Featuring up to 1,000 pillars, each with a tree planted on top, 1,000 trees is a 300,000 sqm project designed by Heatherwick Studio in Shanghai’s Putuo district. The mixed-use complex, compared to the fabled ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ is located next to Shanghai’s art district, M50. Bordered on one side by a public park and on the other three sides by concrete towers, the site incorporates several historic buildings and is split between two plots separated by a narrow strip of government land. The studio’s aim was to design a building which would relate to the park and arts district and, while meeting the client’s requirement for a large and dense development, would have interest at a human scale. Early studies suggested that a project of this size would require at least 800 structural columns to support it. From this point the studio began to explore how these columns, normally hidden within the structure, could become a prominent feature of the building and articulate its mass more finely. The studio also attempted to integrate planting into the structure as a visual extension of the nearby park. More than 70 different tree species were used for the 1,000 Trees project.
“We see the planters as natural extensions of the columns, almost like a shoot that has worked its way through three levels of car park, eight levels of retail, and then up and out to the roofscape to blossom.”
Lisa Finlay, Partner, Heatherwick Studio
The idea that developed was to create two tree-covered mountains, using the tops of the columns as large planters for thousands of trees and shrubs. Arranged in an orthogonal grid across the site, the columns emerge from the building to form the mountains, sloping down towards the arts district and the park. A bridge over the government land links the undulating topography and the historic buildings are integrated as focal points within the development, creating an element of contrast and surprise.
Sixteen local and international artists were commissioned to draw the energy and traditions of M50 into the first phase of development. Their work, curated by Paul Dezio, a French street artist who began frequenting the area in 2007, referenced the street graffiti for which the district has been famous.
“1,000 Trees is inspired by the idea of making cities into social spaces. It breaks down the monolithic scale of a typical retail development into a multitude of human-scale spaces. I think it will be transformational for people who live and work in this dense residential neighbourhood.”
Thomas Heatherwick, Founder, Heatherwick Studio
Project Details:
Name: 1000 Trees
Location: Shanghai, China
Client: Tian An China Investments Company
Status: Completed (Phase 1)
Area: 300,000 sqm
Typology: Mixed-use Architecture
Design Firm: Heatherwick Studio
Photographs: ©Qingyan Zhu
