, jumped to the new firm from the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, one of the city's leading architectural offices.  At Skidmore, Kerwin ran the firm's efforts on Chicago's unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The new firm is called Brininstool, Kerwin and Lynch.

"If we just stayed as we were, it could be another two years that we waited this thing out," said Brad Lynch, one of the architects. "We really want to be working on buildings."

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