Tree of Life

The tallest structure ever proposed for Burning Man. It was never built. This is the only way to experience it.

The form follows the Fibonacci sequence — a logarithmic spiral that spreads the floor levels upward through the structure, reducing the number of unique angles and allowing repetition in the steel connection plates. The primary structure is glue-laminated timber with steel connectors. The canopy branches are sustainably harvested bamboo. Fabric and netting form enclosures for performance spaces on the intermediate levels.

An angular staircase spirals upward through a light and sound atrium — the interior experience of the climb is as deliberate as the exterior form. At the top: the Temple of the Stars, a viewing platform and meditation space open to the desert sky.

The structure was designed to be dismantled. Every crosspiece splits into four parts, pre-assembled to the glulam beams before transport. Layers are constructed on the ground, craned into position, and bolted. After the festival, the plan was to disassemble the structure and re-erect it permanently as part of the Institute of Human Creativity in San Francisco — a non-profit supporting arts for social and environmental change.