Echo is a site-specific media artwork by Denver artist David Zimmer, commissioned for the exterior of the 16 Chestnut development in downtown Denver. The work brings a moving image of nature into the building’s concrete-and-glass surroundings, transforming a 40-by-30-foot wall into an illuminated, constantly shifting landscape.

The imagery is drawn from three mature oak trees outside Denver that Zimmer filmed intermittently for more than a decade. Their movement in the wind is divided across 13 LED panels and reconstructed as a large-scale digital collage. The title Echo refers to the memories and experiences that have accumulated beneath and around the trees over time.

Each custom screen is built on a 4-by-8-foot sheet of perforated aluminum and contains 3,480 individually addressable RGB LEDs arranged in a hexagonal pattern. The screens sit behind textured glass within painted stainless-steel frames anchored to the exterior wall of the parking garage. Together, the 13 panels contain more than 45,000 LEDs.

The panels operate in six coordinated groups controlled by Raspberry Pi video servers, microcontrollers, pixel controllers, and a distributed power system located inside the garage. The textured glass softens and blends the individual points of light, allowing the moving tree imagery to read as a unified composition from the street.

Elmendorf/Geurts supported the project through structural engineering, electromechanical engineering, fabrication, lighting-system development, installation, and long-term maintenance planning. The completed work combines public art, custom electronics, and architectural integration to create an evolving connection between the natural world and Denver’s urban environment.