The artist team of Matter Architecture
Practice (NY) collaborated with landscape architects Gavan & Barker (AZ) to
improve Pierce Street in front of the Phoenix Public Market. The enhancements
included narrowing the street, widening the sidewalk on the north side, and
adding trees and sculptural shade structures with seating.
The project’s combination of shade
created a model for reducing the urban heat island effect and making our desert
city more walkable and comfortable.
The project design was assisted by a
National Endowment for the Arts Mayor’s Institute of City Design 25th
Anniversary grant. The series of five interconnected shade canopies are made of
durable steel, hardwood and architectural ceramics. They are part of an ongoing
series of public art projects to add artist-designed shade to public spaces
throughout Phoenix.