moss

Sporadic Green Fields

In the dark winter months, Portland and the Pacific Northwest are overtaken by moss colonies.  As soon as the long, drawn-out rains begin in the fall, they spontaneously emerge just about everywhere:



Moss doesn’t withstand heavy foot or car traffic   Where it appears inadvertently reveals which areas are programmatically active and which are not.


As colonies of spores, mosses get most of their nutrients from the air and therefore don’t require soil — just plenty of moisture, which we have in abundance during the winter.  Surfaces that convey or pool moisture (such as concrete)  are ideal growing surfaces for them.  In the drier summer months the moss shrink back like desiccated sponges, turning to more subtle dark greys and browns until the rains return.  Because mosses are dependent on air  for sustenance, they are susceptible to airborne pollution and serve as an indicator of air quality (Portland seems to be doing well).

Spongy terrestrial reefs

At a time of year when everything appears pretty grey and muted, they form amazing mosaics of color. A ready-made, unintendedvegitecture that colonizes the city.

Seems to me that there is a lot of untapped design potential with this material.