In 2006 the hotel owners wished to re-landscape two existing planters in the central courtyard of the hotel complex as part of its ongoing renovation efforts (Felix Pfeifle was project manager and project designer on this phase for Dean Larkin Design, AIA, 2002, which garnered an award from the Los Angeles AIA, 2003, for best small commercial renovation).  The client specified that they wanted some shade for the hotel lobby and that one of the two planters need be “moveable” for special events.

OCD responded with grids of corten steel urns, rectilinear and modern, but rusted with respect to the tongue-in-cheek “aggie” context of the hotel.  The succulents in the moveable planter, variegated aeoniums, “fire sticks,” and “flap jacks,” all achieve a sort of fantastic effect through their repetition and high positioning.