Parklet

Inspired by San Francisco’s Parklet initiative, Map Projects was commissioned to design compact, modular gardens focused on connecting people with nature. Originally sized to fit within a single parking space, these micro gardens were tailored to complement their immediate urban surroundings.

As with all our work, materials were paramount. Rather than forcing materials to suit our purposes, we let the inherent qualities of each material guide the final forms and textures. This approach imparted an elegant, organic feel where the integrity of the materials was preserved, allowing them to age gracefully over time.

We aimed not for flawlessness, but for a certain graciousness – designs that welcome the patina of weathering and use. The shapes ultimately emerged from discovering the latent potential in each material, liberating rather than dominating their natural expressiveness.

A gold box sits on top of a wooden deck.
A wooden bench with a plant on it.
A planter on a sidewalk in front of a building.
A bike parked on a sidewalk next to a tree across from a garden in front of a building.
A wooden deck with plants on it and a building in the background.
A wooden bench with plants on it.
A modern garden with a wooden deck and plants.