Emerson Collective Gateway

According to their site, Emerson Collective is a social change organization that uses a broad range of tools including philanthropy, impact investing, and policy solutions to create the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Established and led by Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson Collective is working to renew some of society’s most calcified systems, creating new possibilities for individuals, families, and communities.

The organization asked us to design and implement a gateway fence to act as a landmark for their new Bloomhouse location in East Palo Alto. The space consists of 54 acres of land on the bay that is still being reimagined, but is currently serving as a community meeting and workshop destination.

The gateway took three days to install permanently and is our first parametric fence design. We sped up volunteer participation by harnessing a jig to make fast and accurate work without the slow, continual measurement process of typical builds.

We were excited to see the dreamed gateway come to life in a matter of days, giving Bloomhouse a fresh face to begin its work.