Building from Forests

Project Info

Transforming years of research into a compelling public exhibition, this innovative project calls on viewers to reimagine the role of locally sourced hardwood in the built environment. 

The installation presents findings from Forestry Commission-funded research into how underutilised UK hardwoods – including birch, ash, sycamore, oak and sweet chestnut – could be engineered into structural building products suitable for modern construction. 

Rather than presenting these findings as technical data, the team translated them into an engaging architectural narrative, exhibited as part of the V&A’s Make Good: Rethinking Material Futures programme. At its centre is the UK’s first curved cross-laminated timber vault manufactured from a combination of English hardwood and softwood, revealing how diverse species can be combined to create high-performance engineered timber systems. Structural prototypes, engineered timber components and architectural models surround the suspended canopy, demonstrating a variety of real-world construction applications. 

By connecting forest ecology, material science and architecture, the exhibition asks visitors to consider what might change if we were to design buildings around the resources of local, mixed-species forests. In doing so, it reframes British woodlands not as an overlooked resource, but as a catalyst for innovation and a more sustainable built environment.