Frank Jiang

Frank hails from the country of ‘60 world heritage sites!’ He began his design career in Beijing after completing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design. He started his professional experience working with North American-based, design firms; contributing to construction documentation for ‘themed-environments’, commercial streetscape planning, and residential landscape projects; especially in Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. This early international experience cultivated a strong interest and foundational background in visual communication; subsequently, he came to Canada to further this interest and pursue his graduate degree in Landscape Architecture.

Upon arriving in Canada, and prior to entering Guelph’s Landscape Architecture program, Frank embarked on and completed his modern timber construction training through Canada Wood programs; he studied Carpentry at Fraser Valley University and Okanagan College. His work as a construction carpenter in the Greater Vancouver region, provided practical experience with insight into construction methods, materials, detailing, and buildability, and generating income to commence his graduate studies.

Frank has worked with several multi-disciplinary and landscape architecture practices in the Greater Toronto Area on municipal, transportation, institutional and community projects before coming to pl.ural. His work, as a visualization consultant, strongly supports the office’s community and landscape projects across the province; translating rural planning and design ideas into visual narratives for design development, proposals, and community communication. Recent assignments include the Ripley Downtown Revitalization, the Tara Community Centre Park, Midland Splash Pad, Cayuga’s Village Green Park, and Puslinch’s Development Design Guidelines.

Frank’s work at pl.ural has helped develop his particular interest in how people experience and identify with ‘place,’ especially in the rural context. During his free time, he enjoys travelling to small towns, and can be found observing architecture, streetscape, and landscapes. It is where he draws inspiration from the relationship between historic and contemporary places, informing his digital visualization work with community and environment. He has certainly become a specialist with ‘hand-drawn’ illustration through to state-of-the art 3D modelling, rendering, and animation – he is a certified illustrator.