Le Figaro Bordeaux
Walls shaped in the soil of the Dordogne.
A frame carved from the wood of the Gironde massifs.
Insulation made from Charente-Maritime straw and recycled cotton.
In Taillan-Médoc, near Bordeaux, the construction of buildings for the Anna Conti elementary school group is certified biosourced.
From the start of the 2023 school year, eight classes will study in this environment made up of materials taken from less than 80 kilometers away.
“
Everything is natural so the atmosphere is different
”, rejoices the mayor of the town, Agnès Versepuy, who specifies that she is “
looking forward to discovering the working conditions of the students and the agents
”.
The objective of the elected member of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), who has become a councilor without a label, is twofold: on the one hand "to
show the
with this project with an ecological content, on the other hand, relieving the limited budget of the local authority with a structure with controlled energy expenditure.
"
Our work has focused on high-performance insulation to meet the forecasts of high temperatures in Gironde by 2030 according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change, editor's note)
", explains Williams Saves, one of the site's architects.
His firm Node Architecture, coupled with that of Mille Lieux based in Nancy and two design offices, one of which specializes in environmental development, has been working on the project since 2017. Thanks to the adobe technique, which consists of embedding 15 centimeters of this particular land between two formwork, these premises will withstand extreme cold and heat waves.
The rammed earth technique insulates the premises from low temperatures and heat waves.
Cabinet Node Architecture
On the roof, 138 square meters of solar panels allow the structure to be autonomous.
Connected to the network, its electricity surplus is estimated at almost 100% in summer.
A benefit for this town near Bordeaux which intends to offset part of the consumption of its three other school groups.
Especially since the windows have been designed to provide natural light covering 92% of needs.
In other words: it will rarely be necessary to turn on the neon lights on the ceiling.
A project of 9 million euros subsidized
If technically nothing was invented to carry out this project, its elaboration required some compromises.
"
There were hazards and bad surprises... From the shortage of materials stocks during the Covid-19 crisis to certain standards which forced us to introduce concrete into the structure
", recognizes Agnès Versepuy.
Indeed, the specifications to prevent fires and especially the local seismic risk forced the architects to erect several load-bearing cement walls to ensure the bracing of the building.
Ditto for the elevator shaft.
Valued at more than 9 million euros, this project has benefited from almost 50% subsidies from Bordeaux Métropole, the department, the region and the State.
Start of registration for the 2023 school year from January 10 at the town hall of Taillan-Médoc.