What makes us human after
all?
MODU is rooted
in three core values: indoor urbanism, second nature, and public floor.
Indoor Urbanism
Indoor urbanism questions the boundaries of buildings, exploring how architecture
connects two scales—the city and the
interior. As activities once held in enclosed spaces migrate outdoors, interiors
increasingly reflect the openness and unpredictability of urban life. Together,
these shifts focus on the spaces in between—where architecture, cities, and
interiors meet.
Second Nature
Second Nature reconsiders cities and landscapes as extensions of one
another, imagining them as interconnected, hybrid realms. It also calls for unlearning
long-held spatial habits in order to cultivate new ways of living with the
environment—ways that become a second nature. These habits move beyond
separation, reframing distinctions between built and natural
ecosystems.
Public Floor
The public floor is active and transient,
shaped by changing rhythms of daily life—across sidewalks, lobbies, streets,
shops, and parks. Social interactions unfold within this shared ground, where
individual and collective life intersect. The interior is reconsidered as connected
to the city itself, shaped by the people and activities that move through it—becoming
more open and accessible in the process.
Research //
MODU advances initiatives that expand
our practice. Through design research and partnerships, we test new ideas and
bring them into realized projects.
Self-Cooling Walls
In Houston’s hot climate, self-cooling concrete walls are cast with
corrugation patterns that help release solar heat more rapidly when passed over
by wind. Research demonstrated varying cooling rates based on the patterning,
with a significant difference compared to flat, non-corrugated panels.
More intricate patterns are used on walls exposed to direct sunlight
to enhance self-cooling. The increased surface area of the corrugations, along
with transpiration from abundant plants, helps create more comfortable
microclimates. These passive design strategies improve human experience and environmental impact while
contributing to a distinctive visual expression.
More information here
Coral Footings
Public installations typically generate significant amounts of
construction waste, which ends up in landfills. However, they can be designed
for recycling or reuse from the outset. In Miami, a steel structure was left
unpainted to facilitate recycling, while concrete footings were donated to an
artificial reef program.
The footings were cast with a network of holes for future marine life
and concrete textures specifically designed to promote coral growth. After
de-installation, the footings were lowered to the seabed to form the artificial
reef.
More information here
Public installations typically generate significant amounts of construction waste, which ends up in landfills. However, they can be designed for recycling or reuse from the outset. In Miami, a steel structure was left unpainted to facilitate recycling, while concrete footings were donated to an artificial reef program.
The footings were cast with a network of holes for future marine life and concrete textures specifically designed to promote coral growth. After de-installation, the footings were lowered to the seabed to form the artificial reef.
More information here
