This year’s London Design Festival put two landmark AHEC projects in the spotlight. From giving No.1 Common a second stage at Material Matters London to opening fresh conversations about what “perfection” really means in timber and design, it was a chance to celebrate the beauty and versatility of sustainable American hardwoods.
No.1 Common landed in London
After debuting in Copenhagen, No.1 Common made its second appearance at Material Matters London in the iconic Space House. The exhibition once again shone a light on a timber grade too often overlooked in Europe, through a curated selection of bold, design-led projects.
Shown alongside other pioneering initiatives championing sustainable materials, this year’s Material Matters celebrated creativity, resourcefulness and innovation. A big thank-you to everyone who visited.
Shortlist revealed: Wood Awards exhibition highlights the best in timber design
Coinciding with Material Matters, the full shortlist for the Wood Awards 2025 was on display at Space House, London.
Among the nominees is AHEC’s groundbreaking red-oak modular urban-cooling structure Vert, designed by leading industrial design practice Diez Office in partnership with urban-greening specialists OMC°C. First shown at the London Design Festival in 2024, Vert was recently featured in the WEtransFORM exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bonn, one of Germany’s leading museums.
Selected from 30 outstanding projects that reflect the breadth and brilliance of UK timber design, Vert is in the running in the Buildings category.
The pitfalls of “perfection”
At this year’s Shoreditch Design Triangle, AHEC’s European Director David Venables joined design journalist Roddy Clarke, Caroline Till of FranklinTill, and Benchmark Managing Director Martin Penrose for a thought-provoking roundtable on redefining perfection in timber and design.
Building on the themes of No.1 Common, the session explored how the pursuit of “perfection” can drive unsustainable trends—and asked what might change if we embraced wood’s natural variation, character and unpredictability.
Part of the Design Discussions series at House of Icon, hosted by Roddy Clarke, the conversation left audiences with a timely reminder: sustainability starts by celebrating what nature provides.
