VanPlex Plexperts · BC Multiplex Designer
PFS Studio
Featured on VanPlex Plexperts — the curated directory of BC multiplex designers.
Landscape Architecture · Urban Design · Planning, PFS Studio
Landscape architecture and urban design for public space.
PFS Studio was started in 1993 by Chris Phillips, Marta Farevaag, and Greg Smallenberg. The firm works on parks, plazas, campuses, and mixed-use developments across Canada and abroad.
1993
Year founded
2
Offices (Vancouver + Toronto)
7
Principals
11–50
Team size (LinkedIn)
Meet PFS Studio
PFS Studio is a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm based in Vancouver. It was founded in 1993 by Chris Phillips, Marta Farevaag, and Greg Smallenberg, and was originally known as Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg. The firm has run for more than three decades and now works from offices in Vancouver and Toronto.
The studio is led by seven principals, with associates and designers supporting them. LinkedIn lists the firm at 11 to 50 employees. The work covers public parks, plazas, waterfronts, university campuses, and the ground-level open space around housing and mixed-use buildings.
PFS has designed the landscape and public realm for several large Vancouver and Toronto projects, including Telus Garden, River Green in Richmond, Southeast False Creek, Sherbourne Common and Underpass Park in Toronto, and the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park roof garden. The firm has also led planning work such as the Jericho Lands and West End Waterfront Vision Plan in Vancouver.
For a multiplex or small infill project, PFS sits at the larger end of the market and is most relevant when the site has a meaningful shared landscape, a public-facing edge, or a rezoning that asks for a stronger public realm plan.
Credentials
Recognition
Canadian Award for Planning Excellence (CIP) — Jericho Lands
Canadian Award for Planning Excellence (CIP) — West End Waterfront Vision Plan
CSLA National Award, Residential Landscapes — Peitree Yaoliang Eco Resort
RAIC Governor General’s Medal in Architecture — Remai Modern
CSLA Jury’s Award of Excellence + National Award — Lansdowne Park
ASLA Award of Excellence — Underpass Park
ASLA Honor Award, General Design — Seattle Art Museum Roof Garden
Why work with PFS
01
Public realm and shared landscape
PFS focuses on the space between and around buildings — courtyards, plazas, walkways, and planting. That maps to the shared outdoor areas a multiplex or mixed-use site has to resolve at rezoning.
02
Track record on rezoning-scale projects
The firm has done the landscape and public realm for large Vancouver developments like Telus Garden and Southeast False Creek, so it is used to working inside city design review and planning processes.
03
Climate and ecology built into the design
The studio describes its work around joining urban and natural systems — stormwater, planting, and grey-and-green infrastructure — which is increasingly what city staff ask for on new development.
Built work
Telus Garden
Vancouver, BC
Landscape and public realm for the downtown mixed-use Telus Garden development. Won a jury and popular-choice Architizer A+ Award (Office High-Rise) in 2016.
River Green
Richmond, BC
Residential and mixed-use riverfront development. Won City of Richmond Lulu Awards for high-rise residential and mixed-use in 2013 and again for Lot 12 in 2022.
Southeast False Creek Plaza
Vancouver, BC
Public plaza and open space in the Southeast False Creek neighbourhood. Recognized by CIP (neighbourhood planning) and CSLA in 2010.
Jericho Lands Planning
Vancouver, BC
Planning work for the ʔəy̓alməxw / Iy̓álmexw / Jericho Lands redevelopment. Won a Canadian Award for Planning Excellence (CIP) in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Is PFS Studio a good fit for a small multiplex project?
What does PFS Studio actually design on a development?
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