sauerbruch hutton Exhibition in Paris Explores the Technical and Atmospheric Potential of Wood

"The recently inaugurated exhibition matière en résonance ("resonant matter") brings together a wide range of models and a curated selection of photographs to present sauerbruch hutton's ongoing exploration of timber. The exhibition starts from the premise that while the age of concrete defined the twentieth century, the early twenty-first century has seen a worldwide resurgence of timber, a much older building material."

"Timber is presented as offering "a different version of modernity" and as the subject of renewed interest that reawakens long-standing collective imaginaries. Over more than two decades, the Berlin-based architecture practice has explored the possibilities of timber construction, from façade elements to load-bearing structures and modular systems. The exhibition reflects the results of this sustained investigation, reinforcing both technical innovation and the embodied qualities of timber across a diverse range of European contexts."

"The exhibition brings together thirteen architectural works from 2005 to upcoming completions in 2026 that collectively illustrate the practice's long-standing and varied engagement with timber as a core building material. Early works, such as the Federal Environmental Agency in Dessau (2005), used prefabricated timber-frame façades that age naturally into their landscape, while the Immanuel Church and Parish Centre in Cologne (2013) features diagonal timber cladding and exposed structural panels to shape evocative liturgical space."

The exhibition matière en résonance assembles models and selected photographs to present Sauerbruch Hutton's sustained exploration of timber. The premise positions timber as a resurging global material that offers "a different version of modernity" and evokes long-standing collective imaginaries. Over more than two decades the practice has developed timber applications from façade elements to load-bearing structures and modular systems, combining technical innovation with the embodied qualities of wood in varied European contexts. Thirteen projects from 2005 to 2026 illustrate prefabrication, natural aging of timber façades, diagonal cladding, exposed structural panels, large wooden envelopes, and modular solid-timber apartments.

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