A ‘Growing’ Christmas tradition Every year London consumes around 950,000 pine trees for the traditional celebration of Christmas. These pine trees decorate the homes of thousands of Londoners, warming spirits and symbolising a positive yearly tradition, yet unfortunately come January these very same trees fill the streets ready to be thrown away and composed by the local council. What if we didn’t throw away those trees, and instead they grow for the other 11 months of the year, a ‘Forest of Exchange’ where families can own a tree to be collected and returned every year. This multitude of trees, once situated in a pot will create a green network in the heart of London. This Forest of Exchange will plant, grow and reseed a powerful part of our Christmas tradition; using stored and redistribute rainfall for irrigation. On the site of Kings Cross, this new Forest will both incorporate the previously dynamic programmes of the site as well as introducing both new bike and pedestrian transportation links, create new public spaces and introduce a full-grown forest where our past Christmas trees - now too big to fit in our living rooms. A collective legacy of generations of families.