Urban ecology

Creating ecologically rich campus environments is not only good for the planet, but also good for people. Healthy, diverse ecosystems and landscapes support biodiversity, increase ecological resilience, and have major benefits for human health. That’s why our design for Gradient Canopy is centered on regenerating biodiverse local ecosystems.

On Gradient Canopy's four vegetated acres, we worked to reestablish ecosystem elements once prevalent in Silicon Valley, including oak woodlands, willow groves, chaparral, and grasslands. The landscape is composed almost entirely of native species, including approximately 400 native trees and pollinator-friendly native plants, such as milkweed, yarrow, and sage. The goal is to revive the area’s ecological heritage and bolster the human experience, while creating thriving, functional landscapes for a biodiverse constellation of species.

A key piece of our ecology strategy at Gradient Canopy centers around one specific type of tree: oaks. Iconic trees of the California landscape, oaks once dominated Silicon Valley. The native oaks are drought-tolerant, fire-resistant, and efficient at removing air pollution and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally, oak woodland ecosystems sustain some of the highest plant and animal diversity in California, supporting 2,000 additional plant species and around 5,000 insect species. Hundreds more birds, mammals and other wildlife rely on the richness of oak woodlands for food, shade and shelter.

We worked with local scientists to design a connected tree canopy for the landscape that includes oaks, along with other native tree species like buckeye, sycamore, and willow. A connected canopy creates wildlife corridors through the built environment and mitigates the urban heat island effect.

Native pollinator plantings serve as the understory to Gradient Canopy's native trees, providing resources for local butterflies, birds, and bees. A portion of the landscape is designed to specifically support the western monarch butterfly population, applying the best available science to create the right mix of milkweed plants, which support monarch eggs and caterpillars, and flowers, which fuel butterflies passing through on their long migration.

At Gradient Canopy, we blended native pollinator planting with cultivated garden beds and honey bee boxes to achieve the Living Building Challenge’s Urban Agriculture Imperative, which is intended to connect the community to locally grown fresh food. Two garden beds on site supply produce for our cafes and Googler teaching kitchens and provide a demonstration of how native landscaping and productive gardening can work together for more resilient local food production.

We also partnered with The Planet Bee Foundation, a non-profit which manages Google’s Mountain View hives, to install three honey bee boxes on site. As part of our design process, we studied how a landscape can support both non-native honey bees and native bees to foster the benefits of both. This research will inform how Google integrates non-native honey bees into native ecological landscape design in the future to benefit both native biodiversity and local food production.

Gradient Canopy's urban ecological design is guided by Google’s ecology program, which we launched in 2014 to incorporate the best available science into the design of our outdoor spaces. Ultimately, Gradient Canopy is one key component of our larger vision for enhancing nature and biodiversity through our campuses.