Words on Wood

A special deep dive into Forested Future, a new documentary telling the story of the hardwood forests of the eastern United States. Across this episode, we speak with the film’s makers and characters, discussing the significance of the film for communicating the first and supporting its future survival. With special guests; Van Wagner (advocate and musician), Alison Brooks (Architect), Fred Pearce...

In this episode, we examine a range of new conservation projects that offer different ways of understanding the forest and new opportunities for audiences to connect with them. We examine the stories we’re telling about forests, and how they can help to protect them and their communities moving forward. With special guests, Anna Bates (curator and researcher), Anab Jain (co-founder of Superflux) a...

In this episode, we explore the significance of timber design being tied to the landscape and resources of the site on which it is built or manufactured, examining the opportunities and limitations of using local materials for local projects, and the manner in which global and local networks of material and craft might work together to produce more sustainable results. Asking the question how can...

Does it matter where our wood comes from? In this episode, we explore why provenance is one of the central questions facing the timber industry today, and the arguments for new forms of certification that can meet the challenges it poses. Speakers featured on this episode include, Ben Gunneberg (Former CEO of PEFC), Seetal Solanki (Founder of Ma-tt-er), Tim Brownlee (Previous AHEC chairman and COO...

What is it about timber that makes us feel good? We all know the benefits of natural spaces and materials, but new testing suggests that we may actually also be drawn to synthetic alternatives that appear sufficiently natural in aesthetic. This might sound like an endorsement of non-natural materials, but what if, instead, it actually tells us that we need to get more natural in our palette, and m...

What happens to the brain when we come into contact with wood products and wooden spaces, and what positive changes occur in the body when it is surrounded by natural materials? Featuring guests neuroscientist Andrea Bariselli, architect Dorte Mandrup and architect and artist Suchi Reddy from Reddymade.  Hosted by journalists Helen Gonzalez Brown and Oli Stratford from Disegno, the Journal of...

Forests take up about 30% of the earth’s surface and come in many shapes, sizes and types. From chilly boreal forests in the north, to temperate forests, dry forests, mangroves, rainforests and more, each forest has specific needs and nuances, and faces its own ecological challenges.  Around the world, there are communities and teams of people who oversee forests, ensuring they regenerate and...

Staining wood is a complex and often laborious process that requires careful thought from designers and makers. Considering the complexities involved, and the fact that natural wood is beautiful in and of itself, this Making short explores the benefits wood staining can offer for designers. When done right, staining beautifully enhances the intricate and unique characteristics of wood. To elaborat...

We’re probably all aware that climate change is having, and will have, a big effect on our forests. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and rising temperatures give way to adverse consequences such as droughts and fires, causing rapid tree mortality rates. So, how can we plan for the future to ensure these forests, in the face of climate collapse, are around for future generation...

Trees have been a principal building material for most of human history, with archaeological findings showing that humans were using stone axes as early as 40,000 years ago. With the advent of machinery during the Industrial Revolution making woodworking more efficient and accessible, this Making short episode asks why a designer today might opt for hand working over industrialised techniques.&nbs...

Our next instalment of Words on Wood revisits education, this time examining whether there is a need for a more robust curriculum around timber and its properties within architecture courses. The guests all straddle the architectural and education spaces and bring some really good insights into areas that are working, and some not so well, within architectural education. Oli and Evi are joined by...

Building on the success of previous seasons’ ‘Tree Shorts’, this season introduces a new series of ‘Making Shorts’. These bite-sized episodes zoom into production techniques for timber, providing concise case studies through interviews with designers on the making processes behind specific projects.  In this episode, we speak with Norwegian designer-maker Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng about cr...

Building on the success of previous seasons’ ‘Tree Shorts’, this season introduces a new series of ‘Making Shorts’. These bite-sized episodes zoom into production techniques for timber, providing concise case studies through interviews with designers on the making processes behind specific projects.   Travelling to Australia, the first Making Short of the season focuses on CNC milling, tracin...

Delving deep into the world of wood, featuring unexpected and timely topics from across forestry, architecture and design, the award-winning podcast Words on Wood has returned for a fourth season. A collaboration between the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and Disegno, Words on Wood launched in 2021 as an upfront and wide-ranging end-to-end exploration of all things wood-related, from fore...

In the final episode of Words on Wood season 3, we are joined by multi award-winning science and environmental writer, Fred Pearce.   Fred’s groundbreaking work covering the natural world spans at least 15 books. We sit down to discuss the topics behind his latest book, “A Trillion Trees”, which gives a fascinating insight to how the world’s forests can be restored without planting and follow...

The series concludes by venturing into ‘The Wooden Hospital’. Starting with the work of architect Ab Rogers, who won the 2021 Wolfson Economic Prize 2021 for his radical approach towards reformulating hospital design, the episode looks at whether our existing healthcare spaces are fit for purpose. Could wood be the key to redesigns that create more humane and compassionate facilities? Featuring a...

In this bitesize episode, we explore American walnut and all of its properties and uses. The episode features an interview with Mira Nakashima, daughter of George Nakashima and now the creative director of George Nakashima Woodworkers, and gives us a valuable insight in her years of experience working with the material. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we look into the social aspects of wood and how timber education is approached across different levels: from amateur enthusiasts, through to academia and university education. This episode includes an interview with celebrated woodworker John Makepeace and Helen Welch, founder of The London Furniture School, and asks whether design education currently provides students with a suffi...

In this weeks tree short, we dive into the world of white oak - one of the most popular species across Europe. Host India Block speaks to architecture practice Maccreanor Lavington to find out more about the white oak used in the newly designed Ibstock place school refractory in South West London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode two, the hosts examine the different ways in which humans have baked, charred and heated wood to create thermally modified timber (TMT). The episode includes interviews with furniture designer Jan Hendzel, timber consultant and researcher Neil Summers, and architect Kirsten Haggart of architecture studio Waugh Thistleton. Words on Wood is hosted by Oli Stratford and India Block, and pro...

A bitesize episode exploring American cherry and its unique role in the creation of the Susie Sainsbury Theatre by architect Ian Ritchie of ritchie*studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season three of Words on Wood kicks off with an exploration of tree diseases through the lens of ash, looking into the risks posed to this tree species across North America and Europe by the invasive emerald ash borer insect and the fungus responsible for ash dieback disease. How do these threats spread through forests and affect timber and, once they have struck, what happens to the dead and dyin...

To celebrate the launch of Perpetuum Mobile, and the return of Milan Design Week, host Oli Stratford speaks to Benedetta Tagliabue, the director and head architect of the international firm Benedetta Tagliabue - EMBT Architects. Showing as part of the INTERNI Design Re-Generation exhibition event at the Università degli Studi of Milan, Perpetuum Mobile – The Dancing Furniture of Enric Miralles &am...

A bitesize episode exploring American cherry and all of its unique properties, featuring UK based designer Mac Collins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Faced with the challenges posed by illegal logging, a global consortium of organisations has now turned to science to find a solution. The World Forest ID is a new initiative that uses georeferenced wood samples to be able to analyse any timber and discover where exactly it was harvested. In this episode, the podcast talks to the people behind the project and dives into the development of this new...