“Constructive Land” is an applied research project on regenerative construction and resilient forestry practices developed by Material Cultures with Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts London, in partnership with Forestry England and with the support of the SOM Foundation.
Paloma Gormley
Summer Islam
University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins
Spatial Practices Program
Clearfell House. © Material Cultures.
Jury
Marco Ferrari
Iker Gil (Chair)
Kent Jackson
Tim Marlow
Débora Mesa Molina
Sumayya Vally
As part of Central Saint Martins (UAL) MArch Unit 3 program led by Material Cultures, “Constructive Land” examined the potential of resilient forestry practices for the British landscape, exploring materials and building systems for a new model of regenerative land management. Demonstrating that the recalibration of our landscapes away from extractive practices provides an exciting opportunity for innovation in construction, an alternative material palette of underutilized timber species and materials became the basis of our collaboration with the student research team.
Investigating and testing the production and application of these new biobased materials, a group of thirty-three MArch architecture students designed and prefabricated Clearfell House, an experimental timber structure that will facilitate teaching and community engagement with British woodlands. This forest classroom will be installed in Dalby Forest, Yorkshire, in the spring of 2024, where it will be visited by tens of thousands of annual visitors, helping to disseminate knowledge to the wider public concerning woodlands and the potential of regenerative management practices to reverse environmental damage and improve climate resilience.
The “Constructive Land” project took place in three phases. The first established the research context through a literature review, interviews with stakeholders, and visits to cultivation and processing sites. The second phase focused on fieldwork, introducing the ecological lens that would inform student engagement, and underpin the propositional outcomes that were developed, tested, and fabricated in phase 3. During the third phase, students responded to two briefs that set parallel streams of work. One stream led to the design and prefabrication of Clearfell House, while the other focused on material experimentation with climate-resilient tree species, culminating in the design and manufacture of five 1:1 fragments. As a whole, these outputs displayed outstanding precision of skills.
Mixed native woodland survey drawing, 2022. © Samuel Fraquelli, Emily Llumigusin, and Hannah Robinson, MArch Unit 3, UAL x Material Cultures.
Short Rotation Forestry Survey Drawing, 2022. © Lucy Daw, Leo Hui, and Amadeo Martini, MArch Unit 3, UAL x Material Cultures.
Dalby Forest. © Material Cultures.
Ground investigations conducted by MArch Unit 3 students. © Material Cultures.
Tim Marlow, Chief Executive and Director, Design Museum, London
Clearfell House construction sequence, 2022. © Lucy Daw, Hannah Millet, and Elliot Wedge, MArch Unit 3, UAL x Material Cultures.
In May 2022, the project team presented initial research findings as part of the Forest Talks lecture series at Central Saint Martins. The lecture made the case for a better understanding and management of our existing woodlands, emphasizing the need for spatial practitioners to move away from viewing timber as a generic material. Understanding different tree species and timbers as a diverse palette with distinct uses and properties is key in enabling the construction industry to shift away from its reliance on monocultural practices producing a standardized product.
Dissemination opportunities were pursued wherever possible. “Constructive Land” was exhibited at the Lethaby Gallery in London from October to November 2022. The experience was also shared at the Constructive Disobedience conference at Technische Universität Braunschweig, with lectures freely available online and a publication confirmed for 2024. A relationship with nonprofit Bauhaus Earth emerging from this conference culminated in the freely available Wetlands and Construction publication, whose methodology is directly informed by “Constructive Land.” This research is being exhibited at the Akademie der Künste’s The Great Repair (2023) and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg’s Water Pressure exhibition (2024). Crucially, “Constructive Land” created capacity for discussions on cohesive forms of practice and pedagogy, helping to instantiate the cultural shift needed toward the transition to a postcarbon culture.
1:1 Sycamore fragment, 2022. © Emily Llumigusin and Michael Parish, MArch Unit 3, UAL x Material Cultures.
1:1 Eucalyptus fragment, 2022. © Sabina Shaybazyan and Adam Stanford, MArch Unit 3, UAL x Material Cultures.
Unit 3 MArch (UAL) research team
Antonio Abreu
Zahra Ghizlene Badaoui
Elise Blackmore
Cameron Carrington
Zhongyang Chen
Can Danisman
Lucy Daw
Samuel Fraquelli
Leo Hui
Ellie Johnson
Harry Kendall
Emilia Kepista
Irmak Kuzu
Emily Llumigusin
Amadeo Martini
Joy Matashi
Hannah Millett
Michael Parish
Dominica Piatek
Hannah Robinson
Leyla Salih
Dilushanan Selvarajah
Sabina Shaybazyan
Rowan St John
Adam Stanford
Humzah Uzzaman
Elliot Wedge
Unit 3 teaching team
Paloma Gormley
Summer Islam
Daria Moatazed-Keivani
Henry Stringer
Forest School team
Andreas Lang
Joy Mulandi
Project collaborators and contributors
Forestry England
Forestry England’s Dalby Forest
Vastern Timber
Structure Workshop
Villalba Studio
Evolving Forests
Lethaby Gallery
Paloma Gormley
University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins
Spatial Practices Program
Summer Islam
University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins
Spatial Practices Program
is a founding director of Material Cultures. She is an internationally acclaimed designer responsible for a series of celebrated architectural and urban projects. Her work is rooted in a creative pragmatism whilst drawing on new technologies and the integration of new materials. Paloma co-runs “Construction in Detail” on the MArch course in the Spatial Studies department at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and has previously taught at the Bartlett, University College London, and the London Metropolitan University. She founded Practice Architecture with Lettice Drake in 2009, through which she has completed a number of critically acclaimed arts and cultural projects, including The Yard Theatre, a performance space for Bold Tendencies, and The Peckham Hotel.
is a founding director of Material Cultures. Islam co-runs “Construction in Detail” on the MArch course in the Spatial Studies department at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her work is focused on the holistic integration of systems thinking, construction technologies, and design. She has extensive experience in leading prominent cultural and community projects from inception to completion. Islam has also taught at the Bartlett, University College London, the London Metropolitan University, the Architectural Association, and the University of Cambridge. She was previously an associate at the award-winning design practice 6a architects in London. Islam cofounded design practice Studio Abroad with George Massoud in 2014.
