The project Moss Your City is an installation presented by the Norwegian architecture practice PUSHAK at The Architecture Foundation in London, as part of an exchange programme for emerging architects from Norway and the UK. The aim of the initiative is to showcase and promote the best young architects from the two countries, creating links for the cultural and creative exchange of ideas.
The practice PUSHAK was founded by Sissil Morseth Gromholt, Camilla Langeland, Marthe Melbye and Gyda Drage Kleiva, who share an approach to architectural practice that takes into account, in design, the local context, the climate, energy use, and the human and natural resources of each place.
The Moss Your City installation is the first presentation of the Norwegian practice PUSHAK outside its home country, and it develops their research into the relationship between contemporary architecture, landscape architecture and natural resources.
Drawing inspiration from the long history of using moss in architecture, as in traditional Japanese gardens and those of the Victorian era, PUSHAK presents a spectacular moss landscape, capable of captivating people and inspiring them.
The aim of the installation is to showcase moss as an attractive, multifunctional surface cladding material that can be integrated into contemporary architectural design.
Moss occurs naturally in abundance and requires little maintenance, and it can be used to create new types of architecture that link nature with architecture.
PUSHAK believes that, beyond architects and urban planners, each one of us must take responsibility for ‘greening’ our cities, for a healthier urban living environment. Visitors to the exhibition also have the chance to learn about ‘urban greening’ projects in London, and are given instructions for planting ‘moss graffiti’, thus taking part in the ‘Moss Your City’ initiative themselves.
The PUSHAK installation Moss Your City will be on show at The Architecture Foundation in London until 6 August.
