Starchitects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) have turned the traditional Christmas tree on its head this year. The luminous tree design in Denmark is made up of 1,000 square lattice elements with an array of color-changing lights. The volume of the structure is an inverted tree with an inner void that functions as a gathering space for visitors of the Utzon Center in Aalborg.
This unusual Christmas tree sits in the courtyard of the Utzon Center, which currently houses SOM’s exhibition, “Sky is the Limit”. The architects used modules originally designed by Peter Lassen and created a porous temporary installation that reaches a height of 23 feet. An array of color-changing lights illuminates the structure, bestowing the courtyard with a festive aesthetic.
Related: SOM designs pedestrian-friendly revamp for the heart of Philadelphia
“Stepping into the middle of a Christmas tree and getting that different and, in some ways, mind-bending experience of space and design, is not something you can experience elsewhere in Denmark,” said Lasse Andersson, creative director at Utzon Center. The sculpture will remain in place until the end of January.
+ Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)
Via Archdaily
Photos by Allan Toft
