Be they commissioned by the city, permitted by an owner or illicitly undertaken, wall art can be one the the brightest spots in a city (and this coming from an architecture blog)! Lets face it, the modern world offers a lot of start blank walls to the pedestrian eye and when the buildings themselves can’t […]
Urban Planning
Dishing the Dirt on Composting Toilets
If you’d like go one step farther in your quest for water conservation … what about composting toilets? Before you gasp, shudder and click away, give us a minute to explain why.
Put some GREEN in your green space this Weekend
The lawn – that great American pastime – isn’t all that great, or even that American. Maybe its time to start rethinking all that green carpet. Here’s why!
Arbor Day and the Importance of Chicago's Urban Forest
sketch from City of Chicago press photo We’ve been talking a lot about trees lately – which is only appropriate as last friday was Arbor Day. While protecting the rainforest and preserving our National Parks is vitally important to the health of our planet, we can’t forget the trees right around us. Urban trees are important. Dan […]
Think Spring: Four Reasons for Gardening in Raised Beds
Spring is finally here. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and people everywhere are getting out into their yards. Whether you have access to acres of rolling green lawn or just a little extra landing area on the wooden fire stair off the back of your apartment, you have the ability to garden. […]
Is it Good for Humans? Lessons and Questions from Structures for Inclusion, New York
While moss isn’t explicitly a public interest design firm, we all definitely try to keep a finger on the pulse of that community. We helped spearhead the People Spot project here in Chicago, designing the first parklet which is re-installed every spring here in Andersonville. Team member, Lety Murray, has served on the board of […]
Five Reasons To Live in a Walkable Neighborhood
Where you live affects how you live. Choosing to live in a walkable neighborhood is linked to happiness, health, efficiency, and finances.
The moss proposal for the former Hudson's site in Detroit: SaultBox
[moss proposed a bold, sustainable convention/retail/residential center for Downtown Detroit to fill the void where J.L. Hudson’s once stood. Read our research and process below] A History of Hudson’s From 1881 to 1993, the behemoth retailer in downtown Detroit grew from humble beginnings to an enduring symbol of glamour and prosperity, to a mere pile […]
moss' LAMP Coming Alive: LowLine Market on Southport, June 6th!
UPDATE August 06: scroll down for pictures from the LowLine Market in full swing! A brand new prepared foods and farmer’s market is coming to Southport Corridor on June 6th. The market is an initiative of the Lakeview Area Master Plan: LAMP, our community-informed vision for the neighborhood of Lakeview, which we completed in 2011. The Low […]
Chicago’s First Parklet in Andersonville
The Andersonville Parklet is unveiled. We have added a robust .006 acres to Chicago’s park system. Expanding on our one-day PARK(ing) Day installations, moss and Studio Murmur co-designed Chicago’s first parklet / people spot, a small urban park, that will transform former parking spaces into a semi-permanent, seasonal urban oasis. The parklet, which will be […]
moss' Parklet in Inhabitat
Our parklet is featured in Inhabitat! See the article here. Check out our project progress report here from just last week.
Friday Favorites: Financial Incentives to Recycle
Traveling across the U.S., one encounters subtle (and sometimes glaring) cultural differences between cities. We all fall under the great American umbrella, which makes some of these differences a bit more difficult to put into words. Of course, read any comments section on a travel article dedicated to someone’s hometown, (*ahem*) and you’ll find a blood […]