Client Shorenstein
Design David Brenner
Installation Habitat Horticulture
Architect KSH Architects
General Contractor Hathaway Dinwiddle Construction
Dimensions 33‘ 4-1/4″ wide x 19’ high
Completion Date June 2019
Location Oakland, CA
Photographer Garry Belinsky

Project Description

Urban Ecotones, a living wall designed by David Brenner, founder and principal at Habitat Horticulture, is the first living wall to achieve artistic designation under Oakland’s Public Art for Private Development municipal code.

With more than 25 plant species that intertwine to form a living, multi-dimensional tapestry, the 19-foot-by-34-foot living wall resides in the east lobby of 601 City Center – the public space access of a new 24 story, 600,000 sqft mixed-use commercial building opened in the fall of 2019 by real estate investment and development firm, Shorenstein Properties. On the other side of the lobby sits Sense of Place, a digital data painting created by internationally renowned artist, Refik Anadol – the other public art commission for the building’s communal space.

As reflected in the title of David Brenner’s design, an ecotone is a transition zone where two adjacent communities come together to share characteristics. Urban Ecotones is an interplay of the varying tones, colors and textures woven together to celebrate Oakland as an epicenter for eclectic, cultural expression.