Architects in Copartnership, 195378

architects in Syracuse. In addition, there were some smaller jobs spun off from the work on the World Trade Center in New York, and scaling down of work on the building for Dalhousie University in Halifax. The US work accounted for around 70 percent of the total volume during the early part of this period, in 1971 and 1972. Study and planning work continued at previous levels of about 25 percent of total volume, but the emphasis shifted to urban development as opposed to single sites. The most signicant jobs came, after 1972, in the development of the waterfront in Halifax and the harborfront in Toronto. Meanwhile, staff levels grew moderately, from thirty people in 1970 to forty-three by early 1973. The number of associates had dropped to two by 1972. The ofce remained in the same location over the period. During its renewed growth, the rm moved clearly away from departmentalization of the staff. With the departure in 1971 of the last interior designer, no specialized departments remained. Most of the remaining staff were general-purpose designers and draftsmen. Even when, in 1971, three urban designers were hired in response to the volume in urban planning work, they retained a strong job orientation, working with architects on project teams. Similarly, after the departure of the last manager in 1971, the partners avoided the creation of formal managerial positions, other than those connected with particular jobs (such as project manager). Ray explained the shift: Managers tend to be too administratively oriented. They are not close enough to the work. At the beginning of the period, there were clearly fewer tensions in the partnership than in the previous period. In addition to the shift to a task orientation, a hierarchy had emerged in the partnership structure. Ray and Fred were viewed as the senior partners, while Art and Ramesh were, in a sense, feeling their way into the partner role. The decline in the ideology of equality was further indicated by Freds negotiation of rst listing of his name in the partnership. The partners also tried to stay clear of organizational issues, which had created such conicts in earlier years. Within the generally looser management structure, Art Nichols, who had been substantially involved in administrative work even as an associate, assumed many of the management responsibilities. His more junior partnership role helped to ensure that administrative work would not become a major preoccupation of the partnership. As part of the effort to acquire new business, ofce operations were established in Toronto. In 1971, an associate was appointed in Toronto, but the arrangement was minimally successful, and terminated in 1973 when Paul Hughes was taken in as a partner to oversee a full-edged ofce
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