Collective Building

Over the course of a weekend, visitors were invited to collectively build and expand a pavilion using coppiced timber and a custom modular connector system. Presented as part of the MA Material Futures final show at Central Saint Martins, the installation grew through successive contributions, with each participant adding their own element to a shared structure.

The project emerged from research into coppicing, a traditional woodland management practice in which broadleaf trees are cut back and allowed to regenerate in repeated cycles. As part of this research, a modular connector system was developed to explore the use of coppiced timber as a renewable, locally sourced alternative to low-cost industrial wood for temporary structures and installations.

By combining hands-on construction with collective assembly, the project introduced participants to the material and ecological qualities of coppiced wood while creating a space shaped by many individual contributions. What Grows Again explores how regenerative forestry can inform not only the materials we build with, but also the ways people come together through the act of building.

Presented as part of What Grows Again at the MA Material Futures final show, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (June 2026).

What Grows Again is Antoine Léger’s final master’s project;

MA Material Futures 2026
Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London