The artwork was originally conceived by Riccardo Mariano as an entry to the LAGI 2019 Abu Dhabi design competition for Masdar City.

In 2021, the LAGI directors, Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry, were invited to speak at the annual CODAworx public art conference, CODAsummit, presenting the Barbara Tober Keynote Address: Reimagining Public Art as Energy Landscapes for a Post-Carbon World.

Following the conference, LAGI and the Acronym Fund — a foundation dedicated to advancing arts and culture established by Donald and Barbara Tober — began to pursue the construction of a full-scale LAGI artwork somewhere in the United States. 

The City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office saw the benefit of a new work of art for Houston that would celebrate the City’s leadership in energy and culture, while also lowering the carbon footprint of Houston parks. The Mayor’s Office convened a stakeholder committee who selected the Arch of Time through a competitive process that included many of the works in the Land Art Generator portfolio.