A shopping mall with a thousand trees on its roof has opened in Shanghai, inspired by the idea of transforming cities into social spaces full of art and nature. The complex, called «1000 Trees», is located along the Suzhou Creek River and is literally covered with 1000 trees — by the time the work is fully completed, it will contain 250,000 plants.
British architecture firm Heatherwick Studio designed the building, inspired by the beauty of the famous Huangshan Mountain, listed by UNESCO. The complex’s façade, facing Shanghai’s art district, was painted by 16 local and international artists under the direction of French street artist Paul Decio. Their colorful graffiti echoes the creative atmosphere of the area.
The artists also transformed the building’s elevator shafts, painting them with 40-meter-tall murals that are visible through the glass elevator cabins, imbuing the space with a sense of art and inspiration.
In addition to the retail and entertainment components, the complex will open museums, residential premises, offices and other public spaces designed to make this corner of Shanghai more vibrant, environmentally friendly and inspiring.
The complex has already been dubbed the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” of our time, embodying the harmony of architecture, art and nature.
Architect Thomas Heatherwick says of the project: “1000 Trees” is inspired by the idea of transforming cities into social spaces. The architectural complex breaks the monolith of a typical retail development into many human-scale spaces. I think it will make a difference for the people who live and work in this dense residential area.”
