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Clockwise from left: University of Regina Research and Innovation Centre (RIC); P3A's 10,500-square-foot warehouse space, Regina; Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, Swift Current, SK. Wyatt Eckert – handed the design work to three younger members of the team in March 2011. Roszell, architectural technologist Andrea Kowalchuk and interior designer Meghan Campbell led the planning process, which included an internal design charrette. (Campbell was the first registered interior designer to join P3A in 2008. The firm now has three registered interior designers.) Converting the space from a pool hall to office space began in June 2011 with the help of a site manager and hired subcontractors. Everyone at P3A continued working on regular assignments at the same time. Campbell notes that fast-tracking the project meant testing things out and making changes on the fly. The office move took place in late November 2011, just two weeks after the original target date. "We were lucky that we'd been in the old space on Scarth Street for a time," Youck observes. "Having two separate studio spaces there for architecture and design, and seeing the charrette unfold, you could see the desire for greater teamwork, collaboration and transparency among the staff. Our office is a microcosm of how we all contribute to every project." P3A traces its roots back to 1954, when Joseph Pettick established his one-man architectural practice. Pettick's body of work includes several distinctive highrise buildings in Regina's downtown, including the SaskPower head office and Regina City Hall. He later merged his firm with Colin Phillips to form Pettick, Phillips and Partners Architects, later abbreviated as P3A. "Joe was very much the 'heroic' architect in an age where clients hired the creative genius of the individual," Youck observes. "The firm is very different today, in that the design process is more collaborative, with the input and participation of many creative participants, as well as the active engagement of the client. Where Joe's legacy remains is the strong sense of professionalism, the primacy of good design, and a strong ethical sense." There are other connections. Luigi Mazzotti is an original founding member of P3A as it is currently configured, having worked as a draftsman about p08-11 P3coverstory.indd 9 the time that Pettick and Phillips amalgamated. Youck joined the company in 1998 after completing his studies in Ottawa. Fellow Saskatchewan ex-pats Patrick Kelly from Edmonton and Rob Beug from Toronto soon landed back in Regina. "There were maybe six architects registered in the province under the age of 35 at that time," Kelly observes, "and three of us worked for Joe and Colin." Youck points to the year 2000 as the time when the current partners assumed the leadership of P3A. The firm struggled for a few years in the province's stagnant economy. There were times, Youck states, when the firm was living in the red, and months where the partners did not cash their paycheques. It gave them an appreciation for a project, no matter how small, and that it should be approached with the same "creative horsepower" as a large, high-profile project. "We were much smaller then," Youck recalls, "and the partners did the design, drafting, specification writing and contract administration. We learned earlier in our careers that working in silos meant we missed out on the creative cross-pollination that results when you work on multiple phases and diverse types of projects." With this key component of the corporate culture in place the partners also learned some other valuable lessons. Recruiting people who grew up in Saskatchewan and established their credentials elsewhere has produced good results. Giving people opportunities to tackle challenging assignments and carve out their own career path by pursuing specific areas of interest has also proven to be a powerful tool for recruiting, retaining and developing staff. Students from Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) now line up to do their work terms at P3A. If the year 2000 marked a generational shift within the firm, the Terrace building at Regina's Innovation Place research park was its watershed project that affirmed sustainability as a cornerstone of P3A's practice. "The Terrace was the first sustainable project for our firm," Youck says, "and marked a point of April 2013 /9 13-04-05 1:51 PM