Zephyr Gate     Oakland, California

Zephyr Gate, a residential development of 130 townhouse units, is adjacent to Pacific Cannery Lofts and is part of the master-planned Central Station community in West Oakland.  The site design recalls the history of the area by incorporating elements from the train yards into the landscape design. Each new block of housing is designed around its own landscape paseo, which provides a series of neighborhood garden settings throughout the community. The southern paseos feature two carved black granite fountains linked by recycled train tracks and highlighted by plantings of bamboo, lemon, and banana trees. A planting of palm trees within the more narrow landscape space of the northern paseo provides an open feeling at ground level and a sense of verdant canopy for the upper units where the heads of the palms will thrive. A central park at heart of the project features an open lawn for gathering and game playing, framed by bosques of lacey honey locust trees. Zephyr Gate is GreenPoint rated and integrates a variety of sustainable practices and materials. Landscape plantings have low water requirements, suitable to the Northern California dry summers.  

Immediately to the north of Zephyr Gate is the 14th Street Pocket Park, also designed by Miller Company. This public space extends the greening of the community as an amenity for Zephyr Gate and the adjacent communities that are being constructed within the overall Central Station neighborhood. The pocket park preserves the local memory by featuring sculptural canopy structures recycled from the nearby 16th Street Station, a landmark Beaux Arts building constructed in 1912.

Architect: Kava Massih Architects