Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2020 - 28

FROM LIVING ART TO LIVING INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUUM

During the early development phases of 601 City Center - a
new, 600,000 sq. ft commercial building in the heart of Oakland
where Urban Ecotones now resides - project managers at Shorenstein Properties were tasked with contemplating the public
art experience as integrated into the design of the new building.
Not only would the selected artwork need to complement the
interior architecture in both scale and aesthetics, but the selections would need to reflect a thoughtfully curated approach to
meet the standards of Oakland's public art requirement.
The notion of a living wall was brought forward as an ideal
addition to bring a layer of biophilia into the proposed public
access lobby. David Brenner became top of mind for his notable,

LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / SPRING 2020 / 28

artistic process, large-scale capabilities and painterly designs
that Habitat Horticulture is regarded for. Habitat Horticulture
also uses a combination of hydroponic and soil-based systems
where plants are rooted in the firm's proprietary geotextile
material known as GrowTex™ made from 100 percent recycled
water bottles - a major sustainability benefit for developers
seeking green building certifications. Aside from the various
benefits around imbuing more greenery into commercial
public spaces, a public-private collaboration allows for stronger
stewardship of the installation by the proposing parties versus
imparting the burden of maintenance and oversight to the city.
Additionally, Brenner was officially recognized as an artist by
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for "The Living
Wall" - the largest installation currently in the United States.
A collaboration between Brenner and Shorenstien began as the
basis of Urban Ecotones, a vision to capture a sustainable future
and celebration of diversity for Oakland's public art collection.
"Being able to develop a piece that speaks to the vitality and
thriving spirit Oakland was a great honor, and the public art
recognition is an exciting milestone," said Brenner. "I strongly
believe the role of living walls in built environments are meant
to provoke, interact and engage the public in a meaningful way.
This artistic recognition is a step forward in elevating the idea
that nature is art, and vice versa in a way that inspires a deeper
relationship to the natural world."
Akeena Legall is a freelance writer and Serene Buckley leads PR and
brand communications for Habitat Horticulture.
See Urban Ecotones at 601 City Center, located at 601 12th Street
in Oakland - a LEED Gold Certified building by architect Korth
Sunseri Hagey and General Contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie. The
lobby is open to the public Monday through Friday during regular
business hours.

Photos courtesy Habitat Horticulture/G. Belinksy

tourism economy. Additionally, residents in cities where there is
a density of accessible public art report heightened feelings of
content and a greater sense of belonging to their city.
While the specifics around the policy may vary from place
to place, the ultimate goal is to broaden the role of artists in
communities and create a sustainable funding funnel for the
arts to thrive alongside rapid urban development. In order to do
this, the codes typically require developers to a) either pay into
a public art fund or b) provide publicly accessible art as part of
the development, based on a percentage of total development
costs. While cities must approve the art and artist according to
their established requirements, developers have control over
the selection and curation of art which must be integrated into
the planning and design. Moreover, the approval of the art is
generally tied into the approval of the development itself.
In 2014 the City of Oakland adopted a version of this
requirement where 1 percent of non-residential private
development project costs are allocated "for freely accessible
public art on site, or within the public right of way."

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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2020

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