Heatherwick Studios' Massive Tree Sculpture—Made With Living Trees—Will Soar Above Buckingham Palace in June
- April 26, 2022 14:13
To celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee weekend, a giant tree sculpture will appear outside Buckingham Palace in London this June. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, the 69-foot "Tree of Trees" will feature 350 indigenous British trees set in aluminum pots on a steel frame. The project pays tribute to The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) initiative which encouraged Britons to "plant a tree for the Jubilee" between October 2021 and March 2022, resulting in more than a million trees being planted, according to the QGC website.
The "Tree of Trees" sculpture "seeks to put the importance of trees and nature at the heart of this historic milestone to celebrate Her Majesty, who has planted over 1,500 trees all over the world throughout the course of her 70-year reign."
British designer Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, said in a statement that the "Tree of Trees" was "coming together from the workshops and nurseries across the country as part of an incredible community campaign that's literally changing the landscape of our nation."
Known for the Vessel in New York and other high-profile design projects, Heatherwick Studio notes that trees and nature are central to many of their designs, a natural alignment with the Queen's greening campaign.
The steel used is both reclaimed and new, using "materials and expertise sourced from local suppliers up and down the country." The 350 trees will be stored over the summer and planted in the fall.
"Trees bring so many immediate and long-term benefits, and our foundation has been helping communities around the world plant more of them, including London, our company’s second home," said Michael Bloomberg, whose Bloomberg Philanthropies supported the project.
