The building is covered by 1,000 columns which the British office Heatherwick Studio has turned into “pots” for more than 1,000 trees and 250,000 plants.
Thomas Heatherwick's architectural firm released a video from a drone showing the exterior of the Shanghai 1,000 Trees department store he designed.
Recently inaugurated, the building is covered by 1,000 columns which the British office Heatherwick Studio has turned into “pots” for more than 1,000 trees and 250,000 plants. In the video, according to the APE-MPE, the “pots” are presented from various points from above, as well as in a time-lapse from day to night, showing how they light up when the sun goes down. In addition, the video allows a look at the flat exterior of the department store which faces the street and is adorned with billboards and works created in collaboration with international graffiti artists.
In an interview with Dezeen, Thomas Heatherwick clarified that the purpose of the decorative columns is to “humanize” the project, while minimizing the visual impression it creates. Work has already begun on the second phase of the project: a 19-storey hotel and an office building next door.
