A Sheltered Mass Timber Build in Monaco

The Principality of Monaco sought alternative, less harmful and less intrusive methods to reduce site noise and other nuisances in its direct environment and for the neighborhood. A company manufacturing wooden structures, informed of our vertical addition project at Hôtel Le Germain, contacted us to see if we could supply a construction sarcophagus with handling equipment to assemble a wooden structure without a tower crane in Monaco. The project was initially known as Villa Carmelha, now recognized as A Fighera.

The Upbrella shelter (renamed “sarcophagus” for the occasion) was adapted to house all the concrete foundation work. Once the underground concrete work was complete, the Upbrella shelter was adapted to construct the mass-timber building by adding walkways for the workers and the lifting system. The building was constructed using a 100% wood post-and-beam structure, with CLT slabs for the floors and elevator core. The first move-in took place in March 2023 and the topping-off was completed in September 2023. The customer requested that the sarcophagus be left in place longer so that the pergolas and all roof installations could continue to advance before dismantling, allowing the benefits of Upbrella to be enjoyed until the very end of the project.