Hello Wood is an architecture studio and independent educational platform for architectural dialogue and experimentation. It is an international hub for architects, designers and woodworkers looking for new ways of sharing and producing knowledge.
Hello Wood started as an art camp in 2010 for students in architecture, art and design and has grown into an award winning, unique international summer school involving more than 70 universities and 30 countries. Promoting the idea of “thinking with your hands”, Hello Wood provides a unique experience in the craft of building, inventing, testing and an intimate understanding of the material itself. Our goal is to promote the construction process as a platform for discussion, innovation and exchanging knowledge. Hello Wood is a profoundly democratic opportunity to connect different generations, designers and artist with various cultural, academic and professional backgrounds.
The creative architectural and design studio was born from the educational work. As a design studio we are specialized in designing and building custom-made, temporary and site-specific public installations. The studio is a site of innovation, product development, and the designing of large-scale installations.
We believe that a socially responsive attitude and the utilization of the material constraints in an innovative way, is crucial for sustainable design. All of ourprojects are centered around social responsibility, life cycle design and the relations between community and architecture.
Our studio projects are driven by innovation, social responsibility and an unwavering passion for great design. Through our work, we aim to raise awareness, encourage community building and bring architecture closer to the general public.
Probably it was the Colosseum, one of the main venues of Sziget Festival, which is a major European Festival. The artwork was inspired by the ancient amphitheatre, and is functioning as a party venue with the capacity of 3000 people. The Colosseum is part of the annual Sziget Festival’s party venues, and functions as a sculptural artwork and a social frame to the many visitors of the music festival in Budapest. The project has grown from its first iteration in 2012 with 700 pallets into its current form with the use of 3000 pallets since 2014. The now 9 metre tall Colosseum’s outside diameter is 40 metres, and has an area of 1000m2 in total.
We work with wood and other sustainable materials to create large-scale installations that are not only artistic, but also eco-friendly and socially relevant.
When it comes to architecture, we usually think of walls, roofs, windows; or in a more sophisticated case, aesthetic forms, perhaps artistic value. However, architecture is much more than that: a philanthropic mission, social involvement or social responsibility, the creation of communities, a behavioral pattern; moreover, it means an active influence on mentalities.
Our interactive installation, Interactivator was displayed at the 2nd National Salon of Architecture at Kunsthalle Budapest last year. We invited visitors to cut laths and write their thoughts on them concerning Hungarian architecture and other various topics. The idea behind the concept was to build public benches from the cut laths. During the closing event, which was part of the Night of Museums, we organized a workshop and asked the audience to help us build these benches.
Our typically temporal and mobile installations appear at major European festivals and events. We are also working together with such partners as the Sziget Festival, the Palace of Arts Budapest and the Design Week Budapest.