The Dutch Touch: Making the Most of Mosa Tiles

Eric Baldwin Eric Baldwin

Dutch tile manufacturer Mosa offers unique and distinct tile concepts for walls, floors, façades, and terraces. Sustainability is at the core of Mosa practices, for which the company makes use of Cradle-to-Cradle principles and produces chemically inert, durable tiles. With a vision for a future where only sustainable materials are used, Mosa works with manufacturers, architects, and builders to innovate products for long lifespans, no health risks, and unique material composition. Designed in a variety of sizes, the tiles combine natural colors and textures.

Mosa tiles can be applied to a variety of spaces such as shops, stations, hospitals, and schools, as well as contemporary homes. The designs hold physical and functional strength while offering different surface solutions. The varying tiles can be implemented in high-traffic areas like train stations and airports as well as low-traffic spaces. The overall idea is to provide a low-maintenance tile solution that is sustainable and durable while still holding aesthetic appeal to achieve a variety of architectural concepts and solutions.

© Hammer Architects

© Hammer Architects

© Hammer Architects

© Hammer Architects

Long Dune Residence by Hammer Architects, Truro, Ma.

Completed in 2014, the Long Dune Residence was designed atop a coastal bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Pamet River, and a nearby pond. The design plays with mass and void, two faces that each reflect different views. Mosa tiles are used to enhance the design’s sustainable vision and durability.

© claim Skaba Flothmann Planungsgesellschaft GbR

© claim Skaba Flothmann Planungsgesellschaft GbR

© claim Skaba Flothmann Planungsgesellschaft GbR

© claim Skaba Flothmann Planungsgesellschaft GbR

House in the Woods by Claim — Skaba Flothmann PLGES GBR, Potsdam, Germany

A residence for a couple and their guests, this home explores ideas of spaciousness, seclusion, and boundaries. It emphasizes relationships between surface and volume, as seen in the use of Mosa tiles. The simple design includes complex detailing and careful spatial logic between inside and outside, density and transition.

Jesolo Lido Pool Villa by JM Architecture, Jesolo, Italy

The first in a series of villas, the Jesolo Lido Pool Villa was created as a sustainable and low-maintenance design, which was achieved via the use of Mosa tiles. As lead architect Jacopo Mascheroni said, “Using Mosa presented a 360-degree solution: we could use the tiles indoors and outdoors; on walls and floors; in the pool and around the pool.”

© D.LIM Architects

© D.LIM Architects

© D.LIM Architects

© D.LIM Architects

Stardom Entertainment Office by D.LIM Architects, Seoul, South Korea

A renovated warehouse in the city’s meatpacking district, the Stardom office was created as a catalyst for change. A large new façade faces the street with colorful panels, while vulnerable structures were reinforced to keep the existing outer shell intact. Mosa Tiles provided a delicate and economic answer to questions of interior finish and texture.

© Leers Weinzapfel Associates

© Leers Weinzapfel Associates

© Leers Weinzapfel Associates

© Leers Weinzapfel Associates

Paul S. Russell, M.D. Museum of Medical History and Innovation by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Boston

The “human face” of the surrounding hospital context, this purpose-built hospital museum is the first of its kind in the United States. Designed to attract patients, researchers, interns, faculty, staff, and visitors, it features durable, maintenance-free, and recyclable design elements, including Mosa tile. The tiles were used between dynamic and flexible interior and exterior spaces designed to adapt to changing functions, exhibits, and technology.

© Ziger|Snead Architects

© Ziger|Snead Architects

© Ziger|Snead Architects

© Ziger|Snead Architects

Baltimore Design School by Ziger/Snead Architects, Baltimore

Baltimore Design School is a combined middle school and high school that focuses on fashion, architecture, and graphics. Originally a historic warehouse from 1914, the new design combines historic renovation, sustainable design, and adaptive reuse. Mosa tiles were used to clearly demarcate the difference between new and old while complementing an industrial interior aesthetic.

© DesignGroup, RicciGreene Associates

© DesignGroup, RicciGreene Associates

© DesignGroup, RicciGreene Associates

© DesignGroup, RicciGreene Associates

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas by DesignGroup and RicciGreene Associates, Columbus, Ohio

A landmark building, the Franklin County Court houses the common pleas court: 20 trial courtrooms, 10 magistrate courtrooms, arraignment and ceremonial courtrooms, judges’ chambers, and “settlement suites.” A simple form and ample glass work to demystify what happens inside and how people move through the building. Mosa tiles were used throughout to indicate circulation and public spaces.

Eric Baldwin Author: Eric Baldwin
Based in New York City, Eric was trained in both architecture and communications. As Director of Communications at Sasaki, he has a background spanning media, academia, and practice. He's deeply committed to trying as many restaurants as possible in NYC.
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