John Peterson

Public Architecture

In the early days of its inception, Peterson Architects focused on residential projects involving challenging design and land use issues. Over the years, John developed the firm into a design-intensive practice enriched by architecture, education, graphic design, journalism, landscape architecture, law and publishing. The diversity of the firm’s expertise is reflected in its projects, including mixed-use development, institutional projects and private residences.

In 2002, the firm’s unorthodox pro bono work evolved into Public Architecture, a national non-profit organization based in San Francisco, that designs and advocates for socially and environmentally sustainable public amenities. Most notable of the firm’s accomplishments is “The 1%”, a national program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the arts, through which architecture and design firms pledge a percentage of their time to pro bono service.

Peterson graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and his aesthetic is readily recognizable in Public Architecture’s series of public interest design campaigns, that tackle issues of broad social relevance. The Day Labor Station is a sustainable structure that can be deployed at informal hiring sites, and includes and a sheltered space to wait for work as well as a restroom.

Beyond the firm, Peterson serves on several nonprofit boards, including Urban Solutions. He was a mayoral appointment on the city of San Francisco’s Green Vision Council and the Open Space Takes Force, and was a Loeb Fellow in Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.