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Architects: pH+
- Area: 35 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:Paul Raftery
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Manufacturers: Buildbase, Creative Aluminium Solutions, Timberplay
Text description provided by the architects. An experiential garden den has been created for the London Festival of Architecture 2016 by pH+ Architects on Peninsula Square, Greenwich. Conceived as an inclusive sensory space, The Milkshake Tree is a pop-up inspired by the practice’s work for the London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy (LCCCP) in Haringey. The installation stimulates and encourages play through sounds, smells, movements and reflective surfaces.
The Milkshake Tree is part of the philosophy of learning through play, embraced at the LCCCP. Using specific education techniques, which were specifically developed for children with cerebral palsy or other movement disorders, the charity’s aim is to inspire disabled children to develop independence, confidence and self-esteem to achieve their full potential. The pop-up is named after a request from one of the children for a milkshake tree in their new Centre.
Located outside the NOW Gallery, the installation includes a ramped walkway bounded by a screen of timber fins combined with copper xylophones which can be played by the children as they pass by. The walkway wraps around a 12 sq metre gold mirrored cube with leaf-shaped cut outs, an Amelanchier tree and a glass prism in the centre creates a kaleidoscope of colours and light.
