PROJECTS
The decking planks are H4-treated South African pine.
Any site that man acts upon or intervenes in should be treated with caution and sensitivity, even more so within an arboretum in the‘ Eden’ of one of the world’ s most well-known and famous botanical gardens. The site was therefore thoroughly surveyed where every feature and every tree was mapped in the finest detail. Not surprisingly this meticulous process gave rise to the eventual form and structure of the Boomslang.
Even before the survey, the concept of a curving structure took form. There are no straight lines in the forest, after all.
It is this kind of observation that underpins the idea of the sinuous, lightweight, non-intrusive steel structure of the Boomslang – a structural skeleton, with ribs and a spine. The architects and engineers designed a structure that could be manufactured to relatively small tolerances off-site for on-site assembly, so that the construction did not disrupt the forest and its inhabitants too much. The eventual construction on site was largely accomplished with man-power and a small crane that lifted some elements into position. All of this construction work was achieved without cutting down any trees. All the structural members were finished with hot-dipped galvanising and thereafter painted to attract plant growth and moss. It was also covered with metal frames that would support plant growth. In time, it will‘ disappear’ into the forest and in so doing, it would increase its quality of intrigue and wonder. The walkway was designed to be unobtrusive in the gardens.
22 FEB / MARCH 2017 //