FORESTED (Future-Oriented Regeneration of Ecological Spaces through Timber, Education and Design) is a 12-month regenerative design research project. Working with Bexley Council and the Dr. Xan Browne, Royal Danish Academy, the project will enhance ecological citizenship in Lesnes Abbey Woods by creating community-made woodland furniture from local timber, using digital design tools and volunteer engagement.
Funded by the RCA's Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ / EPSRC, the project aims to boost community engagement, ecology and woodland use, offering a model for bioregional stewardship that benefits nature and society in London.
Photo: Prototype roundwood deck. Student-making workshop, Lesnes Abbey Woods, April 2025. Photography: George Fereday.
Project details
Research team
Team members
Ian Holt, Estate Manager, Lesnes Abbey Woods, London Borough of Bexley
Funder(s)
RCA’s Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ / EPSRC
Duration
September 2025 – August 2026
More about the project
- To provide naturally durable, untreated exterior woodland furniture for local amenity use in new glades created through forestry thinning operations, using timber extracted from the site
- To provide lightweight, stackable interior-grade furniture for occasional use at community woodland hub, supporting the expansion of ecological awareness teaching programmes
- To deliver both digital and physical exhibitions that disseminate project outcomes and inspire similar initiatives in other community woodlands
- To enhance local ecology whilst improving access to, and use of, local community woodland.
Project partners
