Leadenhall: An Enchanted Forest in the heart of the City

Location: 122 Leadenhall
Client: British Land & Wordsearch
Status: Invited Competition Entry October 2009
Contract Value: £125,000

We were invited by British Land and Wordsearch to come up with ideas for a temporary site improvement and architectural installation at 122 Leadenhall.

What if there was a serene tall forest nestled within the heart of the Square Mile? A new green woodland right in the middle of the City!

We were captivated by the idea of a secret sunken garden hidden within the complexity and density of city. We loved the idea of a tree top walk that you can access straight from street level, and the relationship the branches of the trees would have against the skyline of the tall buildings. We wanted to create a joyful and uniquely magical place that you could access just moments from the realities of everyday life. One minute you might be walking along Leadenhall Street and the next you could be in the middle of an enchanted forest...

The tree canopies would soar above the walls of the site, as if the new forest had grown from the depths of the existing concrete basement, and signalling to everyone around that something new was happening on the site.

At first glance the space might appear to be an impenetrable forest, but up close from the pavement, you will find little entrances dotted around the site allowing you to walk straight into a magical new world. A bridge floats amongst the branches of the trees and take you from one side of the site to the other, a ground-level tree-top walk! You will find secret nooks and crannies along the way, somewhere for picnics and packed lunches, or just somewhere to sit and enjoy the view.

In the middle you will come across a small forest clearing and looking down you will realise, perhaps for the first time, that there is in fact a space below.

The existing ramp structure becomes the landscaped path that will take you down into the forest and at the end of a little winding path you will eventually come across the clearing to find a secret cottage hidden amongst the base of the trees: a little cafe or restaurant, a place to hold small events or secret meetings, or just a place to rest up at lunchtime. Your own private hideaway!

Looking up and out of the forest clearing you would be able to make out the surrounding buildings towering above, the leaves and branches tenderly framing the hard lines of the glass and steel sky-scrapers and the gentle rustle of the leaves softening the traffic noise from above. Looking down onto the site from the surrounding buildings you will see people wandering across the tree branches, and at night the forest will glow from within as the forest floor comes to life with activity.

The proposal not only provides an interim use for the site but also raises its profile by providing a new destination or even tourist attraction as well as a unique temporary venue for events covering everything from corporate parties to fashion shows at London Fashion week.

During the week the restaurant/café would cater for the city players and at weekends the trendy Spitalfield crowd will spill over to Leadenhall.

The Birch trees

We are proposing to use multi-stemmed silver birch trees, which are fast growing and suitable to the environment with a good resilience to traffic pollution. The silver colouring of the bark and their slender architectural appearance in combination with the fine rustle of the leaves seem perfectly suited for the magical environment we envisage.When lit at night, the distinctive silver colour of the bark will become reflective and have an iridescent quality.

The Legacy

When the installation comes to an end, the options are to relocate the park as a whole, in part, or even retain some elements onsite to be incorporated in future landscaping proposals. 

During it's life the project is providing a wonderful new amenity for the people of London as well as a temporary haven for the wildlife that thrives in the city, but there’s also a fantastic charitable opportunity for the trees to be donated to local and surrounding parks or even auctioned off to interested parties.