Repurposing street trees for communal benches

The designers at Superbloom worked with the 16th Street Mall (Denver) Improvement team to repurpose the existing trees into benches as part of the new Populus development nearby (designed by Studio Gang with the landscape by Superbloom).

Populus
Repurposed tree benches at Populus | Image Credit: Sarah Vanderpool

The 16th Street Mall Improvement Project is a the 1.2 miles (1.9km) pedestrian mall renovation managed by the City and County of Denver and RTD and is expected to be completed by winter 2025. The existing trees (planted in 1982 as part of the original I.M. Pei design) were to be removed due to the extent of the renovation work that needed to be done, and transplanting the trees was not a feasible option [1]. Also, the mall development called for an increase in the variety of tree species to create a more resilient urban canopy suited to Denver’s climate. The question remained of what to do with the existing trees that were to be removed.

Concept – Superbloom

The design team carefully selected the trees with the intention of preserving their organic shapes, while also paying homage to their origins just a few blocks away.

Honey Locust trees on 16th Street Mall
Superbloom team evaluting existing trees on 16th Street Mall
Honey Locust trees removal on 16th Street Mall

Superbloom has given the trees a second life, transforming their trunks into benches that now offer public seating and contribute to the creation of a new form of communal space.

Repurposed tree benches

The custom-designed benches at Populus were crafted from honey locust trees that Superbloom helped salvage from the nearby 16th Street Mall.

Benches detail | Image Credit: Sarah Vanderpool

Populus Benches

Location: Denver, Colorado, USA.

Landscape Architect: Superbloom
Bench Fabricators: Where Wood Meets Steel.

Photography: Superbloom unless otherwise captioned.

[1] 40-Year-Old Trees Disappearing on 16th Street Mall as Denver Celebrates Arbor Day – Westworld https://www.westword.com/news/denver-16th-street-mall-trees-replaced-arbor-day-16675085

About Damian Holmes 3592 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/