National study of timber construction costs 2025 (France)

This national cost study analyses the construction costs and performance of timber buildings in France, covering both residential and tertiary projects and benchmarked to January 2025 values. Drawing data from 52 housing projects and 29 tertiary buildings, it examines how design choices, procurement routes, location, height, fire safety requirements, and biobased material content affect costs.

Key Takeaways

1. Cost drivers are contextual: Building height, fire safety classification, procurement method, and location (urban vs rural) have a greater impact on costs than the use of timber itself. Fire safety thresholds above R+3 and R+7 introduce significant cost step-changes.
2. Costs are comparable at an equivalent performance: At equal energy and carbon performance levels compliant with the 2028 RE2020 threshold, timber residential projects show an average additional cost of around +6.5% compared with concrete, while concrete projects would require an estimated +9% cost increase to reach the same performance.
3. Tertiary buildings show cost parity: For offices and educational buildings, timber structures display average construction costs similar to concrete or masonry, while delivering substantially better energy and carbon outcomes.
4. Timber housing delivers a strong energy performance: Timber housing projects achieve, on average, a 32% improvement in bioclimatic design (Bbio) and nearly 50% reduction in conventional energy consumption compared to RT2012 requirements, well beyond the minimum needed for RE2020 compliance.