An impressive extension building in France – 33 apartments in six months
Wooden elements are a top option when adding new storeys on top of an existing building. One of the most essential advantages is the smaller weight of the roof structure, which enables building to a lighter foundation.
In Poissy, near Paris, 33 new apartments were constructed on top of a group of existing residential buildings. Construction began in September 2016, and due to prefabrication and the light wooden structures, it took only six months to complete.
"What's interesting about this solution for vertical urban development is the prefabrication," says
Laurent Pillaud, architect at Virtuel Architecture. "Each apartment is made up of three or four modules and one roof; the production of the modules took one month. The modules were installed directly on the rooftop, each in one day."
Most construction companies have experience in building extensions for single-family homes and are now turning their focus to large-scale extensions to office buildings, hotels and large residential buildings. This, combined with the increasing acceptance of timber frame construction, means that the potential for light wood extension is becoming considerably higher.