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 move away from the industry tendency to standardise wood products as much as possible? Rather than eliminating the imperfections and complexities of wood, is it actually these natural features that were triggering our neurology all along? Featuring Andrea Bariselli (Clinical and neuroscientist psychologist), Andrew Waugh (Waugh Thistleton Architects), Daniel Schofield (British designer), Andu Masebo (British designer).

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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 Design.

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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 survive. Commercial foresters, indigenous tribes and local foresters all care for them in different ways: some are managed through planting; others use low intensity forestry techniques; and others are studying how the careful removal of trees can, in some instances, benefit forests overall.

In this episode, hosts Oli Stratford and Evi Hall speak to Jim Smalls and Mike Williams of the U.S. Forest Service, former forestry consultant at the Architectural Association Jez Ralph, and designer Ash Pales to ask what caring for a forest on a day-to-day basis actually looks like and how design can play a meaningful role in promoting forest health and sustainable management.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.