In vogue in the home for its ecological character and elegance, wood is gradually conquering the professional space. Architects are choosing it for its natural qualities: warm, robust and easy to work with. In situ, it's an inviting, work-friendly material.
With over 16 million hectares of forest in mainland France, France is the 4th most wooded country in Europe(1). Long under-utilized, over the last ten years or so wood has found its way back into schools, social housing, retirement homes, hotels and ERP (2). It is used for both interior and exterior fittings, in the form of cladding and even structures.
Its presence is logically beginning to extend to stores, start-ups and corporate co-working spaces, where its qualities "speak for themselves". The Paris 2024 Olympic Village, for example, will be made of wood or mixed wood-concrete buildings!
Wood: natural elegance
Why this rediscovery? Firstly, because of its undeniable aesthetic virtues. In its raw state, wood has a natural elegance that can be enhanced with varnish or polish. The variations and nuances of the species used in a workspace always give it a real personality.
It enhances walls (framing, cladding), ceilings and frameworks, and of course furniture. It blends harmoniously with glass, steel or aluminum. A high-performance material appreciated for its speed of execution on building sites, wood is increasingly sought-after by interior designers for designing spaces ranging from the classic to the totally designer.
A material adaptable to any site
While wood is solid and resistant, it also provides superior insulation to concrete or plaster. What's more, it's easy to maintain.
These qualities of use are complemented by great flexibility in design. Prefabricating and dressing wooden structures is easy. It's just as easy to create custom-made furniture (bookcases, storage units, worktops).
Timeless, wood brings a feeling of warmth and comfort (3) to those who come into contact with it on a daily basis.
An eco-responsible and hygroscopic choice
Spaces designed with or incorporating wood are not only ergonomic, but also eco-responsible. If it comes from sustainably managed forests, wood is a renewable resource. It naturally stores CO2 and releases little of it during processing. Using it helps reduce the carbon footprint that companies are now seeking to achieve.
Hygroscopic (4), it also naturally regulates air humidity, providing a significantly healthier atmosphere. Its use anticipates a likely move towards higher environmental standards.
Soothing and beneficial to health?
The presence of wood may have an impact on cardiovascular regulation, according to a study carried out in Austria at the Haus im Ennstal school in 2008-2009. The heart rates of pupils in two classrooms, one made of solid wood, the other of plasterboard and composite materials, were compared. Heart rate was 6 beats/minute lower in the former, with a peak of stress falling each morning on arrival at school.
Another study, carried out in Canada in 2010 by Professor David Robert Fell of the University of British Columbia, reinforces this finding. 119 people were voluntarily placed in stressful situations (short deadlines, difficult tasks), fitted with sensors, then divided into identical rooms with or without wood. The results? Heart pressure fell in the former.
(1) Forêts et ressources en bois en France métropolitaine, L'environnement en France, Rapport sur l'état de l'environnement, 2020.
(2) Établissement Recevant du Public
(3) Sensation of heat or cold given by a material.
(4) Ability of a material to capture and release moisture.