Wonderwoods

Bringing nature to the urban stage

The task

Wonderwoods is all about redefining city living by blending it with nature. Designed by MVSA Architects and Stefano Boeri Architetti, this innovative vertical forest concept in Utrecht  brings together residential spaces, retail, and public areas to create a vibrant environment promoting wellness and biodiversity.

Our mission was to produce six stunning images: some were updates of previous competition visuals, while others showcased new features that were critical to the city’s vision. We needed to engage stakeholders, support decision-making, and create marketing material, all in one cohesive package.

The results

Stakeholder engagement. Our images became essential tools in G&S Vastgoed’s decision-making process, capturing the building’s features with precision and beauty.

A marketing success. The client loved the images so much that they were used in marketing campaigns, including building site billboards, and expanding beyond the original scope.

An award-winning project: Wonderwoods was named Best Mixed-Use Development at the European Property Awards 2021-2022 and at MIPIM 2025. Our visuals played a part in that recognition.

Client

G&S Vastgoed

Project location

Utrecht, The Netherlands

Partners

MVSA Architects
Stefano Boeri Architetti

Services

Visual consulting
Art direction
Rendering

Deliverables

Still images (6)

Wonderwoods

Wonderwoods is a vertical forest concept designed to blend urban living with nature, supporting wellness and biodiversity. It features around 200 apartments and 50,000 plants, creating a vibrant ecosystem that produces oxygen and connects residents with nature.

Our role was to bring these ambitious ideas to life through visuals that effectively showcased the unique features of the project. We needed to make sure that elements like the plinth areas were seamlessly integrated while highlighting the dynamic, changing nature of the facades and terraces. The living facade was designed to evolve with the seasons, and it was our job to convey this sense of transformation in a way that resonated with both stakeholders and the public.

The approach

We were already familiar with Wonderwoods, having worked on the early competition phase. This time, we updated existing images and created new ones to capture the evolving design, especially the plinth areas, which are crucial in Dutch city planning.

Our collaborative and iterative approach with Stefano Boeri Architetti ensured every update was seamlessly integrated.

Greenery was a core part of Wonderwoods. We worked with the design team and greenery consultants to ensure every plant aligned with the project’s vision. We verified our asset library with botanical specifications to make sure every detail was spot on.

The need to narrate our firm’s projects through high-quality images prompted us to work with external professionals with experience and training that no one in the studio had at the time. We considered several options, but the choice to work with The Big Picture was guided by the high quality of the images they produce.

The chance to showcase our designs with high-quality images, without having to implement specific skills and dedicated software and hardware in-house have allowed us to focus our attention and energy on designing.

Overall, we had a great experience in outsourcing images for our ongoing projects to The Big Picture, and they have shown great reliability, professionalism, and quality.

Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Partner and Director, Stefano Boeri Architetti

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