MASS Design Group

While summer in the northern hemisphere is heating up, Norrsken Kigali House in Rwanda is staying cool. Native plants shade heat absorbing surfaces, like concrete and asphalt, and release water vapor, reducing the urban heat island effect for the surrounding area, and reducing the ground surface temperature in the garden by 10°C (18ºF). Terracotta tiles are optimized to reduce solar heat, leading to smaller cooling systems, lower energy consumption, and more comfortable people, while still allowing for ample daylight and views out to the forested garden. Maintaining a suitable temperature in your workspace has shown to improve productivity and reduce mental fatigue. At 30°C (86ºF) performance is 9% lower than at 22°C (72ºF). With nature based solutions and passive design strategies we can reduce cooling demand and achieve excellent thermal comfort. Captured recently by Iwan Baan, the landscape has had three years to flourish, encapsulating the garden surrounding Norrsken Kigali House. Reducing energy consumption and cooling system size, reduces upfront and operational cost and carbon,providing a more resilient cooling strategy that will still perform if back up power runs out. This can improve user wellbeing and doing, thinking, education, and healing capacity. Connecting humans to the more than human environment that we rely on - plants, sun, water, wind.

“If justice is what love looks like in public, and the public realm is where we learn about our collective life, then we need not only monuments and memorials but to activate, revitalize, and honor in ways that build new collective capacities." - Convening Participant Check out the ARCHITECT Magazine article about the Public Memory and Memorials Convening hosted in our Boston Office and Convening Report. https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eRnXsAMP

“RICA is a powerful reminder that design can be both—a model of abundance not defined by excess, but by balance—where education, conservation, and community thrive together,” - Alan Ricks, Co-Executive Director Check out the full article from ARCHITECT Magazine below!

On our third day of the Public Memory and Memorials Convening, participants visited sites of memory around Boston, including The Embrace on the Boston Common, among others. Imari Paris Jeffries Ph.D. of Embrace Boston reflected upon “what it means for a monument of love to be in this community.” ℹ️ To learn more, check out the full video and report: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eeH_7pyr 📧 To get involved, email: publicmemory@mass-group.org #publicmemory #spacemaking #collectivememory #memorialdesign

The Bio-Based Materials Collective (BBMC) gathered in Burlington, Vermont for the 2025 Summit with a shared mission: To accelerate the scaling of plant-based materials regionally and build energy around this growing movement across North America. The BBMC is a network of members from diverse backgrounds in the built and grown environment who recognize that the disruption inherent in the poly-crisis spurs us to act collaboratively and create regenerative paths forward. From May 12th-13th, more than 80 participants came together to trace bio-based materials from field to form, learn from industry leaders in government to education, and collectively mapped the steps to scaling regionally appropriate and regenerative bio-based materials. 🔗 Learn more about the Summit and how to get involved here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/e5CG8Bex Thank you to our event co-organizers New Frameworks, Billy Craig and Brian Sandford!

Since 2017, MASS has been working in the Hudson Valley to help bridge the gap between public ideas and the design process. Over the past month, the team has been hosting a focus group of artists in our Main Street gallery space in Poughkeepsie, supporting those interested in collaborating on proposals for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). We encourage coordinated applications ahead of the Monday, July 21st deadline! Learn more about our mission and work from principal, Christopher Kroner, who co-leads the Hudson Valley Design Lab: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/e8QwEZJm

Rooted in Lakota/Dakota values and shaped by community voices, the new cultural center on Standing Rock is a powerful act of reclamation. Designed in partnership with SAGE Development Authority and guided by community convenings, the design of the cultural center is working to challenge energy dependence and infrastructure inequity. This center reclaims sovereignty, fosters economic, cultural and community resilience, and provides a home for Standing Rock cultural items. Renderings produced using Lumion

“[The convening was] A big opportunity for experience sharing, for learning from each other and for even healing from the things that we carry on a daily basis from working on such sensitive topics.” - Sandra Shenge Last week we shared a 26-page report from a convening of our partners working in public memory and memorialization. Today, we are sharing a short clip from our documentation of the three-day event – a process we used to compile the report’s findings, and now, to share the experience with broader audiences. Watch the full video overview and read the report on our website: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eeH_7pyr Thanks again to our participating partner organizations Aegis Trust, Branly Cadet, Brooklyn Public Library, City of Montgomery, City of Poughkeepsie, coleman a. jordan, Dawn Hicks, DesignCyphers, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, Embrace Boston, Foot Soldiers Park, Gallaudet University, Harmonia Rosales Studio, Hester Tittmann, Highlander Center, King's Chapel History Program, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute,  Mara Tatevosian, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Negative Space, Nwankpa Design, Right to Democracy, TEN x TEN, The Conservation Fund, The Till Institute, Transform 1012 N. Main Street

“What practices, questions, and methodologies should we embrace as we strive to move from adherence to laws and guidelines to an embrace of justice, equity, and care?” The Spring 2025 issue of Exhibition journal features MASS Principal Jha D Amazi and Director Maggie Jacobstein Stern in “The Ethics Issue” exploring ethical exhibition-making in many forms. Check out the journal: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/embNR9sQ

Fifteen years ago, a cancer diagnosis in Rwanda was nearly a hopeless prognosis. Today, the country’s Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence serves as a model for global cancer care thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Partners In Health, the Government of Rwanda, and countless dedicated clinicians and researchers. MASS is deeply humbled to have contributed to this story through the design and construction of the Butaro Hospital and Cancer Center. We worked alongside local builders, trained community members in new construction skills, and created spaces that prioritize natural ventilation, daylight, and dignity — key elements for healing environments, especially in resource-limited settings. We believe that architecture can—and should—play a vital role in advancing health equity. This recent feature in Harvard Medicine is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when health care and design come together to serve justice. ➡️ Read the article and join us in celebrating this progress- and the work that lies ahead: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/e6_gWr8X  These photos, captured by Iwan Baan over a decade after its completion, show the project as it settles into the surrounding environment.