If the age of concrete defined the twentieth century, the early twenty-first century has seen the worldwide resurgence of a much older building material: timber. This natural resource offers a different vision of modernity, one in which functionality, adaptability, honesty, and beauty may converge - all with an impressively low carbon footprint. Such renewed interest also raises cultural questions at the same time as it reawakens long-standing collective imaginations.
sauerbruch hutton has spent more than two decades exploring and defining many possibilities of timber construction: in their projects, this living material assumes diverse roles, from façade elements to load-bearing structures and modular systems. With each of these architectural works, the practice expands both the technical and the atmospheric potential of wood.
matière en résonance brings together a wide range of models as well as a curated selection of photographs to present sauerbruch hutton’s ongoing exploration of timber - a material where innovation meets tradition.
These projects are featured in the exhibition:
Federal Environmental Agency
Dessau 2005
The four-story facade was assembled as a prefabricated timber frame construction in two-story elements. The larch wood in the parapet area ages naturally and thus blends harmoniously into the green surroundings. Motorized flaps are arranged between the wood-aluminum windows, which are opened for controlled night ventilation in summer. The cool night air flows through the offices and cools the solid ceilings, creating a pleasant indoor climate in a natural way.
Immanuel Church and Parish Centre
Cologne 2013
All three of the ensemble’s buildings are clad externally with diagonally laid timber planks, while inside, the load-bearing structure of prefabricated timber columns and panels is left unclad. A coloured timber screen stands behind the altar: its polychromatic treatment includes a subtle gradation of hues that reduce in intensity as the screen reaches up to the sky. A large organ that was salvaged from another church is concealed behind. The church’s evocative character owes much to its treatment of natural light, which enlivens the altar screen and the matt glass panel above the gallery opposite, where the changing shadows from the trees form a natural complement to the play of colours on the screen.
Hager Forum
Obernai 2015
The entire building envelope is constructed of wood. The roof spans an area of 108 x 39 m and was constructed from prefabricated wooden frame elements. The facades consist of a wooden frame construction with wood-aluminum windows and an outer metal cladding. The facade and roof were delivered as prefabricated elements, which significantly reduced the construction time.
Universal Design Quarter
Hamburg 2017
As the world's largest residential building in modular timber construction, at the time of its completion, “Woodie” offers micro-appartments for 371 students. The apartments each have 20 m² floor area and are completely prefabricated from solid wood, including their fixtures. With the exception of the natural rubber floor covering, the wood has been left visible on every surface. This contributes to a comfortable and healthy indoor climate for the residents. The rear-ventilated facade cladding is made of greyed larch wood in prefabricated panels.
Berlin Metropolitan School
Berlin 2020
The extension of an existing school building was designed as a prefabricated timber system that ensured speedy erection with minimal disturbance. On account of its low selfweight, the timber construction required neither additional foundations nor alterations to the supporting structure of the existing fabric. Variation in room size and quality results in spaces that are fit for community and as well as for retreat - for individual learning as well as for team-based work. The sustainable building material timber is clad in copper, but it has been left visible on the inside, creating healthy, pleasant workplaces for students and teachers alike.
Luisenblock
Berlin 2021
The offices have been designed as prefabricated modules made of solid timber. Window elements, a timber frame with thermal insulation and integrated sun protection as well as a substructure for the façade cladding of coloured glass were built into the module while it is still at the factory. Only the floor slab, the technical rooms on the ground floor and the central atrium have been constructed on site in prefabricated reinforced concrete. The material concept for the interior design follows the constructive logic of this hybrid construction; as the shell materials of timber and concrete will remain visible.
Médecins Sans Frontières
Geneva 2022
A three-dimensional, green façade conveys the building's internal structures to the outside. Balconies and loggias defined by large wooden frames offer work settings that transition between interior and exterior space. Fitting together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, these frames form a clearly defined volume, analagous to an organisation of individual specialists working towards a common objective.
Franklin Village
Mannheim 2023
The buildings have a timber frame construction with timber composite floors. Furthermore, an existing building along the north-east edge of the site was renovated and extended by adding two floors in timber construction. The grid of the timber frame allows for a high degree of floor plan variability. Each type of apartment was arranged with two different sizes, so that north-south oriented layouts with reduced depth make better use of daylight. A variety of apartment sizes which correspond to the spatial requirements of different housing and living needs could be implemented in a cost-effective way while offering options for future adaptations.
AI Pavilion
Heilbronn 2024
The lightweight, element-based wooden construction was completely prefabricated. The floor slab, ceiling and the curved wall elements are made of cross-laminated timber, the serial T-supports are made of glued laminated timber. The facade made of identical polycarbonate lightweight panels illustrates the temporary character of the pavilion. All connections of all elements can be undone and reassembled. This makes it possible to replace individual parts or even flexibly erect and reuse them at different locations. The renewable building material wood binds CO2 in the long term, the use of lightweight materials as well as prefabrication and elementisation lead to efficient use of materials and facilitate the recyclability of the components.
Panorama
Constance 2026
For the first time, a column-free interior of this size—over 30 meters high and around 32 meters in diameter—is being constructed using timber. The main supporting structure above the double-storey ground floor, made of exposed concrete, is a special form of timber frame construction. The precise prefabrication of the timber elements in the factory shortens the construction time and significantly increases the quality of execution. The innovative design reduces the amount of concrete required to a considerable extent.
Office Building for Federal Authorities
Berlin 2026
On the regular floors, wooden modules with offices and meeting rooms are organized in a ring around a central zone. These modules, including fixtures, are prefabricated in the factory and stacked on the construction site to form five floors on a base of reinforced concrete. The top floor is erected as a wooden element structure with freely formed frames that define the space.Conversions and extensions to the building can be carried out in a minimally invasive manner; partition walls can easily be removed or added.
Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences
Rostock 2026
The sustainability concept of this project breaks new ground, especially in the area of grey energy: The entire project is being built using a resource-efficient, largely CO2-reduced and low-emission timber hybrid and timber module construction method. For a project with a scope of 1,000 module units, this is unprecedented.
Wood Clay Campus
Berlin 2026
The objective was to maximise the use of local pine wood. The supporting structure consists of columns and load-bearing wall panels, both made of timber, in the façade area. The firewall to the neighbouring building is also made of wood. Even the floor slab is a ventilated timber construction. All ceilings are load-bearing timber beams infilled with clay bricks. Two load-bearing bracing walls are built using clay construction and also non-load-bearing interior walls are clad with clay building boards. The materiality remains visible and, in addition to the effect of being displayed, contributes to a pleasant office climate.
The exhibition will be on view from the 3rd to the 28th of February 2026 at the Galerie d'Architecture de Paris.
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brief
- exhibition on timber projects by sauerbruch hutton with models and photographs
in cooperation with
- La Galerie d'Architecture
data
- 2026
Location
- La Galerie d'Architecture, 11 Rue des Blancs Manteaux, 75004 ParisOpen map
project team
- Lucia Alonso
- Tom Geister
- Isabelle Hartmann
- Sabine Hertwig
- Louisa Hutton
- Julia Knaak
- Claus Marquart
- Matthias Sauerbruch
- Amelie Schleifenheimer
- Kemal Tezcan
