A Decade Through Time & Timber: Visiting France's Sensations CLT Block to Writing About Mass Timber in America (2015-2025)

Author and Photos by Talking Forests 

It's incredible to think back over the last decade, like what?!

The evolution of mass timber construction has blown up. Candra's journey began in 2015, researching this innovative building method while living in Germany.

A Block of Cross Laminated Timber Buildings?!

Fast forward to 2018, she had the incredible opportunity to visit a pioneering mass timber project under construction in Strasbourg, France – the Sensations block. At that point, it was already making significant progress, being built by Eiffage Construction and developed by Bouygues Immobilier. This project was the result of a grant-funded competition won in 2013. Seeing it come to life in 2018, with Altibois assembling the walls from CLT supplied by KLH of Austria, was truly inspiring.

The Tallest in France!

Sensations was planned as a block of tall buildings made of wood, designed to address the challenges of urban density in an ecological way. The specific building Candra visited, part of the larger Sensations program in the Deux Rives sector, was particularly noteworthy. It was set to be the tallest 100% timber structure in France, reaching 38 meters with 11 stories. The structure primarily utilized cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated wood, with only the foundation, ground floor, and staircases made of concrete for regulatory reasons.

The project aimed for ambitious sustainability goals. It was designed to be a low-carbon demonstrator, achieving a passive energy level with low energy consumption. A key feature was the use of geothermal energy from the ground below for both heating and cooling. The building incorporated bio-sourced materials, focusing on indoor air quality with low pollutant emissions. This commitment to environmental performance earned it multiple certifications like RT2012 BEPAS, BBCA Excellence, and Label effinergie+. Witnessing this scale of mass timber construction and its integrated sustainability features firsthand in 2018 told the future.

Now, in 2025, that visionary project in Strasbourg is built and in service, having been delivered in 2019. Sensations stands as a benchmark and a winner of multiple awards, demonstrating the viability and benefits of building tall with wood.

Fast Forward to American Mass Timber

Being back in America now, and writing about mass timber, Candra still carries the memory of that visit. Seeing Sensations under construction offered a glimpse into the future – a future that is rapidly becoming the present here in the US. The strides made in mass timber technology, regulation, and project implementation in North America in the past few years are immense. The lessons learned from pioneering projects like Sensations in Europe have undoubtedly informed and accelerated the growth of our own mass timber industry. Being able to report form the top story of a new building is epic! Look at the views.

Reflecting on the journey from researching mass timber in 2015, to standing before a groundbreaking timber European structure in 2018, to writing about mass timber's expanding presence in America in 2025 is a powerful reminder of the progress being made in sustainable construction. The future of building is certainly looking more and more like wood.

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