28 - Sunday, April 21, 1991 - North Shore oe News David Aitken and Peter Wreglesworth ‘Ss: David Aitken/Peter Wreplesworth AGES: 52/48 BORN: Winnipeg/England OCCUPATION: Founding prin- cipals, Aitken Wreglesworth Associates Architects Ltd. EDUCATION: Montana State grad/University of Manitoba prad RESIBENCE: West Vancouver By Evelyn Jacob News Reporter AS FOUNDERS of one of B.C.'s top architectural firms, Aitken Wreglesworth Associates Ar- chitects Ltd. (AWA), David Aitken and Peter Wreglesworth are not only climbing the ladder to success, they've managed to build their own fire escape. The company emerged at a time when both were experiencing con- flict in their personal and profes- sional lives — failed relationships (both have been divorced) and the huge pressures that come with success. lt fed them to change the way NEWS photos Mike Waketietd PARTNERS DAVID Aitken and Peter Wreglesworth (above) decided years ago that they didn’t want to compete with other architectural firms, so they invented their own. Professional ecretaries Neek April 21-27, 1991 Behind Every Great Boss Is a Great Secretary! Make her day with a colourful bouquet of fresh flowers! the lower mainland for Excellence in Quality & Design 1804 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver 987-9351 they do business and the way they conduct their lives. “The big issue ino my career, and for many others, is the feeling that when I'm at home | should be at work, and when I'm at work } should be at home.’ says Aitken, 52. “operate guilt-free now. How the day starts for me is, nothwithstunding some of the tasks ahead that may be daunting in some way, | eet to come to work with my friends. It can’t get better than that."* The two say they built their firm on the same basic principles that characterized their friendship: honesty, trust and mutual respect. When asked about their favorite Project, they point to their co- workers rather than some huge building. “We really believe in the idea of community in the sense of relatedness.’’ says Aitken, ‘‘and our firm, I think, is nothing more or less than a creative community. it is our finest project. \t's a liv- ing, breathing, dynsmic organiza- tion and the people within it are growing, learning and prosper- ing.”’ Although not run as a coopera- tive — Aitken and Wreglesworth are the company’s founding prin- cipals and there are now seven other partners —- the company adheres to a belief system that stresses integrity, employee respect as well as professional and per- soral growth. Theirs, you could say, is a sort-of New Age management style. Employees, says Wreglesworth, sporting a thick head of snow- white hair that is contrasted by striking jet-black eyebrows, are constanily encouraged to share their ideas. Aitken says they didn’t want ta compete with the province’s 400- odd architectural firms so they decided to invent their own, “We're not the hierarchical maestro-style firm. We are a clinic of experts who team together, which means that ego at times has to be set aside.’’ According to Aitken, the time of the inspired individual genius — which fulfilled the need for a "NOTICE TO MOTORISTS SQUAMISH HIGHWAY ACCORDING TO David Aitken the romantic concept of individ- 3 ual genius is past - society needs to embrace the idea of community interaction in ali spheres. romantic hero but denied the no- tion of teamwork — is over. ‘It’s been over for same time, it's just 64 We're not the hierarchical maestro- style firm. We are a clinic of experts who team together... 99 that our society hasn’t caught up with the idea.”* When it comes to design, the partners believe in including their clients in the creative process; opinions are never discounted. The Rogers Cantel Tower at Jetrotown, Simon Fraser Univer- sity’s Harbour Centre Campus and the 22-storey office tower at 401 West Georgia were all design- ed in the same give-and-take manner. “We don’t start knowing what a building is going to look like,’’ says Wreglesworth. *‘‘lt emerges from the participation of all par- ties. Our clients are very much a part of the creative process. We don't go off in a backroom and PF dream up something and then try to sell it."” The two like to talk about their ‘‘visionary clients,’? people who trusted in them in their early days to do the right thing. Tom Simons of H.A. Simons, for whom the 401-West Georgia tower was built, **kept the faith and trusted us,’’ says Aitken, Other big-league customers, heavyweights like Cambridge Shopping Centres and Marathon Realty, have also kept the faith, confident in the way the pair does business. Last year AWA finished with billings of $5 million, making it one of the two top firms in the province. Three recent commercia! developments all figure in the $100 million ballpark (the tower complex development at Bur- naby’s Metrotown, when com- pleted, will actually be more like $240 million). The firm's phenomenal growth prompted the partners to re- evaluate their North Shore Esplanade Street location, and last month they packed up and moved 80 employees and dozens of crates of drawings across the water to a new 22,000 square foot space in the historic Landing building. BRUNSWICK POINT ROCK SCALING PROJECT (21 km. north cf Horseshoe Bay) As part of its five-year slope stabilization program, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways announces that the following temporary road closures will be in effect from Monday April 8 to Friday April 26: 9:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Monday to Friday) 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Monday to Thursday) There will be no closures on Friday afternoons or on weekends. These temporary closures are required to allow the Ministry's Brunswick Point project contractor, Cougar Rock Contracting (1988) Ltd., to undertake blasting, rock scaling and rock bolting work. Effective Monday April 29, motorists should expect 20-minute delays at Brunswick Point until the project is completed. For further informaticn, please call the 24-hour Road Report at 1-800-€63-4997. Province of British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways Hon. Lyati Hanson, Minister