A 566-Inch Redwood Tree: Designing a Six-Story Nature Installation

Sometimes a project comes along that pushes us to think bigger… literally.

We recently had the opportunity to help bring a unique concept to life in San Francisco, where a single redwood tree image became a six-story vertical nature installation inside an elevator lobby.

Instead of installing six separate pieces of art, the design team with Pyatok Architecture and Urban Design envisioned something much more immersive: a giant California redwood that reveals itself as you move up the building.

The result is a nature experience that unfolds floor by floor.

The Concept: Riding an Elevator Up a Redwood Tree

This project is part of 2550 Irving, a mixed-use affordable housing development near Golden Gate Park, developed by Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and designed by Pyatok Architecture and Urban Design.

The architecture and interiors take inspiration from the surrounding landscape, including the historic dunes and iconic trees of Golden Gate Park.  So, it felt natural to incorporate imagery from one of California’s most beloved natural icons: the coastal redwood.

The design concept was simple but powerful. A super-graphic redwood tree spans six elevator lobbies, creating the feeling of traveling upward through a forest canopy as residents ride the elevator.

Kurt Johnson Photography image chosen for this installation.

Instead of using separate art pieces on each floor, the installation becomes one continuous story.

• Floors 1–2: The forest floor and base of the trunk
• Floors 3–4: The powerful central trunk and branching structure
• Floors 5–6: The canopy reaching toward the sky

The environmental graphics mirror the experience of standing at the base of a giant redwood and the awe of looking up.

A Six-Story Image Requires a Different Kind of Photography

Creating a single photograph that could span six floors required a bit of technical problem-solving.

Kurt happened to be in California already when the request for the image came in, so he added redwood groves to his shooting list, searching for just the right tree for the project: one that captured the scale and vertical drama needed for the concept.

Once he found the perfect spot, Kurt started shooting.  And the cool part?  The final image wasn’t captured in a single frame.

Instead, 17 separate photographs were taken and digitally stitched together by KJP’s artistic director, Tori Gerkin, to create one extremely tall composite image.

This panoramic process allowed us to create a final image measuring 206 inches wide by 566 inches tall. Definitely takes the “Go big or go home” concept to a whole new level.

That single image was then divided into six sections, each installed on a different floor of the building.

Each wallcovering panel itself measured approximately 206″ wide x 96″ high, and together they form one continuous 55-foot-tall redwood tree, making it feel like you’re stepping into a forest.

Visualizing the Installation

Because the installation spans six floors, it’s impossible to photograph the entire piece at once from inside the building.

To help visualize the concept, we overlaid the real redwood photograph onto the architectural rendering created by Pyatok Architecture and Urban Design (which was used during the design phase). The image below is a conceptual visualization showing how the final redwood image appears when the six sections are installed.

This visualization helps show how the tree reveals itself as residents travel upward through the building.

Bringing the Super Graphic to Life

Once the image was finalized, it was produced as six custom vinyl wallcoverings and installed on the elevator lobby walls of each floor, stretching vertically through the building.

The graphics were printed by Koroseal Interior Products, and the installation was completed in collaboration with Guzman Construction Group, whose team helped bring all the pieces together on site.

First floor installation showing the bottom section of Kurt’s panoramic redwoood image, where the vertical nature experience begins.

A big thank-you goes to Koroseal sales consultant Michael Freday, who helped coordinate the wallcovering production and installation.

As Michael shared when installation began:

“And so it begins… the install at 2550 Irving St. in San Francisco with the Santa Cruz Redwoods. Thanks for working with me and my ‘thinking outside the box’ once again… we pulled it together.”

Why Large-Scale Nature Graphics Matter

Projects like this are a great example of biophilic design in action. Research has shown that incorporating elements of nature into built environments can reduce stress, improve focus and mood, and create strong emotional connections to indoor spaces.

Large-scale nature imagery, especially when integrated into the architecture, can serve practical design functions too. In this case, the redwood installation helps create:

1. Orientation within the building

Residents immediately recognize the elevator lobby because of the consistent visual experience of the Redwood photograph.

2. A calming focal point

Nature imagery introduces a sense of calm and familiarity.

3. A memorable architectural feature

Instead of blank walls, the elevator becomes a small journey through a forest.

A Tree That Connects the Whole Building

What makes this installation special is more than its size (although, honesty, how often do you see one image printed this big?). It’s the idea behind it.

Instead of decorating each floor individually, the artwork creates one cohesive art piece, tying every level of the building together through one visual story. A story that connects residents and visitors to their own community and the nature of the surrounding area.

From the forest floor to the canopy, residents experience a vertical nature journey every time they ride the elevator. This project reinforces the notion that sometimes, the best design ideas are the ones that remind us of the beauty waiting outside.