ABSTRACT
In the variety of projects developed under self-help initiatives, design services were normally provided by architects in some form of private practice. At one extreme was the relatively large organization created by Rod Hackney, physically dispersed but centrally directed; at the other was Walter Segal, who always worked entirely alone, never employing an assistant or even a part-time secretary. In between were more conventional small or medium-size practices where most of the work was done by salaried staff under the direction of the partners in the firm. For some architects there seemed an inherent contradiction between the co-operation they were fostering in their client groups and the hierarchical structure of their own working lives. If co-operation was a successful model for the development of community based projects, perhaps it could also form the basis of new, more democratic approach to professional practice.
