Tree Canopy

The architects of a new office building wanted to represent the growth of the company with an integral multilevel sculpture. Each “branch” of this tree canopy represents each individual employee and further exemplifies the necessity of each member to the overall operation and success of the whole. The canopy starts on the ground floor by the entry, grows up and around a natural black locust tree trunk, and sprawls over the entire public circulation space of the second floor. It reaches the second floor lobby, and continues growing up three more flights of stairs, ending at the top of the building by the executive suite offices.

This sculpture spans four stories and is comprised of 8,500 parts. The material is solid poplar, suspended by steel structure anchored into the ceilings. Each part was fabricated in our shop, and installed in the finished building by a team of four individuals, without the use of any cranes.

Location : Raleigh, NC

Collaborators : Gensler