The forest datum is the physical manifestation of an imaginary line drawn between the forest and the sea, ending at the Jurassic coast 12.5km to the south. It marks a horizontal line in a sloping terrain, a counterpoint to the verticality of the forest. This project, designed by the AA’s Design and Make Taught Postgraduate Programme at Hooke Park, uses crown timber – sourced from the pruning of very small branches high up in the forest canopy – in an experimental structural system. Each uniquely forking branch is located using a bespoke jig that situates it within a repeatable cell structure.

A Forest Datum has been shortlisted for the 2025 Wood Awards for its ‘innovative use of the inherent strength of natural-growth timber forks’. It is a project by Design and Make 2023–25 students: Yan Chen, Yonger Chen, Paola Gonzalez Ferreiro, Seongsoo Han, Alejandra Marcovich, Kavana Irappa Pujar, Ramtin Taherian, Mingxin Yang and Ramsey Young.