Studio in the Woods 20th Anniversary Captured in Documentary
A new architectural documentary captures three 1:1 timber pavilions built from site-felled trees at Hooke Park in the UK for the 2026 Studio in the Woods milestone.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Studio in the Woods marks its 20th anniversary with a documentary short titled Crossing, Lookout, Horizon
- Hosted at the Architectural Association’s Hooke Park campus in Dorset, UK
- Built using 1:1 structural interventions from timber harvested directly from the surrounding woodland
- Three student filmmakers mentored to document the live-build construction process
Marking the 20th anniversary of the architectural live-build summer school Studio in the Woods (SiTW), a new documentary short titled Crossing, Lookout, Horizon has recorded the initiative’s 2026 session hosted at the Architectural Association’s Hooke Park campus in Dorset, UK.
Founded two decades ago by Piers Taylor of Invisible Studio alongside architects Meredith Bowles, Kate Darby, Gianni Botsford, and Peter Clegg, with early mentorship from Ted Cullinan, the program functions as a hands-on pedagogical alternative to traditional studio-based design education.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Operating without predetermined briefs, the annual workshop convenes roughly 50 students, practitioners, and timber specialists over an intensive four-day build cycle. Participants design and assemble 1:1 structural interventions using timber harvested and milled directly from the surrounding woodland.
Sited within Hooke Park’s working forest, the 2026 iteration produced three site-specific timber installations named Crossing, Lookout, and Horizon, testing material optimization, reciprocal framing, and direct fabrication methods.
The integration of on-site timber harvesting and direct fabrication at Studio in the Woods reflects a growing emphasis on sustainable, low-carbon construction in modern architecture. By engaging directly with raw materials in a forest environment, participants bridge the gap between theoretical architectural design and practical structural engineering constraints.
Parallel to the physical construction, the 2026 iteration integrated a specialized film mentorship program directed by architectural documentarians Nyima Murry and Jim Stephenson. Selected through an open call, student filmmakers Tong Hao, Jaime Nelson, and Hamani Altraiji embedded within the forest to document the live assembly of the three installations.
Source: designboom
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