the studio

We are PLANT. We are architects and landscape architects and we make personal and public spaces for people like you.

We’ve been doing this for thirty years. We’ve done a lot of beautiful, weird, and interesting things, and we bring that knowledge to every new project. Including yours.

Research and critical thinking are fundamental to the way we work. We use our love of debate and iteration to create projects with a strong cultural-historical grounding, a sensitivity to the nature of individual sites, and a deep interest in how people live in and experience space.

We call ourselves PLANT because, like a plant, we have a deep-rooted connection to the environment and a strong sense of place. Like the other kind of plant, we also make things; we value process, craft, and construction. Sometimes we like to plant things – like ideas in people’s minds, or unexpectedly delightful moments in a place – and of course beautiful flora in landscapes.

design that listens

We come from different disciplinary backgrounds and we challenge each other to explore design problems from many perspectives. When we begin a project, we research, investigate, experiment, and sometimes debate like crazy. We take no aspect of the design as a given; we question everything, and commit ourselves to pursuing the questions until a hard-won consensus is reached. As a result, our design solutions are strong, flexible, and responsive to the needs of many different types of people.

design that lasts

Though our work is unquestionably contemporary, it delves deeper than simply following the latest trend. We ground our designs in a deep reading of the cultural, physical, and historical context of the place and community, and develop our projects with precision and careful consideration of details to ensure they stand the test of time.

design for public good

We are committed to building communities – one living space, one workplace, one public space at a time. Whether our clients are individuals or large organizations, we find opportunities to fulfil their requirements while also contributing to the public good. We create spaces that inspire cultural discovery, promote intellectual inquiry, value contemplation, and are there for people to enjoy and engage with. We use resources wisely, and value stewardship of our shared environment.

design at any scale

We understand that the small details are just as important as the big vision. The design of a chair can have as much impact on someone’s life as the design of a building or a major urban square. We get excited about how both big and small things are made, and how small details can affect people’s experience in big ways.

meet the studio

Chris Pommer, Lisa Rapoport, and Mary Tremain founded PLANT in 1994. Since then, we have grown to include a team of Architects, Landscape Architects, designers, and support staff. In 2017, Eric Klaver became the studio’s fourth partner.

We are based in Toronto, but we do work across Canada and Internationally.