From forest to finished furniture

Above: Alison Brooks introduces the screening of the film Forested Future. Photo: Jonathan Tibbits

The focus was on forest to finished furniture at the Australian Architecture Conference in Brisbane, where more than 1200 delegates gathered on 30 and 31 October.

The story began on 29 October at the State Library of Queensland, with an official fringe screening of Forested Future. Architect Alison Brooks OBE, who plays an important role in the film, introduced it and spoke about her involvement and the opportunity to trace her favourite material, American black cherry, back to the forest after more than 20 years of working with the timber. “It’s very rare that we architects have the opportunity to go to the source, the true origin of materials we specify”, said Brooks, who was a keynote speaker at the conference.

The film was produced by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) which showed selected pieces from KEEP, its 2025 collaboration with leading Australian architecture practices. Included was the Lamella Chair (pictured above) by Richards Stanisich and Meg Ashforth, covered in hand-sewn maple shingles, arrived in Brisbane off the back of a win in the furniture and joinery category at the 27th Australian Timber Design Awards.

Rod Wiles, Regional Director for AHEC, (above left with Anna Meadows, Sycamore centre) commented, “The conference was a full and rewarding experience for the team. We were delighted to be able to facilitate Alison Brooks’ participation in the event, to reconnect with Australian architects we have worked with before and meet many new faces who we hope to work with in the future”.