Sam Ganton is deeply interested in architecture’s relationship to land and weather, as well as the social agency and responsibility of architects. Their University of Waterloo master’s thesis involved the conceptual design of a lightning observatory on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, the site of a persistent nocturnal thunderstorm. In their thesis, they traced the spatial and cultural metamorphosis of the Maracaibo Basin by recounting its cosmic history.

During their time at Waterloo, Sam co-founded a group called Treaty Lands, Global Stories to advocate for greater cultural diversity in the Waterloo Architecture curriculum, particularly the inclusion of Indigenous and non-Western histories. Sam brings experience gained working at offices in New York, Toronto, Edmonton, and Saskatoon, on a range of residential, commercial, and cultural projects. In Saskatoon they also partnered with a local youth centre to design and build an ice cream shop that provided summer job opportunities for First Nations youth. At LGA, Sam is focused on a series of recladding and renovation projects for Toronto Community Housing Corporation. In their spare time, they play fiddle in a local bluegrass band.