Students from London's prestigious Architectural Association have created an innovative and cost-effective construction method that transforms tree forks - typically discarded as waste - into strong structural building components. The groundbreaking project, called "A Forest Datum," demonstrates how these Y-shaped timber pieces, which are among the strongest parts of trees due to their intertwined grain structure, can be efficiently processed and used for construction.
The project took place at the Architectural Association's Design & Make course, where students and faculty work within the industrial woodland at the university's Hooke Park satellite campus in Dorset, England. This unique program challenges participants to work with the site's waste streams while testing innovative ideas through full-scale experimental construction projects. The 2025 cohort was specifically tasked with focusing on small forking branches, pushing the boundaries of sustainable timber construction.
To address the challenge of working with irregularly shaped tree forks, students developed a simple yet adaptable jig system. This cutting tool, constructed from three planks of wood and adjustable 3D-printed connectors, holds each fork in place and slides along tracks beside a band saw for quick and precise cutting. The jig trims the irregular forks to workable dimensions while preserving their structurally advantageous Y-shape.
The innovative construction method involves conceptualizing each tree fork as diagonally filling an invisible block of uniform size and shape. These imaginary blocks can be stacked together to create flooring structures, with the forks supporting each other in a long zigzag pattern. This approach allows for variation in fork shapes, requiring only that their ends be cut precisely along the block edges.
Using this method, the students successfully constructed a 15-meter elevated forest walkway. The structure uses beech for the forks and cedar for other components, though these wood species were selected purely for testing purposes rather than optimal durability. The forks are pressed diagonally against timber battens and secured with a tensioning system using Dyneema cables, which can be released for easy disassembly when needed.
Emmanuel Vercruysse, co-director of the Design & Make course, emphasized the revolutionary nature of this approach. "We know that forks are, from an engineering point of view, the strongest part of the tree, because all the grain is completely intertwined," he explained. Unlike previous years when the course worked with low-value timbers, this project specifically targeted materials that are normally left on woodland floors during industrial harvesting.
The project's low-tech approach represents a deliberate shift from the program's previous orientation toward robotics. Vercruysse noted that this accessibility makes the method applicable even in low-income countries. "We are really excited about this project because the material is widely available," he said. "You don't need any funding for it. The only thing you need is a community to build it, a bandsaw and a jig."
The versatility of this construction method extends beyond walkways to include roof, floor, and wall structures wherever forests exist. "We don't have to lug a 500-kilo, six-axis robotic arm with us," Vercruysse explained. "All the intelligence sits in the jig. And that's, I think, the genius of the project." This approach can be implemented anywhere with forest resources and basic woodworking equipment.
The project addresses critical sustainability concerns in the timber industry. Currently, using just 50 percent of a standing tree is considered highly efficient by industry standards, but Vercruysse argues this level isn't sustainable for widespread adoption. "Everyone says timber is going to save our built environment, but there's just not enough timber to go around to do that," he noted. At Hooke Park, the team now manages to utilize approximately 80 percent of each tree.
This isn't the first time the Design & Make course has worked with forked branches. In 2016, students built a barn using similar materials, though that project required high-tech 3D scanning of every fork to determine optimal arrangements. The program has also previously used steam-bending techniques to create lattice-framed shelters, demonstrating ongoing innovation in sustainable construction methods.
The Forest Datum process is described as "highly repeatable" and intentionally accessible to communities worldwide. For this project, foresters obtained the tree forks through high pruning techniques, leaving the remaining trees in good health rather than simply collecting waste from industrial harvesting operations. This sustainable harvesting approach ensures the method doesn't contribute to deforestation while utilizing previously wasted materials.
The project team included Design & Make students Yan Chen, Yonger Chen, Paola Gonzalez Ferreiro, Seongsoo Han, Alejandra Marcovich, Kavana Irappa Pujar, Ramtin Taherian, Mingxin Yang, and Ramsey Young, working alongside staff members Kate Davies, Emmanuel Vercruysse, William Gowland, James Solly, Wyatt Armstrong, and Sam Turner Baldwin. Their collaborative work represents a significant step forward in sustainable architecture and accessible construction technology.
