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Could Be Architecture

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Could Be Architecture

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Could Be is the award-winning design practice of Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison. We work at all scales of the designed and built environment.

Could Be Architecture is the design practice of Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison that takes pleasure in projecting what the world could be. We believe that architecture enacts its greatest potential when it builds audiences that didn't previously exist; when it communicates a story, resonates with people's emotions, and instigates enthusiasm around the activities and aesthetics that it stages. We're invested in architecture that might be playfully sincere and seriously funny. We enjoy eyeing the everyday, drawing details, and strategizing scenarios. We're interested in borrowing familiar forms from our surroundings to unlock their latent potentials, and in coupling forms and graphics to propel performance and conjure meaning. Fueled by a collaborative adventure with clients, consultants and colleagues, our designs deliver objects and spaces of desire, both built and speculative, endowed with dreamy but calculated optimism. By positioning architecture as an active character in the world, we envision a future full of surprise, wonder, and delight.

10/21/2026

The Cairo African American Heritage Trail Welcome Center serves as the gateway to a citywide experience that connects visitors to the people, places, and stories that have shaped Cairo’s vibrant African American community. Located in the main entry foyer of the Cairo Public Library (Cairo Public Library) and designed to be wheeled outdoors for special events, the panel introduces visitors to the trail through an overview map, oral history listening station, interpretive graphics, and introductory text that invites them to discover the history that defines Cairo’s vibrant African American community in the very places where it happened.

At the heart of the installation is an interactive, physical image carousel that allows visitors to rotate through archival photographs of landmarks featured on the trail, revealing connections between past and present. Serving as both an orientation device and a welcoming beacon, the panel prominently features the trail’s logo, colors, and visual identity. Its bold form uses durable materials and sculptural profiles that complement the library’s richly ornamented interior while signaling the beginning of a journey through Cairo’s important heritage.

A dream team brought this project to life:
The Cairo Historic Preservation Project (The Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Inc.) lead: Don Patton
Cairo Public Library (Cairo Public Library) lead: Toya Wilson
Cairo African American Heritage Trail and Oral History Project team: Don Patton, Tara Kieschnick, Toya Wilson, Magdalena Novoa (Magdalena Novoa), Julia Rendelman (Julia Rendleman), Jasmine Chameis (Jasmine Chameis), Dajonea Robinson, Lloyd Williams, Fabian Araneda (Fabián Araneda Baltierra), Camila Madariaga (Camila Ignacia Madariaga Potthoff), Daniela Morales, and Joseph Altshuler (Illinois Architecture)
Installation Design: Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison (Could Be Architecture)
Fabrication: Brose Partington Studio (brose p)
Photography: Brian Griffin (Brian Griffin)
Funding: Illinois Innovation Network (The University of Illinois System), University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Campus Research Board (University of Illinois)
Special thanks: Landmarks Illinois (Landmarks Illinois)

10/20/2026

The Cairo African American Heritage Trail empowers residents and victors to Cairo, Illinois to discover the history that defines Cairo’s vibrant African American community in the very places where it happened, through historical markers around the city and archival documentation and interviews accessible online. The first phase of the project includes 15 historical markers located at both existing buildings and sites of erased history and heritage, both tangible and intangible. QR codes on signs link to an interactive map, site-specific archival photography, and oral histories recordings connected to the specific place. This initiative is led by The Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Inc. (The Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Inc.), in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (University of Illinois) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Southern Illinois University Carbondale Online).

A dream team brought this project to life:
The Cairo Historic Preservation Project (The Cairo Historical Preservation Project, Inc.) lead: Don Patton
Cairo Public Library (Cairo Public Library) lead: Toya Wilson
Cairo African American Heritage Trail and Oral History Project team: Don Patton, Tara Kieschnick, Toya Wilson, Magdalena Novoa (Magdalena Novoa), Julia Rendelman (Julia Rendleman), Jasmine Chameis (Jasmine Chameis), Dajonea Robinson, Lloyd Williams, Fabian Araneda (Fabián Araneda Baltierra), Camila Madariaga (Camila Ignacia Madariaga Potthoff), Daniela Morales, and Joseph Altshuler (Illinois Architecture)
Graphic Design: Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison (Could Be Architecture)
Photography: Brian Griffin (Brian Griffin)
Funding: Illinois Innovation Network (The University of Illinois System)
Special thanks: Landmarks Illinois (Landmarks Illinois)

10/06/2026

We are thrilled to invite you to the launch of our new book ‘Supergraphic Landscapes: From Public Art to Urban Design on Thursday,’ on Oct 8th at 5:30pm at Starling by Duo (Starling, Monday Coffee Co.).

Supergraphic Landscapes is a book about the future of public spaces—and how reimagining graphics in the built environment can unlock new modes of civic participation. What if the city could remember, care, and play back? Supergraphic Landscapes reimagines how public art and graphics in the built environment can transform public space into places of connection, care, and collective memory. Through essays, speculative drawings, flash fiction, and collaborations with guest contributors, the book reveals how a painted pattern, a textured path, or a layered graphic can disrupt routines, nurture intimacy, and hold shared histories in place.

The book launch will feature live readings, conversation with the coauthors moderated by Jonathan Kelley (Jonathan Kelley), the world premiere of an animated short film based on the book (Myles Emmons // Kuh Lida), and a book signing (w/ Open Books)

Authors: Joseph Altshuler (Could Be Architecture), Nekita Thomas (Knee-Key-Tah).
Contributors: Ashley Bigham & Erik Herrmann (Outpost Office), Molly Hunker & Greg Corso (SPORTS), Lindsay Harkema (Lindsay Harkema), Reza Nik (S H E E E P), Daniel Luis Martinez (Daniel Luis Martinez), and Germane Barnes (G.).
Copyeditor: Jayne Kelley (Jayne Kelley).
Book Design: Bud Rodecker, Span (Span).
Cover Design: Bud Rodecker and Joseph Altshuler.
Original Drawings: Joseph Altshuler, with Amir Zarei (Amirhossein Zarei).
Graphics Assistant: Riley Vernon (riley vernon).
Publisher: Applied Research & Design (Applied Research + Design).
Support: Terra Foundation for American Art (Terra Fdn. for American Art), Illinois School of Architecture Ding Faculty Award (Illinois Architecture) and the Illinois School of Art & Design research fund (University Of Illinois)

01/01/2026

Happy 2026 from Could Be! Here’s peek at last year’s highlights:

—Designing ‘Little Second City’, an interactive play space for and . 📸
—Visioning urban design frameworks for public art and public spaces in Bloomington, Indiana . With and .
—Curating the 2024–25 cycle of ‘YES AND,’ featuring 12 public installations from August–November. With curatorial partners .i.am and Mila Lipinski. 📸
— Welcoming over 1,000 visitors to the 4th edition of the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival in October, with , , , and .
—Contributing scholarly drawings and showcasing students’ work at the ‘Time Space Existence’ exhibition () at the .architecture.biennale.
—Contributing our Festival Cartography drawing to the ‘Common Chicago’ exhibition, part of the —on view at the Reading Room until Jan 31, 2026! 📸 Dan Kelleghan.
—Repping at the ‘Everything Chicago’ symposium.
—Designing ’s new taproom in Urbana, IL.
—Giving public lectures at UC Denver (), University of Nebraska (), and College of DuPage (). Repping on the road!
—Winning the 2025 Global Design Award for the ‘Carousel for Companionship’!
—Debuting a short film, ‘GATEWAYS’, co-produced with Myles Emmons, streaming on YouTube (link in bio!).
—Collaborating with ’ Don Patton to develop early concepts of a future commemorative park in Cairo, IL, and supporting Don’s team, , and to help launch the first phase of the Cairo African American Heritage Trail.

Thank you to all our community partners, visionary clients, and creative collaborators! Deep gratitude to our super talented project team members , , .lida! Looking forward to future world-mending and worldmaking in 2026!

12/04/2025

We’re excited to share photographs of Cloud Mountain Kombucha’s new taproom, a locally minded brewery in Urbana, Illinois, serving up the many flavors of the Midwest. Our design centers on flexible furnishings, bold graphics, and vibrant colors—an identity as funky and refreshing as the kombucha itself. A built-in communal table folds into the more traditional bar, creating an open zone for conversation and conviviality. Overhead, a felt canopy sweeps through the space as a single curving gesture, guiding visitors from the entry toward the bar. Be sure to sample Cloud Mountain’s impeccable Spirulina & Spearmint kombucha—the beverage’s brilliant teal hue echoes the taproom’s graphics.

Design team: Joseph Altshuler, Zack Morrison
Client:
📸 Photographs:

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Chicago, IL
60625

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

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http://couldbe.design/

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