20+ Creative Construction Hoarding Art You Have to See

By Singyin Lee. in Artwork. Updated on September 21, 2022.

Construction hoardings are large boards that are built for a temporary period of time to shield renovations that are happening behind the hoarding. These boards will eventually be pulled down to unveil the storefront or new building once it is ready to be opened to the public. Until then, the developer will keep the hoarding up for safety purposes and to keep their designs a secret until the big day comes.

Along the way, these hoardings have taken a life of their own; they have become their own works of art. In this post, we will be looking at creative renovation hoardings that at times double as advertising, brand awareness or even a temporary art installation. Keep in mind that these hoardings will eventually be taken down, no matter how pleasing they are to the eyes.

1. Dior, New York

Can you imagine bumping into this giant purse when you’re out and about? When the Dior store in New York closed down for renovations, the storefront got an amazing-looking façade as an alternative setup for the location. What a way to make a statement.

Credit: John Madison

2. Rinnoji Temple, Japan

The Rinnoji Temple is a tourist attraction in Nikko, Japan, but because the main building, Sanbutsudo Hall, has to go through major renovations, which will last until March 2021, this massive construction hoarding with a picture of the temple up front was put up instead. The hoarding is quite similar to the actual pre-renovated building (below), don’t you agree?

Credit: Japan-Guide.com

3. Snooze KL, Kuala Lumpur

Located at the KL International Airport, Snooze KL was set to be a place for travelers to catch up on some sleep before their next flight. During construction, travelers get to check out this 3D handmade hoarding instead. The hoarding was built in 3 hours and costs less than USD700 to make. Here’s a timelapse of the construction.

Credit: Snooze KL

4. Hausmannian building, Paris

Known as 39GeorgeV (urban surrealism manifesto), this massive construction hoarding depicting a house in the middle of an equally massive meltdown hides away the renovation work for the Haussmannian Building. The work was created by artist John Pugh and printed on a canvas.

Credit: JoAnn Hines

Credit: Bernard Lee Y K

5. Busaba Eathai, London

The Thai food chain Busaba Eathai was in the midst of renovations and had offered advertising space on their temporary hoardings for a total of 10 weeks. This particular work by the photographer, Jason Lowe is one of five works that is to be featured before the Shoreditch outlet finally opens for business.

Credit: we-heart.com

6. Yogen Fruz, KL

Here’s a normal-looking hoarding design with an interactive twist. The board says that Yogen Fruz “will open when all the cups are gone”. The cups cover up larger versions of delicious-looking yogurt. Grab a cup and you will find an invitation at the bottom telling you to bring it over on an opening day to receive a discount on any yogurt purchase.

Credit: howhigh.ca

7. UTS Science Faculty, Sydney

This particular hoarding is part of observation by blogger LynS from Sydney, Australia. It is hoarding for a new building in the science faculty for the University of Technology, Sydney. The fun thing about this is that not only are all these book spines, they carry “real titles by real UTS academics”.

8. Totem, Oman

Found in the Muscat Grand Mall, this chic hoarding design by Totem not only announces the upcoming boutique but also lets you tinker and play with some of its more interactive branding exercises. There is a comic strip that explains the beginnings of the brand, the labels they carry, as well as a surprise bargain for curious shoppers.

Credit: Oman Collective Intelligence

9. Beauté Spring, Singapore

When viewed from the right angle, this simple yet striking hoarding gives you a glimpse at what to expect when the store under renovation finally opens. The hoarding also doubles carries a job recruitment notice for any and all who are interested in finding a position with the store.

Credit: aqidah wijaya

10. Orly Airport, Paris

Here’s a nicely illustrated mural based on the Orly airport, created by artist Antoine Corbineau, whose work features a sort of mind-mapping theme. Although the work was eventually dismantled, the mural was set to be separated into three parts and displayed at different areas of the airport for two more years.

Credit: creativereview.co.uk

Honorable mentions

Here are a few more construction hoardings that deserve honorable mention. For many of the items in this section, we had difficulty finding the backstories to properly explain the motivations and inspiration behind these constructions.

That however does not take away the work put into these amazing “first acts” before they are eventually taken down, torn apart or removed to make way for the main attraction.