Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects (GPA) is a Toronto based design firm comprised of over 40 architects, led by principals Ralph Giannone and Pina Petricone. We go beyond the edges of our discipline – strategically designing to foster social relationships, inventively using materials to enrich the senses, and creating quality places that elevate everyday experiences.
Our approach to design is referenced by Italian Architect, Ernesto Rogers’ declaration “Dal cucchiaio alla città” (From the spoon to the city) coined in 1952 at the Charter of Athens to explain what the typical approach of an architect should be: designing a spoon, a chair, and a lamp and in the same day as working on a skyscraper. Whether designing furnishings or interiors, buildings, or new urban communities, we work with determination and delight to shape the city at every scale. We believe that quality design is essential for the wellbeing and inclusion of every citizen. Durability is at the core of our mandate for greatest positive impact on the built environment, with smallest carbon footprint.
Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects was found in 1995 by partners Ralph and Pina, who both have roots in the Italian Canadian community of Toronto. Partners in life and work, they share a natural talent for design and quickly made names for themselves in the architecture industry. Both attended the University of Toronto for architecture, where Pina went on to do her masters at Princeton University, while Ralph worked in several of Toronto’s top firms. Eventually they decided to start their own practice, becoming thought leaders in the industry with an award-winning portfolio.
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Ralph Giannone, since 1995, has led GPA alongside Pina Petricone in fulfilling a vision for a diverse practice whose work, despite type or scale, is infused with exceptional rigor in design details and an extraordinary passion for people-first urbanism.
The range of awards and international recognition for Ralph’s work is testament to the strength in diversity of his practice, and how one type of project can significantly inform another. He leads design dialogue, working closely with teams on projects with an unparalleled talent for scale-agnostic design. Ralph builds the design culture of the firm, elevates the calibre of its work, and promotes GPA’s conviction that design happens in all types of projects and in every phase of work.
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Pina Petricone is a founding partner of GPA with Ralph Giannone. She guides the studio to deliver innovative, visionary and widely recognized work and research by leading and advancing the firm’s creative and research output to be at the forefront of industry practice and professional knowledge. Pina oversees and guides projects with studio teams to optimise design quality, to foster teaching and learning, and to inspire and motivate all at GPA.
As a Principal of Giannone Petricone Associates and a Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto, Pina’s dual role is a defining feature of the practice, enabling her to contribute intellectual rigor and research to the firm’s projects and processes, as well as to give real projects academic consideration.
GPA is distinctive; our diverse staff compliment allows us to work on award-winning projects of various scales, ranging from intimate restaurants to the urban design of new, multivalent communities. We have had the privilege of working with an array of exceptional clients over the last 25+ years and have partnered with them to create projects that change and better the way people live, work, learn, discover, and play. We believe that quality design is not a luxury, rather it is essential for the wellbeing of every citizen regardless of age, identity, and culture.
Hospitality
Office
Residential
Multi-unit Residential/Mixed-use:
Urban Design:
