This is Urban Tree Museum. It is a proposal to update an existing park in Berlin, Germany. The design uses some of the trees on site and adds additional varieties. The primary concept is to allow visitors to experience trees at all of their different heights. The series of arcing walkways enable an experience of tree canopies, trunk bases, and tree root systems. To supplement the experience, educational signs and exhibit pieces provide information for adults and children, turning the park into a museum. Play pieces are combined with educational elements to create an enjoyable learning environment.
All of the plants on site are edible and produce another sensory addition to the experience. The plants chosen for the foraging garden on the central arc provide additional tastes to try. One arc has an accent material of trampoline netting. The netting is used for the guard rails, the trampoline lounge at the end of the arc, and the connection joints between the walkway and the trees. These connection points are flexible to allow the tree room to grow. The connections also create seats where people can sit on the edge of the circle cutouts. Another feature of this arc is the logs intersecting the walkway. The logs create an element of play on top of the structure and an interesting artistic feature from the bottom. Beneath this arc is a space for art between the trees, where nature-related sculptures can be exhibited. The arc that tunnels below ground is the central educational segment. The walls are glass so the soil layers and roots can be lit and exposed. Throughout the arc, there are exhibits showing woodcuts, tree rings, different types of barks, water intake, tree products, and plenty of information about the trees and plants found on site. This is a crucial part to experience every aspect of a tree. The information, exhibits, plants, and art are to be updated seasonally as trees change dramatically throughout the seasons.