Shaping common ground.
We are a Canadian architecture and landscape architecture practice specializing in public sector work.
Our Approach
We work with community-focused clients to shape the public realm and create common catalysts for positive change on the ground. Our approach to shaping common ground is optimistic, inclusive, and forward-looking. We believe a well-designed public realm is vital for healthy cities.
Our Portfolio
The well-being of the public realm is shaped by the co-operation of architecture and landscape architecture working as one. We are experts in small to medium-sized public commissions for complex cultural, educational, and recreational facilities, social infrastructure projects, and mixed-use commercial and residential works.
Our Clients
Our clients are visionaries. They care deeply about their community and they value good design and the impact it has on the work they do. With studios across the country, we are local and ready to collaborate.
Together, we are public life support.
Public City is a design practice rooted in an exploration of the public realm. Our playful philosophy approaches design as “public life support”. Since 2016, when Plain Projects and Peter Sampson Architecture Studio joined forces, our work has examined public infrastructure as an active agent in civic life. Known for some of our smaller vibrant and award-winning works, we have a diverse portfolio that includes libraries, schools, and other public commissions across Canada. We have built our reputation on transforming familiar objects and programs like shipping containers, parking lots, disco balls, and washrooms, into layered mashups of community and social interaction. With studios in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Edmonton, we are committed to a practice of well-being in the Canadian urban public realm… by design.