BUILDING PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
We develop and implement appropriate technologies through demonstration sites where proven innovations like Thermal Microgrids and Close Cycle Greenhouses can work together, adapt to local conditions, and scale with a neighborhood’s vision.
We will build modular, scalable solutions through parallel implementation: designing components that can function independently but are most powerful when integrated. This allows communities to adapt and expand based on their needs, resources, and specific conditions. Adopting an evolving root system approach, our work starts with energy as the foundation, growing interconnected systems for food, water, mobility, and more, designed to evolve with local needs.
DEMONSTRATION SITES:
OakTREE has cultivated a portfolio of pilot site partners (both commercial and community-focused) where we’re testing, refining, and proving what’s possible. These sites offer visibility and accessibility, serving as living examples for residents across the Bay Area:
- O2 Artisans Aggregate: A mixed-use commercial/residential campus in West Oakland.
- Cordia Facility: A steam-based thermal energy network based in San Francisco.
- Family Laundry: A community facing neighborhood laundry facility in East Oakland.
- High School Redevelopment: A mixed-use commercial/residential campus in Sacramento.
- Community E-Kitchen/Laundry: A dual-use facility located in Vallejo.
Right now, we’re deep in fundraising to get these pilots off the ground. Once we’ve refined the model and proven the technology integration works, it’ll be just in time for neighborhoods to realize the vision we nourish through our work in workforce cultivation and facilitated interdependence.
These locations aren’t just test sites. They’re seeds planted with intention: to show that thermal networks and shared systems can become the foundation for collective power and prosperity.
When communities hold the roots of their own infrastructure, they gain more than reliable heat or fresh food. They build equity in assets that appreciate, create jobs that stay local, and develop the skills to maintain and expand what they’ve grown together. Like a forest that draws strength through interconnection, these systems prove that technology can nourish collective thriving, not just solve individual problems.