Out of the Woods - Adventures of 12 Hardwood Chairs by Various Designers

An innovative collaboration between the Royal College of Art Design Products programme and longtime Festival collaborator the American Hardwood Export Council offered a fascinating approach to working with an age-old material – American hardwood. Out of the Woods explored the creative and environmental potential of this naturally renewable material by looking at the entire lifecycle of each product. Working with British furniture producer Benchmark, internationally renowned for its craftsmanship in wood, RCA students – under tutors Sebastian Wrong (Established & Sons) and Harry Richardson (Committee) – each designed a chair or seat using American hardwood. The production was carefully monitored with the help of sustainability experts, P.E. International, to prepare an accurate life cycle impact report for each chair. The reports contributed to AHEC’s ongoing research into hardwood’s sustainability credentials and informed the students of the full cradle-to-grave environmental impact of their design and material choices. Supported by American Hardwood Export Council.