The Tree
YXDesigners has designed The Tree installation.
The Hongchuandou hydro-junction, a critical piece of infrastructure, has long remained hidden from public view.
The Tree installation transforms this enclosed hydraulic facility into a public space, revealing the hydro-junction's deeper philosophical implications regarding human-land relationships.
Built from ordinary industrial materials, this monument commemorates the immense effort behind humanity's transformation of nature.
The steel structural grid – symbolising humanity's rational control – and the "tree under construction" embedded within it serve as an abstract metaphor for infrastructure's recreation of nature.
Visitors are invited to ascend a celestial staircase, passing through the tree's core to reach an observation deck, where they gain a new vantage point over the hydro-junction, the reshaped landscape and the city beyond.
This project has been shortlisted in the installation design category of Dezeen Awards China 2025.
Studio: YXDesigners
Project: The Tree
Credits: Longyou County People's Government, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Shanghai Fengyuzhu Culture & Tech and Shanghai Bilibili Technology