Entire Playground and Ice Cream Stand Made From One Huge Poplar Tree

Endearingly named “Chop Stick“, this playground and ice cream shack was designed for the Indianapolis Museum of Art, providing a small concession stand and swingset for the museum’s grounds.

Using a huge 100 foot yellow poplar tree, the designers incorporated the entire tree’s length into the design, complete with branches intact. The bark was removed to show the beauty of the wood, and keep the installation long lasting.

We love how playful and honest the materials are, using Indiana’s state tree, but in a way that feels inviting and also sophisticated.

Designed by Anders Berensson Architects

From the architect:

“The design is based on the universal notion that you need to sacrifice something in order to make something new. Every product is a compound of different pieces of nature, whether it is a cellphone, a car, a stone floor or a wood board; they have all been harvested in one way or another.

This project is about trying to harvest something as gently as possible so that the source of what we harvest is displayed in a pure, pedagogic and respectful way – respectful to both the source itself and to everyone visiting the building.”