People / Bristol
Interview: Tom Dixon (Canopy & Stars)
Tom Dixon is the managing director of Canopy & Stars, the Bristol-based company behind Crane 29, which will see one of Bristol’s much-loved cargo cranes transformed into a treehouse for four months. His business has turned camping into the height of cool, and helped make glamping into a noun. Bristol 24/7 spoke to him about the Crane 29 project, and why Bristol is a great place to put the world’s first treehouse crane.
How did the idea for Crane 29 come about?
We’ve been thinking for a while about doing something experiential in Bristol. We’d looked at a couple of rooftops, including the M Shed, and also looked at the option of having something floating in the harbour, but nothing was coming together. But then one day, we were in our meeting room and looking out of the window [from their offices next to Prince’s Street Bridge]. We saw the cranes and it was obvious! It’s taken around three years to get to this point – getting permission from the council and planning everything. Now it’s happening, it’s really exciting to be taking over a real Bristol landmark.
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Photograph: Geoff Caddick/PA Wire
What’s the treehouse going to be like?
We’re working with Simon Parfitt, director of Bower House Construction, to create something totally bespoke which fits around the crane. There will be a staircase up to the cabin of the crane, which is about 8 metres up in the air. We’ve got to clamp the treehouse onto the structure really carefully, as it’s listed and must be left as we found it, so we’re wrapping the treehouse around the crane. Inside, there will be a living area, a double bed, a bathroom with a shower and a loo, and a kitchenette. It’s going to be about two weeks’ construction at Simon’s studio in Bruton, Somerset, and then two weeks fitting it on-site.
We don’t just want it to be just a treehouse, or a crane, or a cabin: we want it to be a multi-sensory experience of calm and tranquility. There will be plants inside and out, with living walls and a living roof, and if you’re sleeping in there, you’ll wake up to the sound of the forest. So, when you go up to the treehouse, it’s really going to feel like you’re stepping into nature, even though you’re in the heart of the city.
How can Bristolians get involved?
There are a few ways. We’re trying to work with local people in an in inclusive, collaborative way, and are asking for support from Bristolians who might want to volunteer to help us put the structure together. As far as possible, we’re using recycled materials, so we’ve got about 100 pallets that need de-nailing so that we can use the wood and volunteers can help with that job.
You can apply for the ballot to stay in the treehouse for a night – it’s a limited stay, because we want to open it up to as many people as possible. And you’ll be able to take a look around on a couple of special open days later in the year, including Bristol Harbour Festival and Doors Open Day.
Have you done something like this before?
Never. Canopy & Stars is about finding unusual places, like tree houses and yurts, that already exist, and helping people make them the best they can be. This is the first one we’ve built, so it’s really exciting. It’s a chance to create something brand new that represents our values, and we’re particularly proud to do it here in Bristol, in a city with such green credentials and creative vision.
We don’t plan to repeat it at the moment, so it really is a unique opportunity. When you get up there, it’ll be an entirely different viewpoint. It’s a real treat.
The treehouse will open to guests from May 27 – September 30 2017. Any profits will be donated to Friends of the Earth.
Read more: World’s first treehouse on a crane comes to Bristol
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