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 will be on view from 3 to 28 February 2026 at the Galerie d'Architecture de Paris.
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. Large-scale wooden envelopes define the Hager Forum in Obernai (2015) and the Universal Design Quarter in Hamburg (2017), the latter being the world's largest modular timber residential building with prefabricated solid wood micro-apartments at the time. In Berlin, the Metropolitan School extension (2020) and the prefabricated solid timber module offices of Luisenblock (2021) demonstrate rapid erection and hybrid timber-concrete strategies that prioritise interior comfort and visible materiality.
More recent work expands timber into hybrid façades and articulated wood framing, as seen at the Doctors Without Borders Headquarters building in Geneva (2022) and the Franklin Village residential project in Mannheim (2023), where timber-frame construction and floors support adaptable apartment layouts. Temporal and experimental uses of wood are showcased in the AI Pavilion in Heilbronn (2024), a fully prefabricated cross-laminated timber structure designed for disassembly and reuse, and in the Panorama exhibition building in Constance (2026), which achieves a 30-metre diameter column-free interior through an innovative timber frame above a concrete base. Ongoing projects further extend this agenda: the Office Building for Federal Authorities in Berlin (2026) stacks prefabricated timber modules for flexible office space; the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences in Rostock (2026) pioneers a low-carbon timber hybrid and modular system at unprecedented scale; and the Wood-Clay Campus in Berlin (2026) maximises the use of local pine timber integrated with clay elements to enhance material expression and indoor climate.
Other recent news on European architecture and urbanism includes the announcement of the seven finalist projects for the 2026 EU Mies Awards; the designation of Oulu and Trenčín as European Capitals of Culture for 2026; and new limits on short-term rentals introduced to address the impacts of tourism on housing affordability across European cities. Additional exhibition announcements include the inauguration of Memoryscapes, exploring the design methodologies of ATTA and DnA Architecture practices at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; Built Environment: An Alternative Guide to Japan, which examines resilience in Japanese architecture at the Université du Québec à Montréal's (UQAM) Centre; and Coming Together, an exhibition in Washington exploring post-pandemic transformations of community and public spaces.
