About the

Studio

Based in Ōtautahi, AOTEAROA
(©1993 2026)
Scroll Down
(01)

Our vision at Common Ground is to be a leading force in land development, regeneration and future planning, shaping resilient and sustainable environments that put people, place, and planet at their core.  We aim to shape the future of our environments by fostering a harmonious integration of design excellence, and environmental/social stewardship.

(02)

Our Story

Crafting common ground

Common Ground was founded on a simple but enduring belief: that the quality of our environments shapes the quality of our lives.

The first iteration of Common Ground was established in 1990 by founding partner James Lunday as a specialist urban design consultancy. Arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand after an extensive career across the United Kingdom and Australia, James brought with him deep experience in urban regeneration, landscape planning, architectural design, and strategic planning — as well as a conviction that cities and towns must be designed as places for people first.

Today, Common Ground has evolved into a multi-disciplinary design practice with a continued passion for the built environment and the role it plays in shaping social, cultural, and ecological outcomes. While the scale and context of projects have changed, the core ethos has remained consistent:to design places that are resilient, meaningful, and grounded in stewardship of people, place, and planet.

Our Mission

(03)

RESILIENT

001
002

BY

Design

003

Common Ground is dedicated to people, place and planet. We create innovative and sustainable environments, through an urban design–led approach, that are resilient, inclusive, and thoughtfully shaped over time. Our mission is to translate our collective values into enduring places that inspire, connect, and sustain communities for generations to come.

(05)

Benefits

Why
choose
us

Creative
Excellence

We combine imagination with expertise to craft bold and creative solutions. We innovate where it matters and remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of our industry and the world, ensuring our designs are both relevant and visionary.

Professional
Team

Our dedicated team of designers, planners, and long term thinkers bring years of experience and a passion for excellence to deliver outstanding results. Our multidisciplinary team ensures processes are streamlined and efficient. We believe good outcomes emerge when systems work together.

Collaborative
Approach

Your input is invaluable. We work closely with you, maintaining open communication and refining ideas to ensure the final product exceeds expectations.

We question assumptions to improve outcomes. We are willing to challenge convention, planning orthodoxy, and default approaches — respectfully and collaboratively — when they no longer serve people, place, or planet.

Contextual Design

Context matters. We are committed to environmental and social responsibility in all our projects to ensure our designs are thoughtful, enduring, and meaningful.