Landmark design has been chosen; what’s next?
The effort to create a landmark structure in Silicon Valley has narrowed its choices to one: “Breeze of Innovation,” a 200-foot-tall structure made up of 500 gently moving steel rods, that could rise in San Jose’s Guadalupe River Park by 2025.
The structure, designed by Fernando Jerez and Belén Pérez de Juan of SMAR Architecture Studio, was selected as the top choice among three finalists earlier this month by the 14-member jury assembled by Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, the nonprofit group created to spearhead the effort. Jon Ball, a retired construction executive who chairs Urban Confluence’s board and served as one of the jurists, said the unique concept of “Breeze of Innovation” really set it apart from the other finalists — and the original field of 963 submissions fielded from 72 countries.
“Why pick a design that isn’t truly innovative for a project that’s going to celebrate our region, known worldwide as the center of innovation?” Ball said. “This is a dynamic structure that moves in part and has inherent challenges that other designs didn’t.”
The design includes 500 stainless steel rods that would sway gently in the wind, creating a visual effect and generating power to illuminate it at night. A conical void within the structure pays tribute to the San Jose Electric Light Tower, which stood downtown from 1881 to 1915. There will be multiple levels of walkways, an exhibition
space, a café and a viewing platform that should offer stunning views of the valley from its location in the Arena Green West portion of the Guadalupe River Park.
But a lot has to happen between now and then. There are two more online community meetings on Thursday at 6 p.m. and April 5 at 5:30 p.m. during which the public can learn more and provide feedback. You can register for those meetings, get more information on the project and see recordings of previous meetings at urbanconfluencesiliconvalley.org.
The San Jose City Council also needs to approve the selection, which is expected to be considered in early May. Ball and the rest of the Urban Confluence team — Executive Director Steve Borkenhagen and board member Christine Davis — are hoping for a unanimous nod from the council, in line with previous votes in 2018 and 2019, to signal the city’s strong backing of the project. But opposition from environment advocates against building the structure near the Guadalupe River is expected at the meeting, too.
“Our message to the environmental community and the general public is that we will continue to act in a responsible way,” Ball said. “With the help
of our advisers and environmental consultants, we know what we can and can’t do to comply with environmental regulations, and we will continue to honor the riparian corridor and make good decisions on lighting so we don’t interfere with birds or other wildlife.”
If the council OKS the design, the next year to 18 months will be spent working with the city and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy to prepare an environmental impact report
— which Ball said Urban Confluence would pay for — and incorporating required changes into the final design. Urban Confluence hopes to have “Breeze of Innovation” completed by 2025, but Ball pledged that no groundbreaking will happen before all the necessary funding has been secured — a figure he says will be in excess of $100 million.
“We will not put ourselves or the city in a situation,” he said, “where the completion of the project
is depending on a financial solution that’s undetermined.”
CINEQUEST CLOSING STRONG >> There are a few days remaining before the virtual Cinequest film festival wraps up this week, and it’s closing out in good form.
Darren Star, creator of “Sex and the City” and “Emily in Paris,” will receive the festival’s Maverick Spirit Award today at 1 p.m. On Tuesday, the phenomenal documentary “Boys State” — a Grand
Prize Jury winner at Sundance last year — will be the featured film, followed by a conversation with the Bay Area-based directors Amanda Mcbaine and Jesse Moss. An extra day has been added to the schedule on Wednesday, and its centerpiece will be a conversation with singer and Golden Globe winning-actress Andra Day and director Lee Daniels, who will talk about making “The United States Vs. Billie Holliday,” which will be screened after the discussion. By the way, Cinequest is donating all proceeds from tickets sold to the Billie Holliday event to the nonprofit Stand Up to Cancer.
You can get more information and tickets at creatics.org/cinejoy. Both “Boys State” and “The United States Vs. Billie Holliday” are available in the Spotlights category, and the Darren Star event is listed under “Celebrations.”
GETTING CREATIVE >> The School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose is celebrating Cesar Chavez Day on Wednesday in an artistic way. The school is hosting a virtual event starting at 6:30 p.m. that focuses on “the power of words,” something that Chavez — who would have been 94 on Wednesday — knew a great deal about.
Arts leader Ron Muriera will provide a keynote, talking about the partnership between Larry Itliong and the Filipino farmworkers with Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association. That’ll be followed by a poetry workshop by Elizabeth Jimenez Montelongo and a sign-painting workshop with artists Ben Henderson and Jorge “J. Duh” Camacho. You can register for the free event at bit.ly/3tusgb9.
VALLEY’S WOMEN OF INFLUENCE >> Every year since 1987, members of the California state Senate and Assembly celebrate notable women from their districts in honor of Women’s History Month in March. The Legislature’s Women’s Caucus has assembled all the tributes to this year’s honorees into an online program that you can see at womenscaucus.legislature. ca.gov/woman-of-the-year.
Among the Silicon Valley honorees are Santa Clara resident Sandra Dailey, an entrepreneur who runs the Sandi’s Soul Food concession at Levi’s Stadium; Our City Forest Executive Director Rhonda Berry; Milpitas resident Jinky Peralta, executive director of Sleeping Bags for the Homeless of Silicon Valley; South Bay Labor Council Executive Officer Jean Cohen; and Monte Sereno resident Leslee Guardino, co-founder of Canyon Snow Consulting.