Copley Place central area atrium

When Copley Place was built in the early 1980s, it was the largest provately financed construction project in the history of Massachusetts. The US$528 million scheme includes two hotels, seven levels of office space, a two-storey shopping mall with over 100 stores and a large car park.

The core of the building is the central atrium with its three-storey high waterfall surrounded by lush interior plants and a stream with marble edges. The plant beds are recessed into the floor.

Opposite the main waterfall is a group of three matched 8m (25 ft) tall weeping figs surrounded by densely planted shrubs and ground cover.

The plant displays were designed by Nelson Hammer of Hammer Design Landscape Architects and installed by Initial Tropical Plants, USA.

We are grateful to Hammer Design Landscape Architects of Boston, Massachusetts for permission to use these images and site description.