Willow Wall

The ‘willow wall’ is an experiment in concrete. In a garden-wall made from concrete, young willow cuttings were cast along in the formwork. Consequently, the project could only be executed in the month of April: after all, that’s when the willow cuttings are ready to sprout. The first leaves peeked through after three weeks. Nine branches have since sprouted through the surface of the concrete, and it can clearly be seen that a number of other branches will soon follow up.

We hope that the vegetative force of the willow cuttings will eventually cause the surface of the concrete to break, so that there is even more space for growth. The terrace section features a kitchen worktop of black, polished concrete, which incorporates a shallow sink and a cut-away for a barbecue. A simple LED lighting array will round off the project. The project intends to reconcile the hard, permanent nature of concrete with nature’s vegetative force and its ability to change and to gradually grow and, ultimately decay in an attractive manner.