Students construct timber pavilions at Woodstock site during BuildFest

Students and faculty from 10 universities have built timber installations on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York.

More than 150 participants gathered for the fourth edition of The Bethel Woods Art and Architecture Festival, titled BuildFest 2: Peace Rises.

The students lived and worked on site during the five-day festival when they created experimental structures that explored how emerging technologies can be used for the "collective good."

Created by Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and curated by Neal Lucas Hitch of design studio I/thee the festival showcased large-scale timber installations constructed using novel assembly and fabrication methods.

Projects included Polylith, a modular stage fabricated using a six-axis robotic arm.

The adaptable structure was designed with circularity in mind and drew inspiration from the communal ethos of Woodstock.

Other works included Trillium, an illuminated canopy built from recycled plastic and reclaimed timber that refracted light across its surface.

The installation draws from the native flower of the same name, which is associated with ideas of transformation and renewal.

The Peace Pavilion installation consists of two identical spaces divided by a timber screen, inviting visitors to sit inside.

The installation featured laser-engraved lyrics and phrases sung or spoken at the 1969 Woodstock festival.

BuildFest encouraged students and faculty to reflect on how emerging technologies can both advance society and pose challenges to its well-being.

Beyond construction, students and faculty took part in daily cultural programming, including a concert by experimental rock band Guerilla Toss.

The photography is by Breyden Anderson.

BuildFest 2: Peace Rises took place from 10 to 14 September in Bethel, New York with all installations remaining open until November. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with BuildFest. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Project credits:

Project name: The Peace Pavilion
Project leaders: Amanda Reis and Eduardo Aquino (AREA)
Project team: Noah Baldon, Maddy Bortle, Anna-Leigha Clarke, Ryan Denberg, Sydney Fox, Gabriela Hernandez, Mackendra Nobes, Julia Resnick, Young Jin Yi, Edward Elliott

Project name: Polylith
Project leaders: Ekin Erar & Lawson Spencer
Project team: Varun Gandhi, Jacob Gibbons, Seh Eun Emily Hong, Austin Johnson, Torben Karl, Yuji Kitamura, Brooke Kenworthy, Amina Lahham, Bo Li, Edozie Onumonu Kobe Phillips, Helen Bennett, Katharine Marr, Saffiyah Subhan-Khan, Clark Dong

Project name: Trillium
Project leaders: Chris Humphrey, Andrew Colopy
Project team: Alex Pina, Manuella Gbossou, Jim (Jingping) Wu, Shaelyn Parker, Fatima Castro, Grace Andrews, Benjamin Rao, Braden Birko

The post Students construct timber pavilions at Woodstock site during BuildFest appeared first on Dezeen.