Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/493534
10 | A PR IL 2015 Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. But Ramsey concedes, "In our business we're always looking six to eight months ahead, and there's never any rock-solid certainty." Group2 was launched in 1985 by Graeme Leadbeater and Ron Chikmoroff, who decided to strike out on their own after the architectural firm they worked for in Red Deer went out of business. "It was a practical, functional decision on their part," jokes Webber. A third principal, Ron Morrison, joined the company early on, and the trio scored early successes in the sports, recreation and education sectors. "A key project in the early days that helped put them on the map was the Red Deer Centrium arena, followed by two large schools in that city," says Webber. Group2 grew to 13 people by the mid 1990s, and it broadened its scope to include health care projects. "By 2002 we had a great team of 30 people, and at that point we began transitioning to our current group of principals," says Webber. Leadbeater, Chikmoroff and Morrison have moved on, and in addition to Webber and Ramsey Group2 principals consist of David Cheetham, Nancy Vruwink, Laura Plosz, Troy Smith, Kari Anne Gaume, Stacy Christensen, Allan Partridge, and Anneliese Fris. With the transition came physical expansion. "We opened our Calgary studio in 2003, and then found a great opportunity in Edmonton," says Ramsey, who joined the firm in 2007. "We opened our Saskatchewan studio when some of our colleagues, who were originally from that province, expressed a desire to live closer to home." Troy Smith and Laura Plosz who had worked in the Edmonton studio are now the principals leading Group2's growing Saskatchewan studio. This organic growth and various strategically planned mergers with like-minded firms has allowed the firm to grow to a total staff number of 100. In addition to REVIT and other systems that simplify the design process, what is even more important is tying these offices and people together. "We've worked to develop a highly collaborative culture at Group2," says Webber. "This extends to our clients, external partners and especially to the work we do between our studios. It's an extremely high priority because it allows us to respond to clients the way we want to." The collaborative culture then allows Group2 to focus on a design process that leads to highly functional facilities. "That's how we approach any project: how will people use the facility?" Ramsey says. "That dictates everything, from layout, space sizes, orientation, overall appearance and even finishes." Adhering to sustainable design principles is another core value. So committed is Group2 to this process that the team has, in the educational realm for example, sought input from renowned education specialists Howard Gardner and Ted McCain. "As is the case with recreation centres, educational facili- ties are changing fundamentally, with the change prompted by new concepts in teaching," says Webber. "Gardner and McCain have written many books about these new directions and are leaders in their field; listening to what they have to say has given us many design ideas." Practicality notwithstanding, Webber and Ramsey derive a good deal of satisfac- tion and often downright fun from their work. "The Edmonton office of DDB Canada is a good case in point," says Ramsey. "The trend for advertising agencies is to be located in lofts or warehouses, so when we renovated DDB we referred to these settings tongue in cheek by using oversized bricks and exaggerated flooring. It was designed with a sense of humour, and everyone loved it." Most refreshingly, the partners are humble about their achievements. When complimented on the stark, angular geometry of the Peace Wapiti Academy enve- lope in Grande Prairie, Webber laughs: "That was a simple roof replacement, and we're glad it turned out so well!" As for the future, the partners have reached a level of comfort that precludes expanding into new markets – at least for the time being. "Instead, we'll concentrate on adding more principals and expanding our existing studios," says Ramsey, to which Webber concludes, "We're in a good place right now in terms of our relation- ships with each other, our clients and contractors. Frankly, we think we have some of the best capacity and coverage in Alberta, so we'll just keep doing what we do best." A Peace Wapiti Academy; Northgate Transit Centre building; Climbing wall in the Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre at the University of Alberta.