Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/124234
Opening Minds Creative horsepower drives P3Architecture Partnership by Bill Armstrong P laid Day at P3Architecture Partnership (P3A) in Regina means almost everyone in the office is wearing something with a plaid pattern. One of the exceptions is Oban, a West Highland White Terrier who gives every visitor a cursory sniff before heading off to more interesting adventures. Things like Plaid Day and the presence of a fourlegged office mascot are signs that P3A staff are open to having fun while they work. P3A's 10,500-square-foot p08-11 P3coverstory.indd 8 home in Regina's warehouse district reflects the firm's values and its open-minded, integrated approach to architecture, design and planning. For example, the 32 staff members work in a large open space framed by the original brick walls and stout wooden beams, with senior partners mixed in amongst younger staff. The boardroom and two meeting rooms feature white walls on the east and west sides, with glass walls on the other sides allowing natural light to enter through the building's north- and south-facing windows, and a clear view into the main workspace. "We've always said that your best advertisement as an architect is your office," says architect Chris Roszell, part of the team that designed the space. "We wanted people to walk in and be inspired and say, 'Wow.'" The firm moved into the second-floor space in the 1926 warehouse building after outgrowing its former location in downtown Regina. The firm's partners – Luigi Mazzotti, David Brown, Robert Beug, Patrick Kelly, James Youck and 13-04-05 1:51 PM