In a ‘false-field’ landscape in central Chicago, a research laboratory harbours the experimental study of a heavily polluted river, broadcasting environmental changes through a building fabric that stains and cleanses.

Directly translated as ‘medium world’, a mesocosm is a scientific method of survey that allows for the observational study of an ecosystem within a semi-controlled environment. The architecture is a passive infrastructure, an experimental landscape for real-time research and education. The building comprises of 'the gatehouse': a public library, cafe and a gallery, and 'the field': a landscape of indoor and outdoor laboratories. Constructed in a porous stone, both recycled and reconstituted, the architecture absorbs and amplifies the changing landscape of the mesocosm.