The Field Station woodland pavilion was developed by students from the AA’s Design + Make postgraduate programme in partnership with engineers at ARUP. It serves as an open-air laboratory for long-term ecological studies and an interactive space for the public and AA community.

The 100m² multipurpose building uses mature beech for its primary structure, a species that is abundant in the AA’s 142-hectare woodland. Together with ARUP, the AA developed a beech space truss system with roundwood braces which sit within an ash grid, enabling a 3m cantilever on all sides. With the use of computer visioning, the 256 roundwood braces could be digitally modified during robotic fabrication, integrating innovative manufacture with natural irregularities.

The 2023 Shortlist will be exhibited at the Oxo Tower Wharf in London from Wednesday 20 – Saturday 23 September.

Image: The Field Station pavilion, Hooke Park