Three tree specimens were transported to Westfield’s U.S. headquarters, which is undergoing expansion.Photo: BrightView
A recent renovation project by BrightView and Westfield Century City Industry was taken to new heights as they transported three tree specimens to California’s new shopping center via helicopter.
Overlooking the 900,000-square-foot open-air mall, Westfield’s U.S. headquarters is undergoing an $800 million expansion. Throughout all renovations for the project, BrightView has partnered with Westfield.
The tree installation required a full evacuation of the mall, except the essential personnel, as well as months of coordination with Erickson Helicopter. Avenue of Stars was also temporarily closed early that morning. The trees were secured with a net and lifted by a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. These helicopter cranes are typically used for fire suppression, heavy lift construction and civil protection.
“This was the first time we’ve used a helicopter lift for a tree installation but it could not have gone more smoothly,” said Sal Ponce, superintendent at BrightView Tree Company. “We had all three trees in place within 50 minutes.”
Ranging between 8,000 and 15,000 pounds each, the trees required a custom net for airborne transport. Two of the three trees were previously onsite. These were removed and stored while the construction was completed.
“It was exciting to bring these trees back to the site with such an innovative technique and really adds to the uniqueness of this project,” said George Reber, area supervisor at BrightView Landscape Development.
