Enhancing Circularity, Sustainability, and Innovation
The Wood
Office building The Wood
Construction of an innovative 6-story office building with a garden-level parking area, designed using wood (post and beam structure and wood facade), with high energy ambitions (low-carbon, positive energy building) and focused on user well-being.
France
Local
Grenoble in France
Mainly urban
It involves a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
2024-12-20
No
No
No
Organisation
The Wood was designed using bio-based and geo-based materials and partially built on stilts to minimize excavation, earthworks, and the use of concrete.Thus, the building's post-and-beam structure, the structural skin of the facades, and the cladding are made of bio-based wood materials. The floors are constructed of wood-concrete composite to maximize the use of bio-based materials while ensuring good thermal inertia.
The timber frame structure is designed to meet R60 fire resistance and to handle vertical loads according to seismic zone 4 requirements. These loads are transferred from the floor joists to perfectly plumb columns and beams from one floor to the next. The concrete stairwell provides bracing.
The floors and roofs consist of timber joists spaced 1.35m apart, a formwork base of planed thick boards, and a 90mm concrete slab connected to the joists. They are topped with raised access floors inside and have waterproofed insulation on the roofs and roof terraces.
The lower level of the southeast zone is supported by a triangulated structure composed of round glulam columns forming "trees" embedded in the floor slab. The stability of this structure is ensured by the triangulation of the frame. The "branches" thus concentrate the efforts on the "trunks" which are stressed at 30 tonnes.
The building is divided into 2 blocks.
The WEST block, whose timber superstructure is self-supporting, diagonals are positioned:
• between rows A and B, at each column row (5.40m), providing distributed bracing along the length of the block.
• on the facades to provide bracing according to the building's shape and to concentrate all loads at the apex of the structure. The diagonal arrangement allows for very low decoupling forces to be generated in the end columns only. Rigid diaphragms distribute the loads between the various stabilizing beams.
The EAST block, whose superstructure is fully stabilized by the concrete core and the diaphragms embedded within it.
The timber frame structure is designed to meet R60 fire resistance and to handle vertical loads according to seismic zone 4 requirements. These loads are transferred from the floor joists to perfectly plumb columns and beams from one floor to the next. The concrete stairwell provides bracing.
The floors and roofs consist of timber joists spaced 1.35m apart, a formwork base of planed thick boards, and a 90mm concrete slab connected to the joists. They are topped with raised access floors inside and have waterproofed insulation on the roofs and roof terraces.
The lower level of the southeast zone is supported by a triangulated structure composed of round glulam columns forming "trees" embedded in the floor slab. The stability of this structure is ensured by the triangulation of the frame. The "branches" thus concentrate the efforts on the "trunks" which are stressed at 30 tonnes.
The building is divided into 2 blocks.
The WEST block, whose timber superstructure is self-supporting, diagonals are positioned:
• between rows A and B, at each column row (5.40m), providing distributed bracing along the length of the block.
• on the facades to provide bracing according to the building's shape and to concentrate all loads at the apex of the structure. The diagonal arrangement allows for very low decoupling forces to be generated in the end columns only. Rigid diaphragms distribute the loads between the various stabilizing beams.
The EAST block, whose superstructure is fully stabilized by the concrete core and the diaphragms embedded within it.
The project originated from a competition where the approach presented by our consortium caught the attention of the City of Grenoble but didn't meet the expectations of Christian Portzamparc, the urban planner for the ZAC, who envisioned a more minimalist, mineral-based design. Following this consultation, SEM Innovia and the City of Grenoble offered us a site to implement the proposals we had submitted for the competition.
The project thus developed through a participatory dialogue between SEM, the urban planner, and the City. It aimed for both high environmental standards and an optimal quality of life for the future office users. Innovative in nature, the Wood aimed for the E3C2 level, one of the highest levels of the E+C- label and anticipating the RE2020 regulations. It should be noted that an E3C2 building slightly exceeds the requirements of the RE threshold 28.
Certifications obtained:
• NF HQE Sustainable Building “Very High Performance”
• Ready to Osmoz, BEPOS Effinergie 2017
• BiodiverCity, E3C2 Level
• RT2012 (RE threshold 28)
• The Wood is also one of the first to implement VINCI's “The Better Way” approach for office buildings adapted to new uses and new workplace well-being criteria.
In practical terms, the plot is very constrained: 2,560m² in the shape of a closed triangle, located between a sloping street and the Drac, a tributary of the Isère River.
The Wood encompasses 6,000m² of floor space with large, stepped terraces on 7 levels, each measuring 120m², echoing the surrounding mountain landscape.
With its timber frame structure, the building utilizes various technologies to achieve excellence in energy efficiency & comfort. Priority is given to renewable energy sources, including rooftop photovoltaic electricity production and, for heating and cooling, geothermal.
The glazed surfaces are sized in a way that is both practical & generous, for optimal management of solar gain, maximized by external venetian blinds on 3 facades.
The project thus developed through a participatory dialogue between SEM, the urban planner, and the City. It aimed for both high environmental standards and an optimal quality of life for the future office users. Innovative in nature, the Wood aimed for the E3C2 level, one of the highest levels of the E+C- label and anticipating the RE2020 regulations. It should be noted that an E3C2 building slightly exceeds the requirements of the RE threshold 28.
Certifications obtained:
• NF HQE Sustainable Building “Very High Performance”
• Ready to Osmoz, BEPOS Effinergie 2017
• BiodiverCity, E3C2 Level
• RT2012 (RE threshold 28)
• The Wood is also one of the first to implement VINCI's “The Better Way” approach for office buildings adapted to new uses and new workplace well-being criteria.
In practical terms, the plot is very constrained: 2,560m² in the shape of a closed triangle, located between a sloping street and the Drac, a tributary of the Isère River.
The Wood encompasses 6,000m² of floor space with large, stepped terraces on 7 levels, each measuring 120m², echoing the surrounding mountain landscape.
With its timber frame structure, the building utilizes various technologies to achieve excellence in energy efficiency & comfort. Priority is given to renewable energy sources, including rooftop photovoltaic electricity production and, for heating and cooling, geothermal.
The glazed surfaces are sized in a way that is both practical & generous, for optimal management of solar gain, maximized by external venetian blinds on 3 facades.
A topographical architecture
A welcoming and protective building
A georeferenced architecture
A commercial building imbued with domesticity
A building for everyday use
Our main environmental objectives were to minimize the Wood's carbon footprint over its lifetime, while simultaneously striving for performance that would significantly reduce operating costs without compromising user comfort.
Our strategy is based first and foremost on the building's inherent performance to minimize the use of technical equipment and thus reduce its operating costs.
The project's key features, which ensure the achievement of these ambitious objectives, are as follows :
• Bioclimatic design for user comfort
• Low-carbon construction system with extensive use of wood: structure, frame façade, façade cladding
• No infrastructure required
• Carefully planned glazed surfaces for thermal comfort in both winter and summer, with dimensions adapted to maximize natural light
• Fixed exterior sun protection (staircases, building overhangs) and movable (adjustable external blinds - BSO) and interior sun protection on the north façade
• Natural ventilation through the option to open windows, promoting summer comfort and a pleasant working environment
• High-efficiency dual-flow ventilation with energy recovery from the exhaust air
• A groundwater heat pump system, primarily operating as geocooling, to provide heating and cooling for the premises
• Installation of a photovoltaic electricity generation system
• Green roofs to enhance biodiversity (ecological assessment completed)
• Complete on-site infiltration of rainwater to minimize the impact on public drainage systems.
These qualities are recognized by obtaining the following environmental labels:
• HQE Sustainable Building – Very High Performance Level: project's environmental quality, health, and well-being in the workplace
• Ready to OSMOZ: comfort, health, and well-being in the workplace
• BEPOS Effinergie 2017 (E3C2 achieved): energy label based on energy performance during operation and the carbon footprint of the building: from material extraction to deconstruction).
Our strategy is based first and foremost on the building's inherent performance to minimize the use of technical equipment and thus reduce its operating costs.
The project's key features, which ensure the achievement of these ambitious objectives, are as follows :
• Bioclimatic design for user comfort
• Low-carbon construction system with extensive use of wood: structure, frame façade, façade cladding
• No infrastructure required
• Carefully planned glazed surfaces for thermal comfort in both winter and summer, with dimensions adapted to maximize natural light
• Fixed exterior sun protection (staircases, building overhangs) and movable (adjustable external blinds - BSO) and interior sun protection on the north façade
• Natural ventilation through the option to open windows, promoting summer comfort and a pleasant working environment
• High-efficiency dual-flow ventilation with energy recovery from the exhaust air
• A groundwater heat pump system, primarily operating as geocooling, to provide heating and cooling for the premises
• Installation of a photovoltaic electricity generation system
• Green roofs to enhance biodiversity (ecological assessment completed)
• Complete on-site infiltration of rainwater to minimize the impact on public drainage systems.
These qualities are recognized by obtaining the following environmental labels:
• HQE Sustainable Building – Very High Performance Level: project's environmental quality, health, and well-being in the workplace
• Ready to OSMOZ: comfort, health, and well-being in the workplace
• BEPOS Effinergie 2017 (E3C2 achieved): energy label based on energy performance during operation and the carbon footprint of the building: from material extraction to deconstruction).
In Grenoble, geography is ever-present, and no matter which way you look, the proximity of the Drac River, the immediate presence of the Vercors massif, and then the Isère and Belledonne ranges, are always in our minds. The relationship to the wider landscape is paramount; the flatness of the valley contrasts with the mountainous backdrop, creating a striking sense of scale.
It is through this relationship to the wider landscape that we approached our project. Geography and the wider landscape thus determine the built form. Topography plays a significant role; therefore, it is from a terrain shaped by pronounced slopes and counter-slopes that we have created a specific relationship to the ground.
It is a topographical architecture, a dense, compact and muted volume in levitation, skimming the territory – a cantilevered mass supported by its thinnest end and held by its thinnest part.
The roof-facade is conceived as the unfolding of a landscape, a sloping plane leading to a belvedere overlooking the valley. A pathway winds from floor to floor, from the city level to the building's summit, offering a route that connects all the levels via a bucolic itinerary. Thus, I can choose to enter or leave my office by a path, a wide open-air staircase, or a bank of elevators.
Facades
Our intention was to use exterior wood cladding with a pre-weathered gray tint to mimic aged wood and thus minimize color variations over time. This cladding allows the wood, the building's main structural component, to be visible from the outside. The cladding is made of rough-sawn spruce planks, treated in a Class 3 autoclave. The facade cladding achieves level C2 of the E+/C- standard. It gives the building its distinctive character.
It is through this relationship to the wider landscape that we approached our project. Geography and the wider landscape thus determine the built form. Topography plays a significant role; therefore, it is from a terrain shaped by pronounced slopes and counter-slopes that we have created a specific relationship to the ground.
It is a topographical architecture, a dense, compact and muted volume in levitation, skimming the territory – a cantilevered mass supported by its thinnest end and held by its thinnest part.
The roof-facade is conceived as the unfolding of a landscape, a sloping plane leading to a belvedere overlooking the valley. A pathway winds from floor to floor, from the city level to the building's summit, offering a route that connects all the levels via a bucolic itinerary. Thus, I can choose to enter or leave my office by a path, a wide open-air staircase, or a bank of elevators.
Facades
Our intention was to use exterior wood cladding with a pre-weathered gray tint to mimic aged wood and thus minimize color variations over time. This cladding allows the wood, the building's main structural component, to be visible from the outside. The cladding is made of rough-sawn spruce planks, treated in a Class 3 autoclave. The facade cladding achieves level C2 of the E+/C- standard. It gives the building its distinctive character.
Here, everything is designed to promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic and ensure seamless connections between the different levels.
Facing the square, the office entrance is located 3m above ground level at 217.09m above sea level (NGF). A footbridge and a staircase bridge the height difference caused by the steep slope of the land, providing access to the ground floor for people with reduced mobility and pedestrians.
Fluid, well-designed, gentle, and playful, the footbridge is the most attractive access point, designed for everyone regardless of their disability.
The office floors extend from the ground floor to the 6th floor. They are served by 2 staircases, one internal and one external. The internal staircase is spacious, open-plan, and connected to the elevator landing, with natural light. The floors are linked by terraces, creating a more open and dynamic space that encourages movement and meetings.
In addition to a 55-space parking lot with 2 accessible spaces on the garden level, the Wood project promotes sustainable transportation by providing future users with a large 207m² bicycle storage area. This space is accessible at ground level and is naturally lit and ventilated.
All floors extend onto outdoor areas, seamlessly connecting with the interior levels. These areas serve as informal spaces, extending the workspaces.
With a focus on fostering personal fulfillment at work, we incorporated home-like values into this office project from the outset.
The open-plan offices are conceived as archetypes of contemporary workplaces, incorporating the dimensional characteristics of major international standards. However, to these archetypes, we added informal spaces where other types of relationships can develop :
• Open staircases, balconies, connected gardens, pedestrian areas…
We incorporated :
• Natural materials, such as wood and stone, as finishing elements
• Decorative elements that are part of a narrative linked to the region.
Facing the square, the office entrance is located 3m above ground level at 217.09m above sea level (NGF). A footbridge and a staircase bridge the height difference caused by the steep slope of the land, providing access to the ground floor for people with reduced mobility and pedestrians.
Fluid, well-designed, gentle, and playful, the footbridge is the most attractive access point, designed for everyone regardless of their disability.
The office floors extend from the ground floor to the 6th floor. They are served by 2 staircases, one internal and one external. The internal staircase is spacious, open-plan, and connected to the elevator landing, with natural light. The floors are linked by terraces, creating a more open and dynamic space that encourages movement and meetings.
In addition to a 55-space parking lot with 2 accessible spaces on the garden level, the Wood project promotes sustainable transportation by providing future users with a large 207m² bicycle storage area. This space is accessible at ground level and is naturally lit and ventilated.
All floors extend onto outdoor areas, seamlessly connecting with the interior levels. These areas serve as informal spaces, extending the workspaces.
With a focus on fostering personal fulfillment at work, we incorporated home-like values into this office project from the outset.
The open-plan offices are conceived as archetypes of contemporary workplaces, incorporating the dimensional characteristics of major international standards. However, to these archetypes, we added informal spaces where other types of relationships can develop :
• Open staircases, balconies, connected gardens, pedestrian areas…
We incorporated :
• Natural materials, such as wood and stone, as finishing elements
• Decorative elements that are part of a narrative linked to the region.
The project was co-designed with the various stakeholders in the city who were very involved at all stages of the project's progress.
The SEM (mixed-economy company) was very active locally and throughout the project, with land acquisition in conjunction with EPFL (Public Land Development Agency).
The City of Grenoble was involved in the urban planning aspects and at a more regional level, particularly for the building permit approval.
The Grenoble Alpes Métropole metropolitan area was also involved in the project, specifically regarding the redevelopment of the neighborhood and the implementation of geothermal energy, in conjunction with ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition) at the national and European levels, as well as with ALEC (Local Energy and Climate Agency) for matters related to geothermal energy.
All of these stakeholders ensured that we met each of their expectations throughout the project, both in the design phase (particularly the SEM) and after implementation (with ALEC to secure ADEME subsidies).
It is thanks to the SEM Innovia and the City of Grenoble that we were able to develop such an ambitious project on this land.
The City of Grenoble was involved in the urban planning aspects and at a more regional level, particularly for the building permit approval.
The Grenoble Alpes Métropole metropolitan area was also involved in the project, specifically regarding the redevelopment of the neighborhood and the implementation of geothermal energy, in conjunction with ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition) at the national and European levels, as well as with ALEC (Local Energy and Climate Agency) for matters related to geothermal energy.
All of these stakeholders ensured that we met each of their expectations throughout the project, both in the design phase (particularly the SEM) and after implementation (with ALEC to secure ADEME subsidies).
It is thanks to the SEM Innovia and the City of Grenoble that we were able to develop such an ambitious project on this land.
A demanding environmental approach requires rethinking architecture through its materiality and construction systems.
Both financial and carbon savings are to be found in the rationality of the project's morphology and the proper balance of its components.
This is a synthesis process that will guide the project throughout its development.
Therefore, we carried out a BIM project based on a participatory model that integrates the knowledge and skills of the project management team and the contractors. Every decision was subject to careful consideration.
Both financial and carbon savings are to be found in the rationality of the project's morphology and the proper balance of its components.
This is a synthesis process that will guide the project throughout its development.
Therefore, we carried out a BIM project based on a participatory model that integrates the knowledge and skills of the project management team and the contractors. Every decision was subject to careful consideration.
The Wood project is entirely based on a self-sustaining economic model, with an investor-landlord (a real estate investment trust) and tenants paying market-rate rents. Only the €25,000 grant from ADEME for the geothermal system comes from public funding.
Architecture is meant to be shared.
Given the program and the imperative of adaptability, we began by deducing an initial morphology and general construction principles for the structure and integration of the building's components. In this way, we combined, very early on, technical requirements with a cultural understanding of the act of building. This is the heart of our shared architectural practice.
The design focused on enabling fluid and multiple connections between the different spaces. The aim is to de-stratify, foster exchange and encounters, and encourage movement within a spacious and luminous environment.
Thus, the choice of a dual indoor/outdoor circulation system not only meets fire safety requirements but also shortens travel distances and offers good segregation and easy programmatic evolution.
Given the program and the imperative of adaptability, we began by deducing an initial morphology and general construction principles for the structure and integration of the building's components. In this way, we combined, very early on, technical requirements with a cultural understanding of the act of building. This is the heart of our shared architectural practice.
The design focused on enabling fluid and multiple connections between the different spaces. The aim is to de-stratify, foster exchange and encounters, and encourage movement within a spacious and luminous environment.
Thus, the choice of a dual indoor/outdoor circulation system not only meets fire safety requirements but also shortens travel distances and offers good segregation and easy programmatic evolution.
