Clearly, the design and creation of man-made Christmas trees started long before the more versatile and multi-disciplinarily minded architects of recent generations got involved. The debate of the environmental impact of both cutting natural trees for the celebrations and using their artificial replicas that became popular in the 90s is ongoing. The best solution to avoiding the use of either of the controversial options (as recommended by environmentalist elves and Santa Claus himself) involves stylization and interpretation – something that architects and designers are very familiar with. Enjoy looking at these witty, sustainable, interactive design Christmas trees and have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

This is a guest post from Antonina of OpenBuildings - a community-driven and openly editable encyclopaedia of buildings from around the world. 

Studio Roso: V&A Christmas Tree

image:  Studio Roso

1024 architecture: Abies-Electronicus XMAS Tree

image: 1024 architecture

Ricardo Sanhueza De La Maza: (Green Bottle) Christmas Tree

image: Ricardo Sanhueza De La Maza

Sarah Wigglesworth Architects: Bermondsey Square Bicycle Christmas Tree

image: Mark Hadden

Ben Busche/Brut Deluxe Architects: Christmas Decoration in Madrid 2006/2007

image: Miguel de Guzman

Ben Busche/Brut Deluxe Architects: Christmas Tree on Gran Vía, Madrid

image: Miguel de Guzman

And some homey ideas…

Jane Schouten: Wall Application Tree

image: Jane Schouten

 

 

Richard Babcock: possibiliTree

image: possibiliTree

Büro North: Christmas Trees Frigg, Rindd & Ryder

image: Büro North

Vladimir Ivanov: Holey Tree

image: Vladimir Ivanov