Located in Southern Ontario’s “Beautiful Village” of Elora, SKA was founded in 1997. Much of our work takes place in rural areas; villages, towns, recreation areas, ski areas, destination areas and resorts— generally what most consider being included in the countryside. We have earned a reputation as a pragmatic design/planning firm with a specific understanding of rural systems and its various communities.
We are an intimately sized, manageable firm of engaging professionals who are ambitious, out-going, community-minded individuals. We currently support a studio staff of four members including the principals. The success of the firm is evident in the different yet complementary skills, expertise, strengths and personalities of the principals and staff. Simply, SKA has been characterized as “the firm who works for the places many people want to visit, or for the communities that depend on these places for employment and leisure, or merely for those places, that want to be somewhat of a destination—a desirable place to live, to retain and attract business, or to encourage others to visit.”
Founding Principal Sean Kelly brings to SKA his experience in quality and project management, design for rural communities, ski and resort area planning, municipal approvals & permitting, facilitation and education.
Principal Stasia Stempski brings a reputable knowledge in design, application of detail in design, horticulture and project management.
The firm is well grounded in their combined knowledge of design implementation, recognizing SKA as a solid reliable design/planning firm. We are recognized for our service and product excellence and are continually being referred by our clients.
What is generally common to the places we choose to work with is the characteristic of them all being ‘rural’—of, or in, or like, the countryside. We are specialists with rural areas and the resorts and amenity landscapes that are typically found within them.
SKA approaches each project with the attitude that the way of life, the values, the beliefs, the countryside, collectively shapes the place—and this has made us very effective with many rural communities experiencing change and pursuing a better future.
SKA is firmly establishing itself as a leader in the design of sustainable, desirable, and enduring rural, resort and amenity landscapes. And while big cities will continue to expand, we believe rural areas, and all they have to offer, have great potential as great places to live, work and play.
Design/Planning Community Rural Town Country Retail Commercial Programming Space-Use Arrivals Circulation Appearance Guest Services Resort Facilities Balance Wayfinding | Landscape Architecture Streetscapes Park & Recreation Greenways & Trails Environment Construction Administration |
Envisioning Themes Amenities Signage Commemoration Development Standards Community-Based |
Communication Workshops Education Presentations Renderings Visual Communication Illustrative & Graphic Exhibits Animation Computer Modeling |
Development Co-ordination Site Analyses Processing Rezoning Permitting Public Presentation Facilitation Project & Urban Design Guidelines |