Topiary Sculpture for Cities, Parks & Public Art

Since 2009building topiary to commission
40 fttallest piece built to date
4–10 weekstypical build time
US & Canadadelivery and install

Trusted by

Internal steel, because it is public space

Every piece over six feet carries steel tubing inside the frame. It costs more, and public pieces are not built without it, because people do climb on them. They are still sculptures, not climbing structures, and each one is anchored for its site.

Drawings and specifications for tender

We supply materials, dimensions, anchoring details and finish specifications in a form your procurement office can put out for review.

Whole programs of sculptures

A run of sculptures to one theme, built to one standard and delivered on one schedule. Downtown Stamford commissioned sixteen animals together. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Governors Island have both taken our work.

Built for

What we build for this

Three ways a public program usually starts.

Pieces that suit parks, plazas and public spaces, as a starting point. Each is quoted for the site, including delivery and anchoring.

Large outdoor sculptures

Weatherproof pieces on welded frames, built to stand outdoors year round.

Quoted per project 54 pieces to choose from →

Commissioned one-offs

Built to a brief: an animal, a landmark, a civic emblem, at whatever scale the site takes.

Quoted per project 116 pieces to choose from →

Pieces lit for night

Lighting built into the frame, so the installation still reads after dark.

Quoted per project 16 pieces to choose from →

Under the foliage

How the piece is engineered.

The parts of a commission a photograph does not show.

A life-size animal and what is carrying it: a welded armature with steel tubing through the legs, bolted to anchor plates.

Internal steel tubing above six feet

Anything over six feet gets steel tubing run inside the frame, because pieces in public places get climbed on. They are still sculptures, not climbing structures, and large pieces are anchored for the site.

Galvanized, or powder-coated to order

The armature is welded steel, galvanized against corrosion as standard, with powder coating as an option. It is built to outlive the foliage on it, season after season.

Installed on site, irrigation on request

On-site installation for anything large, across the US and Canada. Live pieces can have automatic irrigation built in, so nobody has to remember them.

See the welded frame inside a life-size elephant →

Start to finish

A drawing, a frame, a landmark.

The same elephant at three points: the CAD drawing signed off before any steel was cut, the welded armature with its internal tubing, and the finished piece standing twenty feet and lit for night.

See the whole build →

Drawings

The specification, drawn.

What a tender needs to see before it can compare us with anyone else.

Three ways to fix a piece down, chosen for the site while the piece is designed.

Rod skeleton, mesh skin, an access hatch left in for trimming, feet set into concrete footings.

Hot-dip galvanizing: the finished frame goes into a kettle of molten zinc, which is why the steel outlasts the foliage.

How a commission runs

Four steps, and what we need from you.

1
Send the site and the brief

Photographs, dimensions and what the piece has to do. A site plan helps but is not needed to start the conversation.
2
We return a design, a specification and a price

Materials, dimensions, anchoring and finish, in a form you can put in front of a committee or into a tender.
3
Built and weatherproofed

The frame is welded and finished for the site, and progress photographs come to you, so approval does not wait for delivery day.
4
We deliver, anchor and hand over

Installation and anchoring handled, with a maintenance note so whoever looks after the site knows what the piece needs.

Any scale

What “tabletop to forty feet” looks like.

Four sizes we build, drawn next to a person.

Scale drawing: a person, an entrance-sized cone, a life-size animal, and a landmark piece several times human height. — The tallest piece built to date is forty feet. The drawing shows approximate scale.

Questions

Before you ask for a quote.

Can you work to a municipal procurement process?

Yes. We supply the specification, materials list and drawings a tender needs. Tell us the format your office wants and the deadline it has to meet.

How are topiary sculptures anchored?

It depends on the ground: stakes into soil, a weighted base on paving, or a bolted plate where a permanent fixing is allowed. We design the anchoring with the piece, before it is built.

What maintenance does a public piece need?

Very little: an occasional clean and a check of the frame. We send a maintenance note with the piece and can quote for a periodic refresh.

Is it safe if someone climbs on it?

They are sculptures, not play equipment, and nobody should climb on them. Because people sometimes do, everything over six feet carries steel tubing inside the frame, and each piece is anchored for its site. Tell us where it will stand and we will advise on placement.

How long do outdoor topiary sculptures last?

Years. Frames are galvanized as standard, with powder coating as an option, and the frame outlasts the foliage on it. Tell us the site and we will give you a straight estimate for your climate.

Can a sculpture be lit for night?

Yes. The lighting is built into the frame, so tell us at design stage and we plan the wiring route in.

Can you build a whole collection to one theme?

Yes, and it is the work we prefer: one standard, one schedule, one delivery, and every piece clearly part of the same set.

Talk to us

Ready when you are.

Tell us the size, the setting and the date. We handle design, build, delivery and install.

Call 866·306·1020

Topiary sculpture for cities, parks and public art.