Miniature houses with thatched roofs and bonsai trees are displayed on wooden platforms outdoors, surrounded by lush greenery and other plant arrangements in the background, creating a captivating scene reminiscent of a Bonsai Exhibition.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

Lego figures and colourful bricks form a playful scene outdoors. One figure climbs a white ladder towards a small bonsai tree, while others stand below amid greenery and bright sunlight.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

Wooden boxes with miniature trees and plants, including beautifully crafted Bonsai trees, sit scattered in a green park with tall trees and shrubs in the background, and buildings partly visible behind the foliage.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

Stacked wooden discs create bridges and towers around a bonsai tree in a green pot, evoking the artistic spirit of a Bonsai Exhibition. More discs are scattered on the table, with blurred greenery forming the background.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

A bonsai tree in a blue pot features red geometric structures and tiny white figurines arranged among its branches, creating an eye-catching display perfect for a bonsai exhibition.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

A bonsai tree decorated with miniature fairy houses, a yellow slide, bird boxes, and a small ladder creates a whimsical outdoor scene at a Bonsai Exhibition, set against lush greenery and nearby buildings in the background.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

A model of a bonsai tree with a miniature walkway winding around its trunk, featuring tiny human figures walking on the path—perfect as a unique display piece for any bonsai exhibition.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

Two miniature treehouses with straw roofs and tiny furniture sit nestled in the branches of a lush bonsai tree, surrounded by vibrant greenery. A residential building is blurred in the background, evoking the artful serenity found at a bonsai exhibition.

MoA’s Bonsai Treehouses Exhibition, 2026. Photo credit Luke O’Donovan.

“Bonsai Treehouses” Exhibition

Summer 2026 marked another interesting and fun collaboration with the Museum of Architecture (MoA). 

The “Bonsai Treehouses” Exhibition took place in central London throughout July and August and offered insight into the creative minds behind both prominent and emerging architecture practices, in the form of miniature treehouses. Displayed open-air in the tucked-away green of Oxford Square, we helped to turn the modest park into a temporary gallery open to curious passers by. 

The brief for the architects was to design bespoke, tiny models tailored to the diverse array of individual bonsai tree species, as cultivated by bonsai expert Peter Warren. Each tree brought its own distinct character, inspiring equally unique and creative architectural responses. 

U-Build Exhibition Structures

We supplied flat-packed, CNC-cut spruce sheets that were easily assembled into a collection of timber display plinths. The micro-architecture models were mounted on top of our demountable structures, allowing the exhibition infrastructure to be completely deconstructed and repurposed when it came to a close. The boxes were designed to suit our standard module grid, opening up endless possibilities for reuse at future MoA installations.

At U-Build, we like to challenge traditional perspectives on construction and the built environment. As the MoA noted, the exhibition “explores how creative imagination can be scaled down, adapted or reinterpreted when confronted with the constraints, aesthetics and philosophies of bonsai cultivation.” The project aligns with our belief in the necessity of evolving structures as contexts and surroundings inevitably change, as well as blending playful creativity with design and natural materials.

Browse our other Exhibition projects or find your ideal box on our Box Shop.