Michelle Lazar, OALA CSLA
President, Landscape Architect
conceptual design, marketing, research, site planning, urban design
Michelle is a landscape architect with fifteen years of experience designing the public and private realm in Toronto. Beginning her career working in Toronto’s most prominent multidisciplinary design firms, she now brings a holistic approach to FFLA, maximizing the potential of each site with her expertise in placemaking and creating sustainable greenspaces that thrive. Michelle received an Undergraduate Degree in Fine Arts from Concordia University, studying sculpture and design art. She then completed a professional Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.
Matthew Sweig, OALA CSLA
Vice President, Landscape Architect
conceptual design, community engagement, detail design, construction
Matthew brings twenty years expertise managing a diverse range of projects from concept to construction. He has gained a reputation for reliability by consistently bringing value to every project, including condominium developments and streetscaping, greening the most challenging urban spaces, community planning and design, pedestrian and cycling trails, public school grounds, recreation centers, landscapes for seniors and campus designs. Matthew is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. As a parallel passion to that of design, Matthew has established himself as a successful visual artist. He has exhibited his works in solo and group exhibitions across Canada as well as internationally since 2003. He brings a succinct creativity to both disciplines.
Garth Goode
Project Director, Urban Designer
As urban designer and site planner, Garth has led a broad range of master plans, design guidelines, urban designs, streetscapes, public spaces and landscape architectural projects internationally over the past 28 years. His responsibilities generated rewarding experience in the creation of contextual designs for the public realm as well as private development at various scales: Individual building site, urban block, corridor, neighbourhood and community district. Project clientele includes municipal, educational, institutional, commercial, mixed use developers, private business, estate and residential.
Garth has developed a substantial body of conceptual designs reinforced by detailed documentation for constructed works that mutually inform all levels of planning approvals and development.
Shivangi Gupta
Intermediate Landscape Designer
Shivangi is an internationally trained landscape architect with more than eight years of experience working in Toronto and internationally. Shivangi has been involved in a variety of landscape projects with differing scales and complexities, including privately owned public spaces, public parks, master planning, schools, condominium, rooftop gardens. She is directly involved in aspects of the project from design development, detailing to estimating and construction administration.
Shivangi received an Undergraduate Degree in Architecture from DCRUST, India and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from CEPT University, India.
She is passionate about sustainable design that relates to user and its surroundings which enables her to create spaces that are as fascinating as they are functional.
George Armour
Intermediate Landscape Designer
George is an internationally trained landscape architect with more than two years of experience working in North America and has been involved in a variety of landscape and urban design projects that ranged greatly in size, budget, location and scope. Such projects include: school, public parks, master planning, sports and recreation centers, university campuses, community gardens. He has had experience working in interdisciplinary design teams and on all the different phases of a project: site analysis, concept design, design development, technical drawings and construction details.
He is passionate about design that respects the history, context and particularities of the site and how landscape architecture can be used to renew the connections local community have with urban and public spaces.
Kristian Lebitania
Junior Landscape Designer
Kristian is a recent graduate student with education and work experience in Toronto and Vancouver. She received a Bachelor of Design in Environmental Design at OCAD University with a Minor in Creative Writing. While gaining skills in developing and representing conceptual spaces, she continued her involvement and contribution to a variety of amusement park projects at her internship. Growing a passion in designing outdoor public space, she pursued a Masters of Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia. During her studies Kristian also gained hands-on experience landscaping at properties in West Vancouver, familiarizing herself with plants, landscape care, and the built environment.
As an artist and a designer, she is drawn to the expansive field of landscape architecture and its role in inclusivity. She is intrigued by emotional and physical human relationships to the public landscape through aspects of leisure, labour, and maintenance.
