The summers of 1969-1971 and the year 1973-1974, I joined Paul Barnard at WZMH Architects.
During that time WZMH was one of the largest architectural firms in Canada. I assisted Paul in many of the projects that he was responsible for. The two key projects that I worked on were an office development in Halifax,The Cube, and a Residential/Hotel Complex in Toronto.
The Halifax project, The Cube, developed into three mid-rise towers in a matured treed site. Three cubes in the landscape with reflected glass
arranged symmetrically around a landscaped court. Of particular interest was the opportunity ot explore the utilization the water flowing in a small creek that crossed the site for cooling purposes.
The site for the Residential/ hotel Complex was on Wynford Drive. It had a substantial slope towards the south. The curving grades of the elongated east/west offered an expressive clue for the design of the complex.
Two towers one for the residential and the other for hotel shared a common greenhouse atrium. How to produce the curved drawings with a parallel ruler and set squares became a challenge. A solution was found, and the drawings were prepared.
Between these two projects I participated in the design of a proposed hotel for Four Seasons in Paris, the RBC tower, and a proposed residential development in Toronto.
From Central Technical School, I learned a few rudimentary drawing skills; Ron imparted the poetics of architecture and a love of craftsmanship. Whereas from WZMH, I gained knowledge about the business of architecture. All this began with that coincidence with Mr. Quinn. It integrated the attributes of convergence and transformation, leading to my own independent and critical thinking.