Head Above Water: PEFC-certified timber helps to challenge mental health stigma

Visitors to London’s South Bank last month saw a dramatic change to the city’s skyline, all in support of the UK mental health and the anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change.

As part of the annual London Design Festival, and designjunction, Head Above Water was a breath-taking, 9 metre high sculpture by British designer, Steuart Padwick. This piece of public art sought to stimulate the discussion to eradicate mental health-related stigma and discrimination.

A model of sustainable design
The project used precision engineered, renewable and sustainable PEFC-certified cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels supplied by StoraEnso. Installation was carried out by structural engineering experts Ramboll, making Head Above Water a model of sustainable, smart design and build.

“Head Above Water highlights the importance of recognizing mental health issues and also demonstrates the versatility of CLT as a construction material,” said Alun Watkins, National Secretary of PEFC UK, one of the sponsors of the installation.

“I am delighted that PEFC UK was able to lend its support to such an imaginative project. By using PEFC-certified CLT, the project team could build this fantastic sculpture with timber from sustainably managed forests.”

A symbol of hope
The ‘Head’ was designed deliberately gender, ethnicity and age neutral and stood as a symbol of hope, bravery, compassion, positivity and change, for those who have come through or are still confronting mental health issues and the people who support them.

Head Above Water night Luke WalkerAt night, the sculpture was lit and people could engage with it by changing its colour to reflect how they were feeling in real time, by tweeting #HeadAboveWaterLondon followed by one of the Head’s 14 emotions, which included love, hope, hate and fear.

After the London Design Festival, the Head will be re-homed at Northfleet Transhipment Centre, where it will stand as a symbol of recycling and rejuvenation, as well as mental health awareness.
https://pefc.org/news-a-media/general-sfm-news/2611-head-above-water-pefc-certified-timber-helps-to-challenge-mental-health-stigma

Related Posts

DS Smith Joins Swale Borough Council to Support Keep Britain Tidy’s Spring Clean Campaign

Employees from DS Smith’s Kemsley Mill in Sittingbourne recently joined Swale Borough Council Park Rangers to clear litter and waste from parkland around the Kemsley site. The clean-up, which was initiated by the Kemsley Charity and Communities Committee on the 4th April, saw a total of 20 volunteers come together to clean the site as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean, which runs from 22nd March to 23rd April.

Demonstrating the legality and sustainability of tropical hardwood is a must

“We are entering a new age for timber, a new industrial revolution for timber,” said Peter Latham, Chairman of PEFC international, speaking today at the first Malaysian Timber Conference. MTC Peter 2018“This isn’t just a climate-positive story of using a renewable crop, a crop that can still lock in the carbon when at the end of its use; but also one in which certification can demonstrate how we look after our forests, how we cooperate with indigenous people, how we protect worker’s rights, and so much more.” Peter addressed the global supply and demand for forest certification and certified timber, its associated challenges and trends, and the outlook and opportunities for forest certification, during his speech on ‘Certification: opening or closing doors to global markets for tropical hardwood’. “In terms of global fibre consumption, tropical hardwood is a small part, but it is at the top of the pyramid, it is the prestige product,” Peter explained. Click read more below for additional detail.

Berry Global Wins Prestigious Sustainability Award for Circular Solution that Minimizes Plastic Waste

Recognized in the Food/Beverage category, Berry Global Group, Inc. received a Technology Excellence Award from The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) for its Proxima tethered closure with tamper-evident band. This innovative packaging solution cuts down on waste by securing the closure to the bottle and improving recyclability. “To help our customers meet the growing sustainability demands of today and tomorrow, we develop new products and materials that are designed to advance a pathway to circularity,” said Jean-Marc Galvez, President of the Consumer Packaging International Division at Berry Global. “As we push the limits of innovation with creative, sustainable packaging solutions, it is an honor to be recognized by our peers and other packaging experts.”
Back To Top
×Close search
Search