ResourcesA research index by Zachary Mollica

Weird WoodIndex67entries & counting

Buildings and assemblies that exploit unusual forest products.

The Weird Wood Index is a growing compilation. It is a personal research project of my own offered up here for all to use. The list prioritizes experimental constructs that use conventionally lower value products and less biomass than is common.

Forks, bends, small stems and the pieces left after sawing: these projects offer different ways of seeing what wood might become. Related thinking: Ground to Crown.

Explore the index ↓

The index

About the collection & credits ↘

672026

Other studies

Noto — Reclaimed Timber Rest Shelter

Timbers recovered from earthquake-damaged houses become a place to rest and meet in Noto. Built through the July–August 2026 AA Visiting School programme, their old joints and irregular forms remain part of the structure.

Wyatt Armstrong, VUILD, Waseda University Akiyoshi Research Group

VUILD · Waseda University Akiyoshi Research Group · Architectural Association, Hooke Park / AA Visiting School

Material Reclaimed timbers from earthquake-damaged houses

Credits & sources

Noto, Japan

Authors / collaborators: Wyatt Armstrong; VUILD; Waseda University Akiyoshi Research Group for Deconstruction Studies (早稲田大学解築学秋吉研究会)
Students: Bien Alvarez, Mariam Alsuwaidi, Yiwen Chen, Ayca Dal, Yudai Doi, Arthur Erikson, Leonardo Fajardo, Toki Fukuoka, Akihiko Hayashi, Konstantin Hofmann, Yulin Huang, Takumi Akutsu, Jérôme Massé, Miki Miyashita, Guillem Perutxet, Bryan Png, Adhya Prasad, Ryunosuke Suzuki, Peiyao Yu
Educational collaborators: Architectural Association — Hooke Park; AA Visiting School
Programme co-organiser: Office Ten Architecture
Acknowledged collaborators: @torippy_m, @sugimichi0001, @tosh0316
Image / publication: Shinkenchiku (新建築), October 2026 cover
Local partners / recovered timber: のと復耕ラボ (Noto Fukko Lab); 古材create青組
Programme sponsor: 梓設計 (Azusa Sekkei)

552026

Roundwood

Puusauna

Jaakko Torvinen

Material Whole charred tree trunks

Credits & sources

Kaunissaari, Pyhtää, Finland

Architect: Jaakko Torvinen
Structural engineer: Esa Aro-Heinilä
Wood structures: Hirsityö Heikkilä Oy
Wood roof structural design: Vivaret Oy
Photography: Päivi Tuovinen
Local carpenter: Risto Tyni
Roofing: Pläkkärit Oy

Project / credit source ↗

622025

Other studies

Barn Again

Old barn beams, with weathered faces and earlier joints still visible, stacked into a pavilion that can be taken apart again.

THISS Studio, Tom Svilans

Copenhagen Architecture Biennial

Material Reclaimed timber beams

Credits & sources

Copenhagen, Denmark

Architecture: THISS Studio, Tom Svilans
Structural engineering: Bollinger+Grohmann
Client: Copenhagen Architecture Forum (CAFx)
Photography: Maja Flink
Main contractor: Winther A/S

642025

Forks & branches

Branch Formations III

Tree forks joined into a branching structure, combining robotically cut joints with shrink-wrapped PET connections.

Lukas Allner, Daniela Kröhnert, Philipp Frei

Conceptual Joining · University of Applied Arts Vienna · Angewandte Robotics Lab

Material Natural tree forks; shrink-wrapped PET connections

Credits & sources

Architekturmuseum der TUM, Munich, Germany

Conceptual Joining: Lukas Allner, Daniela Kröhnert
Angewandte Robotics Lab: Philipp Frei
Timber provider: Habsburg-Lothringisches Gut Persenbeug
Exhibition curators: Ferdinand Ludwig, Kristina Pujkilović
Image source: Conceptual Joining

562025

Forks & branches

Raw Timber Pergola

Local laurel forks joined with robotic tools beneath a roof made by palapa craftspeople.

IAAC, The Circular Factory, Próspera

IAAC Robotics Lab · The Circular Factory · Próspera

Material Laurel tree forks and irregular roundwood

Credits & sources

Roatán, Honduras

Students: Alex Ferragu, Lucy Elisa Mendoza Ruiz, Lucas Gottschild, Andrea Lizette Najera Rodriguez, Pit Siebenaler, Clarisa Garcia, Jose Erazo, Katherine Lemus
Project partners: IAAC, The Circular Factory, Próspera
Faculty: Alexandre Dubor, Valentino Tagliaboschi, Alicia Nahmad, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, Soroush Garivani, Carolina M. R. S. Menezes
Support and thanks: Erick Brimen, Marielena Papandreou, Palapa Team
Image source: IAAC

Project and team credits ↗

602024 (AA listing)

Forks & branches

A Forest Datum

Small beech forks from the crown become repeatable structural cells in a raised, demountable forest walkway.

Design + Make, Hooke Park

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Material Beech crown forks and cedar

Credits & sources

Hooke Park, Dorset, UK

Students: Yan Chen, Yonger Chen, Paola Gonzalez Ferreiro, Seongsoo Han, Alejandra Marcovich, Kavana Irappa Pujar, Ramtin Taherian, Mingxin Yang, Ramsey Young
Staff: Kate Davies, Emmanuel Vercruysse, William Gowland, James Solly, Wyatt Armstrong, Sam Turner Baldwin
Photography: Design + Make Architectural Association

532024

Roundwood

Branch Production

Wyatt Armstrong

ROB|ARCH 2024 · University of Toronto, Daniels Faculty / Architectural Association

Material Small beech trunks

Credits & sources

Toronto, Canada

Workshop lead / pavilion design: Wyatt Armstrong
Teaching assistant: Georgina Bowman
Robotics integration: Gary Edwards
Workshop participants: Sean Lamb, Christopher Prinz, Angie Crum, Dieter Janssen, Gordon Leibowitz, Puzhen Zhou, Kevin Stewart, Leigh Aitken, Marc Pantscharowitsch, Matthew Johnson, Micheal Tuttle, Oscar Magnusson, Stanley Alday, William Rollins, Zach Enrenreich
Image credit: Robots in Architecture
Acknowledgments: Zachary Mollica, Nicholas Hobin, Jonathon Anderson, Haliburton Forest
Conference host universities: University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Waterloo

Project / credit source ↗

522024

Forks & branches

Y Shelter

Billy Pengelly

Andrew Barrie Lab

Credits & sources

Summerhill Recreational Park, New Zealand

Student designer / creative director: Billy Pengelly
Design director: Andrew Barrie
Team members: Cass Goodwin, Matt Liggins
Engineering practice: Batchelar McDougall Consulting
Client: Summerhill Charitable Trust
Photography: Sam Hartnett
Redwood supplier: Summerhill Timbers Ltd

512024

Other studies

Inverting the Unwanted

Zhenxiao Yang

University of Toronto · John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

Credits & sources

Student: Zhenxiao Yang
Using Trees studio teaching: Zachary Mollica

Project / credit source ↗

502024

Slabs & sections

Sheets & Slabs

Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann

Before Building Laboratory · University of Virginia

Material Live-edge loblolly pine slabs; drywall control chamber

Credits & sources

Gilmer Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA

Architecture principal investigators: Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann
Architecture research assistants: Paul Bourdin, Shiza Chaudhary, Tina Dickey, Avery Edson, Leila Ehtesham, Ammon Embleton, Brandon Meinders, Margaret Saunders
Environmental psychology collaborators: Jenny Roe, Panayotis Mavros, Julianna Mollica
Neuroscience collaborators: Kevin Pelphrey, Tanya Evans, Stefen Beeler-Dudden, Analia Marzoratti
Material donation: UVA Sawmilling
Additional student research assistant: Isaac Goodin
External collaborators: Taleen Joseffsson · TAJ Architecture Studio PLLC; Tyrone Yang · Entegra + Architectural Health
Acknowledgments: UVA FabLab, UVA Sawmilling

492024 (exhibited)

Slabs & sections

Building with Misfit Wood

An oak tree cut into four sections and turned inside out.

Jaakko Torvinen

Aalto University · Aarhus School of Architecture

Material An oak trunk sawn into four sections and turned inside out

Credits & sources

Researcher: Jaakko Torvinen
Aalto University collaborator: Matti Kuittinen
Aarhus School of Architecture collaborators: Jakob Sieder-Semlitsch, Niels Martin Larsen, Anders Aagaard
Funding: Askon Säätiö, Koneen Säätiö

Project / credit source ↗

572024

Slabs & sections

Crinkle Cuts

Wavy boards sawn from beetle-killed ash join into lightweight wall panels, keeping both regular and live edges in use.

Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann

Before Building Laboratory · University of Virginia

Material Beetle-killed ash, robotically sawn into wavy boards

Credits & sources

New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Principal investigators: Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann
Curators: Carrie Bobo, Charlie Firestone
Workshop participants: Jonathan Chu, Mikhail Grinwald, Griffith Humphrey, Raymond Huth, Ryan Kahen, Madeleine McNairn, Dereck Pablos, Gosia Pawlowska, Erin Pellegrino, Sudiksha Sahu, Andrew Spears
Image source: Before Building Laboratory

Project and team credits ↗

652023 (documented)

Roundwood

Brussels Sports Tower — Roundwood Prototype

Low-value fir and spruce tops joined into a full-scale roof section, with short logs supporting one another beneath timber panels.

Yves Weinand, Petras Vestartas, Damien Gilliard

IBOIS · EPFL

Material Fir and spruce tops; cross-laminated timber

Credits & sources

IBOIS, EPFL, Switzerland; proposed building in Brussels, Belgium

Technology development — IBOIS EPFL: Yves Weinand, Petras Vestartas, Damien Gilliard
Sports Tower architects: BEL architecten, CRIT. architecten, Yves Weinand Architectes
Structural engineering: Bureau d’Études Weinand
Sports Tower client: Société d’aménagement urbain (SAU)
Image source: IBOIS · EPFL

Prototype, project team and photographs ↗

432023–24

Forks & branches

Growing Bridge

Constructed through a 2023 research seminar, the bridge was later relocated to Mausbach Forest in November 2024.

Kevin Moreno Gata, William Sheldon Stephens, Tobias Grüters, Raman Suliman, Viktor Wages, Cedric Wehren, Martin Trautz

RWTH Aachen University · Chair of Structures and Structural Design

Material Forked and curved hardwood

Credits & sources

Design, fabrication and construction: Kevin Moreno Gata, William Sheldon Stephens, Tobias Grüters, Raman Suliman, Viktor Wages, Cedric Wehren, Martin Trautz
Seminar participants: Yara Almojaber, Adonis Alsaad, Yo han Choi, Ana Hernando de la Fuente, Lana Karamani, Cristian Moscoso Lizama, Irma Softic, Abdullah Sukkar
Photography: Kevin Moreno Gata
Forestry, material supply and acknowledgments: Andreas Wintraken; Rureifel-Jülicher Börde forestry office; Landvogt Forestry Company; Wald und Holz NRW

582023

Curved timber

Sylvan Scrapple

Curved timber and salvaged boards form a winding wall, held together with threaded rods so the wood can be taken apart and used again.

Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann

Before Building Laboratory · University of Virginia · Exhibit Columbus

Material Naturally curved timber and salvaged straight boards

Credits & sources

Columbus, Indiana, USA

Project leads: Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann
Project team: Shiza Chaudhary, Ammon Embleton, Isaac Goodin, Emily Ploppert, Margaret Saunders
Material donors: UVA Sawmilling, Irwin Block, First Christian Church
Image source: Before Building Laboratory
Project photograph series: Leonid Furmansky, Hadley Fruits, After Architecture

Project and team credits ↗

422023

Other studies

Children's Forest Pavilion

Jurga Daubaraitė, Egija Inzule, Jonas Žukauskas

Neringa Forest Architecture · Nida Art Colony, Vilnius Academy of Arts

Credits & sources

Venice, Italy · Lithuanian pavilion

Curators: Jurga Daubaraitė, Egija Inzule, Jonas Žukauskas
Architecture: Jonas Žukauskas with Antanas Gerlikas, Jurgis Paškevičius, Anton Shramkov
Commissioner: Ines Weizman

Project / credit source ↗

392023

Forks & branches

The Tree and the Truss

A full-scale timber column and truss prototype shown at the Royal Academy, developed as part of the Wakeford Hall project at Hooke Park.

Miguel Cornejo, Yungang Chen, James Dent, Rafael Ferres, Maisie Hoile, Guixin Lin, Joaquin Iragorri, Snigdha Pinisetti, Yiting Sun, Yifan Wang, Yiling Zhou

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK

Students: Miguel Cornejo, Yungang Chen, James Dent, Rafael Ferres, Maisie Hoile, Guixin Lin, Joaquin Iragorri, Snigdha Pinisetti, Yiting Sun, Yifan Wang, Yiling Zhou
Teaching / workshop team: Emmanuel Vercruysse, Kate Davies, Chris Sadd, Charlie Corrywright, Will Gowland, Wyatt Armstrong
Photography: Rafael Ferres

Project / credit source ↗

402023 (publication)

Curved timber

Wild Wood Gridshell

Nonstandard wood assembled into a gridshell with mixed-reality guidance.

Tim Cousin, Latifa Alkhayat, Natalie Pearl, Christopher B. Dewart, Caitlin Mueller

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Credits & sources

Paper authors: Tim Cousin, Latifa Alkhayat, Natalie Pearl, Christopher B. Dewart, Caitlin Mueller

Project / credit source ↗

482023

Roundwood

Coppice Oratory

Coppiced poles gathered into a small shelter on a pilgrimage route.

Matthijs la Roi, Simone Tchonova · Tchonova + la Roi

Tchonova + la Roi · Format Engineers

Material Sweet chestnut coppice poles

Credits & sources

King’s Wood, Kent, England

Architects: Matthijs la Roi, Simone Tchonova · Tchonova + la Roi
Structural engineers: James Solly, Matt Church · Format Engineers
Build team: Matthijs la Roi, Simone Tchonova, Coen la Roi, Miguel Amorim
Client: Kent Downs National Landscape
Photography: Valerie Bennett

Project / credit source ↗

472023

Forks & branches

What the Harvester Leaves Behind

Samantha Tam

University of Toronto · John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

Material Conifers

Credits & sources

Student: Samantha Tam
Using Trees studio teaching: Zachary Mollica

Project / credit source ↗

462023

Roundwood

Surfacing Roundwood

Irregular logs surfaced to form a columnar assembly.

Kyle Schumann, Katie MacDonald, Danelle Briscoe

Before Building Laboratory · University of Virginia · University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture

Material Irregular roundwood

Credits & sources

Austin, Texas, USA

Principal investigators: Kyle Schumann, Katie MacDonald, Danelle Briscoe
Research assistants: Aaron Beebe, Erick Vernon-Galindo

Project / credit source ↗

452023

Slabs & sections

Kouéno

Bench surfaces made from the outer slabs removed when a log is sawn.

Lucas Hosteing

ECAL / University of Art and Design Lausanne

Material Sawmill slabs

Credits & sources

Diploma project: Lucas Hosteing

Project / credit source ↗

382023

Curved timber

Blade Building

AA First Year Media Studies students

Architectural Association

Material Cruck blades from curved timber

Credits & sources

London, UK

Students — design and making: Sam Aleksander, Emma Berzin, Yidan Cui, Razi Ihsan, Favour Kolawole, Jingzi Liao, Xinyu Lu, Eleonora Lushchyk, Daniel Owusu, Adnan Saade, Junbo Sha, Prokop Spanel
Course tutor: Wyatt Armstrong

AA 2023–24 prospectus — course and tutor ↗

372023

Roundwood

Natural Junk

A pavilion exploring how the branches and knots of small-diameter trees can become points for joining. Documented in the thesis Post-Mortem Inosculation.

Niko Fabricius

Aalto University

Material Small-diameter roundwood and sawn timber

Credits & sources

Designer / thesis author: Nikolai Edward Andreassen Fabricius (Niko Fabricius)
Image source: Post-Mortem Inosculation — Aalto University thesis, p. 125, figure 130

Post-Mortem Inosculation — thesis and completed pavilion ↗

662023

Other studies

Wood ReFramed

Discarded boards gathered into frames that carry suspended seating, using more or less wood where the loads require it.

Xan Browne, Olga Popovic Larsen

Royal Danish Academy · Lendager

Material Reclaimed boards and glulam

Credits & sources

Copenhagen, Denmark

Project / research: Xan Browne, Olga Popovic Larsen
Research institution: Royal Danish Academy — Institute of Architecture and Technology
Industrial PhD partner: Lendager
Exhibition: UIA World Congress of Architects 2023
Photography: Sara Lohse

442023

Forks & branches

Natural Tree Fork Tower Structure

A nine-metre tower developed during DigitalFUTURES 2023, using scanned tree forks and curved timber gathered from a harvesting site in Pudong, Shanghai. Two robots cooperated in machining the components.

Hua Chai, Xinjie Zhou, Xiaofan Gao, Qinhui Yang, Philip F. Yuan

Tongji University

Material Natural tree forks and curved timber

Credits & sources

Shanghai, China

ROB|ARCH paper authors: Hua Chai, Xinjie Zhou, Xiaofan Gao, Qinhui Yang, Philip F. Yuan
2023 workshop participants — design and construction: Chuanwei Li, Yujun Huang, Leo Wang, Yunzhu Luo, Zihan Xue, Yizhuo Di, Mengxun Liu
2024 journal paper authors: Hua Chai, Xinjie Zhou, Xiaofan Gao, Qinhui Yang, Yanmin Zhou, Philip F. Yuan
Construction facilities, equipment and personnel support: Shanghai Fab-Union Technology
Image source: Chai et al. — Integrated workflow for cooperative robotic fabrication of natural tree fork structures, figure 17 (2024), CC BY-NC 4.0

322022 (documented)

Forks & branches

Y-Shaped Nodes

MIT’s ongoing research uses recovered tree forks as structural nodes. The 2022 account describes work developed over several preceding years.

Felix Amtsberg, Yijiang Huang, Daniel J. M. Marshall, Kevin Moreno Gata, Caitlin Mueller

Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Digital Structures

Material Tree forks

Credits & sources

Research group lead: Caitlin Mueller
Related structural-upcycling paper authors: Felix Amtsberg, Yijiang Huang, Daniel J.M. Marshall, Kevin Moreno Gata, Caitlin Mueller
Project photograph series: Felix Amtsberg

632022

Curved timber

Marina Spa Prototype

A 2022 mock-up for Body and Mind Spa, designed by Helen & Hard in 2015–17 for Marina Abramović. Flooring offcuts form curved members, with crooked oak used for seating.

Helen & Hard, Tom Svilans, Niels Martin Larsen, Anders Kruse Aagaard

Helen & Hard · Royal Danish Academy · Aarhus School of Architecture

Material Wood-flooring offcuts; crooked oak seating

Credits & sources

Danish Architecture Center, Copenhagen, Denmark

Architecture — Helen & Hard: Siv Helene Stangeland, Reinhard Kropf, Håvard Auklend, Simon Aeschimann
Design-to-production: Martin Antemann
3D modelling and parametric design — CITA, Royal Danish Academy: Tom Svilans
Parametric design and prototyping — Aarhus School of Architecture: Niels Martin Larsen, Anders Kruse Aagaard, Matthias Klith Hardarson
Timber engineering — Création Holz: Hermann Blumer, Christoph Meier
Timber elements and construction — Winther A/S: Morten Bandelow Winther
Material partner: Dinesen Floors
Client / exhibition curator: Danish Architecture Center
Photography: Tom Svilans

312022–23

Other studies

Field Station

Hanxing Cai, Chongyuan Duan, Malavika Arangil Karuvadath, Romain Odin Lepoutre, Yao Lin, Ting Liu, Garrett Nelli, Zhijiao Zhang, Xiaojing Zhong, Yulin Zhu

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Student team: Hanxing Cai, Chongyuan Duan, Malavika Arangil Karuvadath, Romain Odin Lepoutre, Yao Lin, Ting Liu, Garrett Nelli, Zhijiao Zhang, Xiaojing Zhong, Yulin Zhu
Student team leaders: Romain Odin Lepoutre, Garrett Nelli
Project leader: Emmanuel Vercruysse
Arup team: Francis Archer, Adam Plavsic
ROS specialist: Gary Edwards
Teaching / workshop staff: Emmanuel Vercruysse, Kate Davies, Wyatt Armstrong, Jack Draper, Dmitrii Federov, Will Gowland, Martin Self, Frederik Petersen, Chris Sadd, Charlie Corrywright, Edward Coe
Images and drawings: Design + Make ’23 students

592022

Slabs & sections

UNLOG Tower

Ash logs cut and opened into slender wall elements, stretching material from damaged trees into a gathering space. Its bending and weaving strategies also acknowledge Haudenosaunee longhouse construction.

Leslie Lok, Sasa Zivkovic, Kurt Jordan, Matthew Reiter

Cornell University · RUBI Lab · Robotic Construction Laboratory

Material Ash affected by emerald ash borer

Credits & sources

Ithaca, New York, USA

Project team: Leslie Lok (principal investigator), Sasa Zivkovic, Kurt Jordan, Matthew Reiter
RUBI Lab and RCL team: Lawson Spencer, Shihui Xu, Yuxuan Xu
Assembly assistants: Andreya Zvonar, Benjamin Ezquerra, Jordan Young
Funding: Cornell Council for the Arts
Full-log kerfing method (2017): Savannah Chasing Hawk
Image source: Cornell University · RUBI Lab

362022 (publication)

Curved timber

Curved Oak Lamella

Curved oak pieces arranged and joined as structural members.

Niels Martin Larsen, Anders Kruse Aagaard

Aarhus School of Architecture · Aarhus University

Material Naturally curved oak

Credits & sources

Authors · Aarhus School of Architecture: Niels Martin Larsen, Anders Kruse Aagaard
Authors · Aarhus University: Markus Hudert, Lasse Weyergang Rahbek

Project / credit source ↗

352022

Forks & branches

Pikku-Finlandia

Whole pine trees retain their branches as columns within Little Finlandia.

Jaakko Torvinen, Havu Järvelä, Elli Wendelin

Aalto University · Architects NRT

Material Pine trunks with branches

Credits & sources

Helsinki, Finland

Architects — original student design team: Jaakko Torvinen, Havu Järvelä, Elli Wendelin
In collaboration with: Pekka Heikkinen; Architects NRT
Original studio teaching: Pirjo Sanaksenaho, Pekka Heikkinen
Second-stage student competition team: Jaakko Torvinen, Havu Järvelä, Elli Wendelin, Stine Skott-Pedersen
Structural design: Insinööritoimisto Asko Keronen
Timber suppliers: Timberpoint Oy (pine columns); Crosslam Oy (CLT)
Main contractor: FM-Haus Oy
Project photograph series: Mikael Linden, Kimmo Räisänen, Tuomas Uusheimo

412021 (exhibited)

Forks & branches

Bricolage Chair

Tim Cousin

MIT

Material Upcycled tree forks

Credits & sources

Designer: Tim Cousin

Tim Cousin — CV hosted by MIT ↗

302021 (exhibition)

Curved timber

RawLam

RawLam research brings scanning and material information into the making of glulam. The RawLam 3 installation was exhibited at Bildmuseet in 2021.

Tom Svilans, Martin Tamke, Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen

Royal Danish Academy · Centre for Information Technology and Architecture (CITA)

Material Irregular timber lamination

Credits & sources

Bildmuseet, Umeå, Sweden

Research / design: Tom Svilans, Martin Tamke, Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen

Project / credit source ↗

292021

Other studies

Ash Ouroboro

Daniel Swarovski

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Recorded credit: Daniel Swarovski

282021

Other studies

Forest Tendril

Noah Thaddeus, Jacobo Zendejas

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Recorded credit: Noah Thaddeus, Jacobo Zendejas

272021

Other studies

Stud-A

Georgina Bowman, Jacopo Silvestri, Sirisha Munnangi, Weikun Xu

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Students: Georgina Bowman, Jacopo Silvestri, Sirisha Munnangi, Weikun Xu
Workshop / teaching collaborators: Charlie Corrywright, Christopher Sadd, Edward Coe, Jack Draper, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, Martin Self

Project / credit source ↗

252021–22

Slabs & sections

Tangential Timber

Timber cross-sections used as the units of a structural assembly.

Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann, Abby Hassell

Before Building Laboratory · University of Virginia

Material Timber cross-sections

Credits & sources

Principal investigators: Katie MacDonald, Kyle Schumann
Project manager: Abby Hassell
Research assistants: Sonja Bergquist, Sophie Depret-Guillaume, Cecily Farrell, Alex Hall, Caleb Hassell, Abbey Partika, Russell Petro, Emily Ploppert, Dillon Mcdowell, Jonathan (Yianni) Spears, Jolie Talha, Annabelle Woodcock
Wall prototype students — ARCH 3021: Abby Hassell, Audrey Lewis, Jacob McLaughlin, Rohan Singh, Abbie Weissman

Project / credit source ↗

202021 (publication)

Roundwood

Robotically-Fabricated Nexorades from Whole Timber

Whole timber arranged into reciprocal structural assemblies.

Petras Vestartas, Aryan Rezaei Rad, Yves Weinand

EPFL · Laboratory for Timber Construction (IBOIS)

Credits & sources

Paper authors: Petras Vestartas, Aryan Rezaei Rad, Yves Weinand
Image source: Petras Vestartas, Aryan Rezaei Rad, Yves Weinand · Figure 11

Project / credit source ↗

342021

Roundwood

Horse Island Research Station

Yale Regenerative Building Lab design/build fellows

Yale School of Architecture · Regenerative Building Lab

Material Sassafras trunks and reused CLT panels

Credits & sources

Horse Island, Connecticut, USA

Design / build fellows: Isa Åkerfeldt-Howard, Clara Domange, Louis Koushouris, Max Ouellette-Howitz, Nicholas McGee, Shoshana Micon, Heather Schneider, Jen Shin
Construction fellows: Katie Lau, Christine Pan, Gus Steyer
Faculty supervision: Alan Organschi
Client / research partner: Yale Peabody Museum
Completed-project photograph series: Isa Åkerfeldt-Howard, Millie Yoshida

162020

Forks & branches

Vierendeel Fork Truss

A three-dimensional truss assembled from tree forks, exploring how their branching forms can act as structural connections.

Maxence Grangeot

EPFL

Material Tree forks

Credits & sources

EPFL, Switzerland

Designer: Maxence Grangeot
Image source: Maxence Grangeot — thesis, p. 247

Maxence Grangeot — thesis, p. 247 ↗

332020

Other studies

Inventory

Inventory is the material-based CAD platform developed in Gil Sunshine’s 2020 MArch thesis, Medium Resolution.

Gil Sunshine

Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Department of Architecture

Credits & sources

MArch thesis: Gil Sunshine
Advisor: Axel Kilian
Readers: Caitlin Mueller, Brandon Clifford

Project / credit source ↗

242020

Roundwood

Digital Blockhouse Fabrication

A digital approach to fitting irregular logs together as a wall.

Lukas Kirschnick

Bauhaus-Universität Weimar · Informatics in Architecture

Credits & sources

Master’s thesis: Lukas Kirschnick
Image / prototype: Lukas Kirschnick

232020

Roundwood

Laser Scanning with Industrial Robot Arm for Raw-wood Fabrication

A published study of scanning and fabrication for irregular timber.

Petras Vestartas, Yves Weinand

EPFL · Laboratory for Timber Construction (IBOIS)

Material Raw wood

Credits & sources

Paper authors: Petras Vestartas, Yves Weinand
Image source: Petras Vestartas, Yves Weinand · Figure 4

222020

Forks & branches

Chainsaw Chair

A chair found within the branching form of a single piece of ash.

Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, Zachary Mollica, Carolina M. R. S. Menezes

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Material Ash triple fork

Credits & sources

Makers: Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, Zachary Mollica, Carolina M. R. S. Menezes

Project / credit source ↗

212020

Slabs & sections

Densely-packed Timber Blocks

Irregular timber blocks brought together as a densely packed assembly.

Seb Birch

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Student: Seb Birch
Project collaborators: Charlie Corrywright, Christopher Sadd, Edward Coe, Jack Draper, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, Martin Self

Project / credit source ↗

262019

Curved timber

Ashen Cabin

Irregular ash is sawn into components for a small cabin.

Leslie Lok, Sasa Zivkovic

HANNAH · Cornell University Robotic Construction Laboratory

Material Emerald ash borer-damaged ash

Credits & sources

Ithaca, New York, USA

Project leads: Leslie Lok, Sasa Zivkovic
Graduate student contributors — wood design / fabrication: Byungchan Ahn, Alexander Terry
Wood studies: Xiaoxue Ma, Alexandre Mecattaf
Wood assembly and documentation: Freddo Daneshvaran, Ramses Gonzalez, Jiaying Wei, Jiayi Xing, Xiaohang Yan, Jingxin Yang, Sarah Elizabeth Bujnowski, Eleanor Jane Krause, Todd Petrie, Isabel Lucia Branas Jarque, Xiaoxue Ma
Concrete project team: Christopher Battaglia, Jeremy Bilotti, Elie Boutros, Reuben Chen, Justin Hazelwood, Mitchie Qiao
Concrete assembly and documentation: Alexandre Mecattaf, Ethan Davis, Russell Southard, Dax Simitch Warke, Ramses Gonzales, Wangda Zhu
Representation: Byungchan Ahn, Kun Bi, Brian Havener, Lingzhe Lu
Scientific support: Cornell Robotic Construction Laboratory (RCL)
Project photograph series: Andy Chen, HANNAH

192019

Forks & branches

Woodwose

Andrzej Foltman, Filip Bielicki, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, S. Garivani

Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) · MRAC

Credits & sources

Master’s thesis authors: Andrzej Foltman, Filip Bielicki, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw, S. Garivani
Faculty: A. Dubor, A. Sollazzo, R. Krenmueller, J. S. Lara, D. Serrano, M. Zwierzycki

182019–20

Other studies

Woodland Cabin

Shengning Zhang, Ciro Romer, Nasia Pantelidou, Hilla Gordon, Wyatt Armstrong

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Students: Shengning Zhang, Ciro Romer, Nasia Pantelidou, Hilla Gordon, Wyatt Armstrong
Teaching / workshop team: Emmanuel Vercruysse, Zachary Mollica, Martin Self, Chris Sadd, Edward Coe, Charlie Corrywright, Jean-Nicolas Dackiw
Structural engineering support: Arup
Project photograph series: Zachary Mollica, Folk Clothing

Project / credit source ↗

172019

Forks & branches

Ground to Crown Bridge

A bridge study that looks beyond the straight trunk to the branching tree.

Patrick Birch

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Student: Patrick Birch
Project collaborators: Charlie Corrywright, Christopher Sadd, Edward Coe, Martin Self, Simon Withers, Jack Draper

Project / credit source ↗

152018

Forks & branches

LIMB

Peter von Buelow, Steven Mankouche, Kasey Vliet

University of Michigan · Taubman College

Material Tree bifurcations

Credits & sources

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Co-principal investigators: Peter von Buelow, Steven Mankouche, Kasey Vliet
Research assistants: Omid Oliyan Torghabehi, Robert Allsop, Kevin Bukowski, Cody Gilman, Benjamin Wichman, Shaobo Niu
Image source: In Parallel Architects + Builders

Project / credit source ↗

142018

Roundwood

Log Knot

An assembly of interlocking logs, worked with robotic tools.

Sasa Zivkovic, Brian Havener

Cornell University · Robotic Construction Laboratory / HANNAH

Material Whole logs

Credits & sources

Ithaca, New York, USA

Project leads: Sasa Zivkovic, Brian Havener
Research team: Christopher A. Battaglia, Todd Petrie, Cait McCarthy, Kashyap Valiveti, Jordan Young
Forest collaboration: Peter Smallidge · Arnot Forest
Assembly team: Angel Almanzar, Stephen Clond, Isabel Lucia Branas Jarque, Alexandre Mecattaf, Edward Aguilera Perez, Alexander Terry, Dax Simitch Warke
Fabrication co-lead: Jordan Young
Project photograph series: Jeremy Bilotti, HANNAH

Project / credit source ↗

132015–16

Forks & branches

Tree Fork Truss

The branching geometry of beech forks becomes the structure of a roof truss.

Zachary Mollica, Sahil Shah, Swetha Vegesana, Vivian Yang, Mohaimeen Islam

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Material Tree forks

Credits & sources

Dorset, UK

Student design team: Zachary Mollica, Sahil Shah, Swetha Vegesana, Vivian Yang, Mohaimeen Islam
Teaching / fabrication collaborators: Martin Self, Jack Draper
Structural engineering: Arup
Workshop, forestry and fabrication collaborators: Charlie Corrywright, Christopher Sadd, Pradeep Devadass, Tim Hallbery, Toby Burgess

Project / credit source ↗

112015

Curved timber

Biomass Boiler House

Naturally bent stems become the building’s curved structural frame.

Sattaveesa Sahu, Yingzi Wang

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Material Bent Douglas fir stems

Credits & sources

Students: Sattaveesa Sahu, Yingzi Wang
Tutors: Martin Self, Charley Brentnall, Kate Darby

Project / credit source ↗

122014 (journal publication)

Forks & branches

Processing Branches

Christoph Schindler, Martin Tamke, Ali Tabatabai, Martin Bereuter, Hironori Yoshida

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts · CITA, Royal Danish Academy

Material Naturally grown branches

Credits & sources

Authors: Christoph Schindler, Martin Tamke, Ali Tabatabai, Martin Bereuter, Hironori Yoshida

082013

Other studies

Harvesting Joints

Stephanie Cramer

Architectural Association · Design + Make, Hooke Park

Credits & sources

Recorded credit: Stephanie Cramer

092013

Roundwood

Squibb Park Bridge — Original Timber Bridge

The original black-locust footbridge opened in 2013. It was replaced by a new bridge in 2020.

Theodore (Ted) Zoli · HNTB

HNTB

Material Black locust

Credits & sources

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Bridge design engineer: Theodore (Ted) Zoli · HNTB
Photography: Jim.henderson · CC0 1.0

102012–14

Curved timber

Bandsawn Bands

Research begun in 2012, first published in 2014: robotic bandsawing turns live-edged wood into curved strips that assemble into a larger surface.

Ryan Luke Johns, Nicholas Foley

Greyshed

Material Bandsawn timber strips

Credits & sources

Authors: Ryan Luke Johns, Nicholas Foley

072010

Other studies

Embodied Information Free Lab

Dalhousie architecture students with Emanuel Jannasch

Dalhousie University · School of Architecture

Credits & sources

Tutor: Emanuel Jannasch
Participants: Dalhousie architecture students

Project / credit source ↗

062008

Roundwood

Pictou Landing Health Centre

Local trees and community construction form a health and gathering place.

Richard Kroeker Design; Brian Lilley; Peter Henry Architects

Pictou Landing First Nation

Material Small diameter roundwood

Credits & sources

Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia, Canada

Project partners: Richard Kroeker Design; Brian Lilley; Peter Henry Architects
Client / community construction: Pictou Landing First Nation

Project / credit source ↗

052004

Roundwood

Takasugi-an

Terunobu Fujimori

Credits & sources

Chino, Japan

Architect: Terunobu Fujimori
Photography / licence: Wiiii · CC BY-SA 3.0

041996–97

Roundwood

Westminster Lodge

A roundwood structure and curved roof built from forest thinnings.

Edward Cullinan Architects

Parnham Trust · Hooke Park

Material Forest thinnings

Credits & sources

Hooke Park, Dorset, UK

Architecture: Edward Cullinan Architects
Engineering / timber research: Buro Happold; University of Bath
Image source / collection: Architectural Association Photo Library

Project / credit source ↗

031989–90

Roundwood

Hooke Park Workshop

Small-diameter forest thinnings put to work as structural timber.

Ahrends, Burton and Koralek (ABK); Frei Otto

Parnham Trust · School for New Woodland Industries, Hooke Park

Material Forest thinnings

Credits & sources

Hooke Park, Dorset, UK

Architecture: Ahrends, Burton and Koralek (ABK); Frei Otto
Engineering: Buro Happold
Named design collaborators: Richard Burton, Christina Otto, Ted Happold, Michael Dickson
Image source / collection: Architectural Association Photo Library

Project / credit source ↗

021986

Curved timber

Hooke Park Gate

Andy Goldsworthy

Hooke Park

Material Naturally curved timber, mainly Douglas fir

Credits & sources

Hooke Park, Dorset, UK

Artist: Andy Goldsworthy
Student collaborators: Samantha Rudd, Lynette Charters, John Ogden, Justin Underhill
Image source / collection: Architectural Association Photo Library

Common Ground — Andy Goldsworthy at Hooke Park, p. 16 ↗

011986

Roundwood

Hooke Park Prototype House

Small-diameter forest thinnings put to work as structural timber.

Ahrends, Burton and Koralek (ABK); Frei Otto

Parnham Trust · School for New Woodland Industries, Hooke Park

Material Forest thinnings

Credits & sources

Hooke Park, Dorset, UK

Architecture: Ahrends, Burton and Koralek (ABK); Frei Otto
Engineering: Buro Happold
Named design collaborators: Richard Burton, Christina Otto, Ted Happold, Michael Dickson
Image source / collection: Architectural Association Photo Library
Builder: Bill Moorwood · ABK