Reflections from a Retiring Senior Architectural Technician on 45 Years in the Industry
The world of architecture has always been one of constant evolution. As I prepare to retire, I find myself reflecting on just how much has changed since my career began in 1979. From the tools we used to the culture of the workplace, architecture in those early days was an entirely different experience.
Over the last 45 years, the architectural world has undergone monumental changes, redefining how we create, collaborate, and build. As I approach retirement, I find myself reflecting on how different the industry looks today compared to when I first stepped into an architectural office in 1979.
If you were somehow transported back to 1979 and found yourself working in a medium-sized architectural office, would you be able to adapt?
Let me paint a picture of what it was like for me when I was starting out, and how the landscape of architecture has transformed since then.
Working in an architectural office in 2024 is a lot different to how it was when I started my career back in 1979. If you were suddenly transported back to 1979 like Sam Tyler was transported back to 1973 in the TV series ‘Life on Mars’, do you think you could cut it working in a small -medium size architect’s office in Leicester in the late 20th century?
Walking into your new job in an Architect’s office in 1979 having landed from 2024, here are some examples of what you would notice:
- The noise of typewriters in the reception as you walk in the door for the first time. The secretaries would be busy typing letters and reports. No PCs in 1979, so no Word docs etc. The noise of typewriters was like a constant background noise in the office.
- The smell of smoke. Smoking was allowed in the workplace. Plenty of people smoking cigarettes, and sometimes pipes & even cigars. I always seemed to end up sitting next to a chain smoker. Pipe smokers would sometimes bang their pipes against the bins when they cleaned them out.
- If you are female, you are likely be the only female among the technical staff, (and office partners).
- You will not address the partners by their first names. So, it’s Mr Leonard, Mr Francis and Mr Wilson to you.
- In the drawing office, you will see drawing boards with T-squares. No PC’s . You will be drawing everything by hand and in 1979 it’s quite likely you will still be drawing to imperial scales. Drawing boards would usually be an A1 size timber block board propped at an angle on the desk using bricks for support. No parallel motion or draughting machines. The practice partners would have those if they were around. AutoCAD wouldn’t be arriving in most architects’ practices until the early/mid 1990’s.
- You would have to provide your own drawing equipment. Pens, pencils, stencils, adjustable square, compass, and…INK. The practice would not supply those. You may find a spare scale rule, and perhaps scrounge a pencil. Your colleagues will be very protective of their drawing equipment and so will you, because it was very expensive. A single Rotring drawing pen was around £10.00. My starting salary in 1979 was £1,500.00 PA.
- The first 15 mins of the working day would usually be spent trying to persuade your drawing pens to work. They dried up overnight. Worst case, you would be taking the pens apart and washing over a sink to salvage them with, (to avoid spending £5.00 on a new nib).
Ancient Artifacts
- Building regs & Planning Applications were free of charge. No Fees. No Planning consultants. No DAS. No Principal designers, CDM, or QA.
- You will be working to Building Regulations 1976; a small A5 size booklet. No Saps, or Part O, Part L. Building Insulation is overrated and optional.
- The drawing office phone is likely to be shared between several people. If you need information, there will be no Google Search. Maybe a Barbour Index, or a bespoke muddle of an office library comprised of random information booklets gathered over the years and definitely out-of-date. You’ll end up having to pick up the phone and arrange for a company representative to come in with the latest information so you can progress your drawings.
- You will have to print any drawings on a semi-dry dyeline machine one sheet at a time using special paper with a light sensitive yellow coating on one side- it was essentially a 2-stage photographic process. If you have a planning application to submit, you will be standing at that print machine for a very long time making all those copies, then folding them. Oh, and you’ll have to mix more developer for the machine if it runs out. Good reason to cram as much information on each A1 drawing sheet to reduce the number of copies you have to make.
- Any letters you have to write will be drafted by hand, then taken down to the admin office for typing. If the secretaries can’t read your writing, it could take a while for the letter to go out with all the checking and re-typing. All letters will be signed by the partners, so if they dislike your letter, you will have to re-draft it and it will need re-typing. Could be a day or so before any letter and accompanying drawings finally make it into the post.
- You will have to do your own measured site surveys, this could sometimes mean having to use a dumpy level, as well as tapes, and chains. A lot of the time you will be trying to draw extension projects from partners site surveys they did themselves during the client visit. I mostly found them quite illegible, but you can’t tell them that.
- The office admin staff would organise an office tea round 3 times a day, and they would bring the drinks on a tea tray with sugar bowl. Drinks would be in cups and saucers, not mugs. No biscuits though. Other than chatting at fixed tea breaks, the drawing office would mostly be deathly quiet which would only broken by the scratching of tracing paper with razor blades accompanied by a lot of huffing.
From these examples you can see the work process in an architect’s was a lot slower in 1979 than it is today with the IT technology that we use. Starting and finishing a drawing, then issuing it by COP as we are quite often asked for in 2024 wasn’t realistic. COP in 1979 meant hand drawn drawing, hand printed then put in an envelope with an accompanying hand typed letter, franked and ready for the postman at 5.00pm sharp. If you missed the post, your drawing issue wouldn’t go out until the following day unless you hand delivered it.
No pinging it off attached to an e-mail at 11.59pm.
As I reflect on my journey, I’m proud of how far the profession has come and inspired by the exciting future of architecture. The principles that first drew me to this industry—creativity, precision, and the ability to shape spaces—remain as vital as ever, continually evolving with modern innovation. If you’re a developer, landowner, or business seeking architectural expertise, the Woods Hardwick architectural team combines a proud tradition of excellence with forward-thinking innovation. Contact us today, and let’s bring your vision to life.
