What STUDIO tla does

STUDIO tla is a Toronto-headquartered landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm founded in 1980, employing approximately 35 staff across partners, principals, associates, project managers, landscape architects, technicians, and administrative roles. The firm serves two principal customer segments — municipal and government clients (including the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place, and cities across the GTA such as Mississauga, Hamilton, Pickering, and Richmond Hill) and private real estate developers (Tridel, CentreCourt, Liberty Development, Metropia, RioCan, Dream Office REIT, Port Credit West Partnership, Starbank Development Group) — with selected international work in China (Wuxi, Shanghai, Kunming, Wuhan), the UAE (Dubai D3 Design District for TECOM), and the U.S. (Texas office parks with Gensler).

The firm's core offerings span landscape architecture (parks, waterfronts, streetscapes, public realm), urban design, master planning for large-scale mixed-use developments, and specialized services including waterfront design and community engagement. Notable technical capabilities include structural soil cell and sub-drainage systems for tree planting in constrained urban voids (Daphne Restaurant Terrace), Low Impact Development stormwater management (bioswales, rain gardens, permeable paving, wetland restoration), advanced 3D modeling and VR visualization for complex public art installations (Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024), and Indigenous-led co-design processes integrated through Indigenous Advisory Circles and Community Advisory Committees.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees negotiated by scope, complexity, and client type. The firm operates a sales-led go-to-market, winning work through competitive RFPs and design competitions for public sector clients and through direct commissions and prior relationships for private developers. Demand generation is portfolio-driven via the firm website, active LinkedIn and Instagram channels, industry awards (Texas ASLA, Mississauga Urban Design Awards, OALA), and thought leadership through partner lectures and media features. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the firm maintains no standard rate cards or subscription pricing. Long-tenured client relationships (notably Canada's Wonderland, 20+ years) provide revenue stability, while flagship projects (Ontario Place Waterfront Park, Pickering City Centre, Scholars' Green Park, Bramrose Square) anchor the project pipeline.

Name

STUDIO tla

Legal name

STUDIO tla

Website

https://studiotla.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STUDIO tla is a Toronto-based landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm founded in 1980, serving municipal governments and private real estate developers across Canada, the USA, China, and the UAE through project-based professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture
• Urban design
• Master planning
• Public realm design
• Waterfront design

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Services: STUDIO tla provides professional landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning services on a project fee basis. Revenue is generated through consulting fees for design, planning, and construction administration services across public and private sector projects in Canada, the USA, China, UAE, and other international markets. Projects range from small public parks to large-scale master planned communities, with fees proportional to project scope and complexity.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STUDIO tla is a professional services firm providing landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning for public and private sector clients. Its deliverables span site analysis, conceptual and detailed design, construction documentation, contract administration, and community engagement for parks, waterfronts, mixed-use developments, entertainment districts, institutional campuses, and streetscapes across North America and internationally.

Product overview

STUDIO tla is a landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm operating as a single unified service practice. Their portfolio encompasses landscape architecture, urban design, master planning, public realm design, waterfront design, and community engagement services. The firm works across diverse project types including parks, mixed-use developments, entertainment districts, institutional campuses, and public spaces. Notable projects include Ontario Place Waterfront Park, Pickering City Centre, Brightwater community, and various municipal parks throughout North America and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Services Full-service landscape architecture covering parks, public spaces, waterfronts, and urban environments. Services include site analysis, conceptual design, detailed design, construction documentation, and contract administration for municipalities, developers, and institutions.
• Urban Design Urban design services focused on creating meaningful spatial experiences that connect people to the places they live, work, and play, including streetscape design, public realm enhancement, and mixed-use development planning.
• Master Planning Comprehensive master planning for large-scale developments, including community design, campus planning, and district-level urban frameworks for international and domestic clients.
• Public Realm Design Specialized public realm design creating accessible, inclusive environments for civic spaces, parks, plazas, and waterfront areas for municipal and institutional clients.
• Waterfront Design Expert waterfront design services including lakefront park master planning, shoreline restoration, and water-accessible public spaces for municipalities and developers.
• Community Engagement Community consultation and engagement services that ensure designs respond to user needs and stakeholder input through public meetings, workshops, Indigenous Advisory Circles, and multi-phase public consultations.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the largest permanent Indigenous public art installations in Eastern Canada (Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024) serving 5.3 million annual visitors at Exhibition Place
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and historical.

• gh3 (Partners: gh3*)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla has a recurring collaboration with gh3 (architect and urban designer) on multiple projects, most notably Scholars' Green Park Phases 1 and 2 in Mississauga, where both firms worked collaboratively as joint design leads for the City of Mississauga and Sheridan College.
• Diamond Schmitt ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla collaborates with Diamond Schmitt Architects on the Therme Canada | Ontario Place Waterfront Park project, where both firms are part of a multidisciplinary team led by Therme Group alongside Baird & Associates.
• Turner Fleischer ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla is collaborating with Turner Fleischer as architecture colleagues on Bramrose Square, a 15-tower mixed-use development in Brampton, Ontario.
• GenslercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla partnered with Gensler (architect) on the Spectrum Center office park renovation in Addison, Texas, and on the 3300 Olympus multi-phase office campus in Coppell, Texas.
• Kirkor Architects and PlannersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla collaborates with Kirkor Architects as part of a consulting team on the Finch & Sentinel redevelopment in northwest Toronto, working alongside Bousfields, BA Group, Crozier, and Beacon Environmental.
• Bousfields (Planning)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla works alongside Bousfields as planning consultants within the multidisciplinary team for the Finch & Sentinel tower neighbourhood redevelopment.
• BA GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBA Group provides transit and transportation planning expertise as part of the multidisciplinary team for Pickering City Centre and other projects where STUDIO tla leads the public realm design.
• Beacon EnvironmentalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeacon Environmental contributes natural heritage and environmental expertise on projects including Finch & Sentinel redevelopment, focusing on ecological restoration and urban forest rehabilitation.
• SWA GrouphistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWA Group collaborated with STUDIO tla on the National Holocaust Monument finalist proposal (alongside Quadrangle Architects). Several STUDIO tla principals completed projects at SWA before joining STUDIO tla (D3 Dubai, Raycom Campus were completed by Jeffrey Craft while at SWA).
• Quadrangle ArchitectshistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuadrangle Architects collaborated with SWA Group and STUDIO tla on the National Holocaust Monument proposal, which was shortlisted as a finalist in the Government of Canada's international competition.
• Cumulus ArchitectssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla collaborated with Cumulus Architects alongside Studio Paolo Ferrari (interior designer) on the Daphne Restaurant Terrace project for Dream Office REIT.
• Studio Paolo FerrarisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Paolo Ferrari provided interior design for the Daphne Restaurant Terrace, with the alleyway designed as a natural extension of the interior finishes in a mid-century theme.
• Pellow+Associates ArchitectssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla worked collaboratively with Pellow+Associates Architects on the Niagara Outlet Collection landscape design enhancement project.
• Jewish Federation of TorontomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTUDIO tla designed the outdoor program of the Sherman Campus for the Jewish Federation of Toronto, delivering an aquatic centre, children's play facility, sports fields, amphitheatre, and outdoor spaces within a designated flood zone.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PFS Studio: PFS Studio is a Vancouver-based landscape architecture and urban design firm with a comparable Canadian practice competing for public realm, mixed-use, and waterfront commissions in the same municipal RFP pools that STUDIO tla pursues.
• PMA Landscape Architects: PMA Landscape Architects is a Toronto-based landscape architecture practice with overlapping GTA public-sector and developer clients, making it a direct peer for the same condominium, POPS, and park commissions STUDIO tla pursues.
• Janet Rosenberg & Studio: Janet Rosenberg & Studio is a Toronto landscape architecture firm working on similar public parks, waterfronts, and streetscape commissions across the GTA, competing head-to-head with STUDIO tla in municipal RFPs.
• gh3*: gh3* is a Toronto architecture and urban design practice that co-leads projects with STUDIO tla (Scholars' Green Park) and pursues the same Ontario municipal and developer commissions, making it both a partner and a competing landscape-and-public-realm peer.

Broad incumbents

• SWA Group: SWA is a large international landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm where Managing Director Jeffrey Craft previously worked; it competes with STUDIO tla for the same large-scale master-planning and waterfront commissions, including joint competitor status on landmark competition entries.
• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is a multi-disciplinary design firm with a strong landscape architecture practice competing for the same large master-planning, campus, and waterfront commissions that STUDIO tla pursues at international scale.
• OLIN: OLIN is a US-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio that competes with STUDIO tla for high-profile public realm, park, and waterfront commissions and is frequently shortlisted alongside the firm for award recognition.
• James Corner Field Operations: James Corner Field Operations is an internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm competing for the same waterfront and large-scale public-realm commissions as STUDIO tla on a global basis.
• HOK: HOK is a global design firm with a landscape architecture practice that competes for the same large institutional, mixed-use, and entertainment-district commissions as STUDIO tla, including mixed-use master plans and theme-park-adjacent work.
• Diamond Schmitt Architects: Diamond Schmitt is a leading Canadian architecture firm that collaborates with STUDIO tla on the Ontario Place project and competes with the firm (via affiliated landscape sub-consultants) for major institutional and master-planning commissions in Ontario.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studio-tla
• Instagraminstagram.com/studiotla
• Xx.com/studiotla
• Facebookfacebook.com/STUDIOtla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STUDIO tla