Living Lab
A Place to Learn, Restore & Reimagine Our Landscape
The Furnace Brook Living Lab is a real-world, working landscape dedicated to ecological restoration, regenerative farming, community learning & practical experimentation. It is where science, craft, nature, & community come together to prototype the future of land stewardship.
Here, visitors can walk through live demonstration spaces, explore regenerative systems in action, & experience how land can be healed through thoughtful design & community effort. From composting & hydropower to forest gardens & contemplative spaces, every element is designed to restore ecosystems, build resilience & reconnect people to place.
This demonstration site around the barn showcases - on a smaller scale - the broader approach applied right across the whole site.
What Happens in the Living Lab?
Visitors, schools, researchers, volunteers & micro-enterprises can use the Living Lab for:
Ecological restoration training
Citizen science
Regenerative agriculture research
Forest school & outdoor learning
Community food growing
Renewable energy demonstrations
Craft & heritage skills
Wellbeing experiences in nature
Courses, events & workshops
The Living Lab is designed to be hands-on, inclusive, & continually evolving through partnerships and relationships, which we are always looking for.
If you feel like you could collaborate, do contact us here for further details.
Why It Matters
The Living Lab is a model for how small rural sites can:
Restore damaged ecosystems
Provide community education & employment
Grow local, regenerative enterprises
Store carbon & rebuild healthy soils
Enhance biodiversity
Strengthen resilience to climate change
Create meaningful connections between people & land
It is a blueprint that can be replicated across the UK & beyond.