One hundred fifty students from 10 universities gathered at the iconic 1969 Woodstock festival grounds in Bethel, New York, to construct large-scale timber installations as part of BuildFest 2: Peace Rises. The five-day event, held from September 10 to 14, 2025, marked the fourth annual Bethel Woods Art and Architecture Festival.
Curated by Neal Lucas Hitch of design studio I/thee and hosted by the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the festival challenged participants to explore how emerging technologies can be harnessed “for the collective good.” Students camped on-site and collaborated on experimental structures that blended digital fabrication with analog craftsmanship.
Among the projects was Polylith, a modular stage created by Syracuse University and Cornell University using a six-axis robotic arm. The structure was designed with circularity in mind and drew inspiration from Woodstock’s communal ethos.
Rice University’s Trillium is an illuminated canopy made from recycled plastic and reclaimed timber. The installation refracted light across its surface and was inspired by the native flower associated with transformation and renewal.
Meanwhile, the Peace Pavilion, developed by the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Manitoba, featured two mirrored timber spaces divided by a screen. Visitors were invited to sit inside and reflect on laser-engraved lyrics and phrases spoken at the original Woodstock festival.
Beyond construction, students participated in daily cultural programming, including a concert by experimental rock band Guerilla Toss. All installations will remain open to the public until November: “We wanted students to reflect on how technology can both advance society and pose challenges to its well-being,” curator Neal Lucas Hitch told Dezeen. “BuildFest is about designing with intention and community.”
