Future Cities Lab
Future Cities Lab (d/b/a FUTUREFORMS) is a San Francisco-based art and design studio founded in 2005 by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno. It creates commissioned large-scale public art, immersive light installations, and arts master planning for municipal governments, cultural institutions, and private developers across the U.S.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Future Cities Lab does
Future Cities Lab, operating commercially as FUTUREFORMS, is a privately held art and design studio founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco. It is co-led by Jason Kelly Johnson (Founding Design Partner and Lead Artist) and Nataly Gattegno, with a headcount of 1–10. The studio specializes in large-scale public art, immersive light installations, exterior installations, objects, and speculative design proposals, executed as commissioned projects rather than as a software or product platform.
Its core outputs are individual named installations — including Weatherscape (El Paso, TX), Orbital (San Francisco, CA), Cosmos (Silicon Valley, CA), Radiance (Chattanooga, TN), Anemone (Albany, CA), Constellations (Pensacola, FL), Lightweave (Washington D.C.), and One Thousand Suns (Sunnyvale, CA) — alongside Arts Master Planning advisory services for arts and cultural initiatives. The work combines artistic design with fabrication and installation expertise, targeting urban and environmental contexts.
The business model is project-based commissioned work: the studio secures one-time commissions from municipal governments, cultural institutions, and private developers, with pricing not publicly disclosed and quoted per project based on scope, materials, and installation requirements. Revenue is therefore lumpy and tied to the commission pipeline rather than recurring contracts. Go-to-market is direct client engagement, supported by a portfolio website as the primary marketing channel. No institutional funding, parent company, partnerships, patents, or awards are disclosed.
Future Cities Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Future Cities Lab
- Legal name
- Future Cities Lab
- Website
- http://www.future-cities-lab.net/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Future Cities Lab (d/b/a FUTUREFORMS) is a San Francisco-based art and design studio founded in 2005 by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno. It creates commissioned large-scale public art, immersive light installations, and arts master planning for municipal governments, cultural institutions, and private developers across the U.S.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Future Cities Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Art Installations & Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)
Keywords
Where Future Cities Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Future Cities Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Public Art Commissions: Project-based commissions for public art installations, light installations, and art master planning for municipal and institutional clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Future Cities Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Future Cities Lab (d/b/a FUTUREFORMS) is an experimental art and design studio that designs, fabricates, and installs large-scale immersive light installations, exterior public art installations, objects, and speculative design proposals for urban environments. The studio also provides Arts Master Planning advisory services for cultural initiatives and public space development.
Product overview
FUTUREFORMS is an art and design studio specializing in immersive light installations and public art projects. The studio, led by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno, offers a portfolio of named installation projects (Weatherscape, Orbital, Cosmos, Radiance, Anemone, Constellations, Lightweave, One Thousand Suns) across various U.S. cities, along with Arts Master Planning advisory services. The offerings consist of individual immersive installation projects and strategic planning services, rather than a unified software platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Weatherscape
Companies that use Future Cities Lab
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Future Cities Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Future Cities Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Future Cities Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Studio DRIFT: Dutch art studio founded by Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn that creates large-scale immersive and light-based installations comparable to Future Cities Lab's public art practice. Both studios operate at the intersection of art, technology, and architecture for civic and cultural clients.
- Random International: London-based studio known for immersive installations such as Rain Room, working with the same intersection of art, light, and public engagement. Comparable to Future Cities Lab in producing signature, large-scale works for cultural and institutional venues.
- teamLab: Japanese interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive digital and light installations globally. Overlaps with Future Cities Lab on the immersive installation format and on serving cultural institutions and public-facing venues.
- United Visual Artists: London-based design studio creating light, sound, and spatial installations for cultural and public spaces. Highly comparable in scale, founder-driven structure, and project-based commissions for public-facing art.
- Jason Bruges Studio: UK design studio specializing in permanent light and interactive public art installations for civic and cultural clients. Similar to Future Cities Lab in producing site-specific, founder-led, architecture-meets-art commissions.
- Rob Ley Studio: U.S.-based design studio producing lighting and public art installations that integrate art and architecture. Comparable in project scale, civic client base, and integration of light as a primary medium.
- Refik Anadol Studio: Los Angeles-based media arts studio known for large-scale immersive data-driven installations at museums and civic venues. Comparable to Future Cities Lab in delivering signature immersive installations for institutional and public clients.
Emerging players
- Artechouse: Washington D.C.-based immersive art venue and producer of technology-driven art experiences. Overlaps with Future Cities Lab on immersive light-based installations and on cultural-institution client segments, though operates a venue rather than a studio model.
- Meow Wolf: U.S. immersive art company producing large-scale interactive installations in multiple cities. Comparable on the immersive installation format and public-facing civic/cultural positioning, though operates at significantly larger scale.
Broad incumbents
- Studio Gang: Established Chicago-based architecture and urban design practice that integrates public art and immersive civic installations into its work. Comparable to Future Cities Lab on architecture-led public art and master planning for civic clients, but as a much larger, broader practice.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Future Cities Lab social profiles
Digital presenceFuture Cities Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Future Cities Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Future Cities Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Future Cities Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Future Cities Lab
What does Future Cities Lab do?
Future Cities Lab (d/b/a FUTUREFORMS) is an experimental art and design studio that designs, fabricates, and installs large-scale immersive light installations, exterior public art installations, objects, and speculative design proposals for urban environments. The studio also provides Arts Master Planning advisory services for cultural initiatives and public space development.
Is Future Cities Lab a public or private company?
Future Cities Lab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Future Cities Lab founded?
Future Cities Lab was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Future Cities Lab based?
Future Cities Lab is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Future Cities Lab make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Art Commissions.
Who are Future Cities Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Studio DRIFT, Random International, teamLab, United Visual Artists, Jason Bruges Studio, Rob Ley Studio and Refik Anadol Studio. Emerging players are Artechouse and Meow Wolf. Studio Gang is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Future Cities Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Future Cities Lab.
What industry is Future Cities Lab in?
Future Cities Lab's product category is Public Art Installations & Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAD, Urban Planning & Master Planning. Its NAICS code is 5413.