Outside Is In

LMA placemaking program aims to rebalance life at work this summer

Outside lunch area rendering
Rendering of an Outside pop-up lunch area. Image: MASCO

It began with an idea to create fun, vibrant public spaces throughout the Longwood Medical Area where employees, researchers, students, patients and visitors can unwind, interact and engage in free, accessible activities throughout the summer and early fall.

Outside game cartNow, it’s become a reality, and organizers are calling the program, simply, “Outside.”

Launched on May 20 in designated areas, initial programming includes a variety of food trucks rotating in the Countway Courtyard at HMS, musicians roving across the LMA and drop-in sessions with therapy animals at Joslin Park. Unmissable yellow umbrellas, café tables and chairs added to some sites will increase options for taking lunch or meeting outdoors.

A robust schedule of activities, posted daily at each site and on the Outside website, will be hosted by uniformed staff. Visitors can expect carts with games, ping pong, an outdoor library cart, yoga classes, a speaker series, music and much more.

The Outside program is being sponsored by MASCO in collaboration with its member partners, which include Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Visit www.longwoodoutside.org for location maps and to see what's happening Outside daily.

Anatomy of a Logo

Outside

In creating a brand identity for the Outside program, the organizers and designers took a page from musical notation. A caesura, marked by double oblique lines, similar to a pair of slashes <//>, is a pause, a break, a total silence—but not for long.