Mass Timber Apartment Tower Completed in Paris

The architectural design synonymous with Paris, France, is beginning to change thanks in part to a new 50-meter (165-foot) apartment building taking its place as one of the first wood towers to grace a European skyline, Wallpaper reported (10-19-24).

The project, “Wood Up,” was designed by French architectural firm LAN (Lan Architecture Network) and developed by REI Habitat, which specializes in wood.

Wood Up is a mass timber building built with glulam and CLT. All the wood came from French forests and was transported via the Seine. The external columns are Douglas fir, for its moisture resistance; the interior columns are beech, for its compressive strength; and the beams are spruce, for its bending resistance. LAN used the leftover wood scraps to make furniture.

LAN succeeded in making Wood Up tempting enough for people to move to the city’s edge—every one of the 132 apartments, from studio to three-bedroom, has been rented. Each apartment features floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces. Some units have double-height living areas. The overall layout is modular, with small apartments above larger ones, so they can one day be combined (the apartments might be sold at a future date).

Rather than air conditioning, the building benefits from a sophisticated thermal management system. Deep exterior columns filter sunlight coming through the windows. The glass is treated with a solar coating, the curtains have a reflective silver layer, and there is plenty of natural ventilation.