The Moulin de la Housse campus of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA) was built between 1959 and 1967 and it shows.
But in recent days, the site dedicated to exact and natural sciences, which accommodates around 3,000 students and 500 teacher-researchers, has been given a facelift with the complete renovation of a 60-year-old building, building 7. .
Thanks to the France Relance plan, URCA received 13 million euros from the State to finance this project, as well as the energy renovation of the IUT of Troyes (Aube).
“It’s a new showcase of the modernization of the Moulin de la Housse campus,” rejoiced Guillaume Gellé, president of the University of Reims, at the time of the inauguration of building 7. Thanks to the 6.8 million euros from the State and 710,000 euros of URCA's own funds, 2,400 m² of teaching spaces have been renovated to offer reception conditions worthy of the name for students and teachers, but also maximum energy performance.
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“We have managed to limit primary and final energy consumption by at least 40%,” said Didier Fèvre, architect and co-founder of the 5-Cinq agency.
Renovation of wooden facades, insulation using bio-sourced materials, connection to district heating, replacement of lighting and electrical installations, installation of natural double-flow ventilation, triple glazing and 272 solar panels, development of 'a central patio, everything is there.
Small detail, which made the oldest students smile, old benches dedicated to chemistry practicals have been converted into tables, within the numerous convivial spaces made available to students.
With this project completed, URCA is already turning to other projects.
An agro-digital research center (24 million euros) and a building dedicated to Staps (18 million euros) will be inaugurated in 2024.
At the start of the 2023 school year, the grouping of medical, pharmacy and dental students into a single health center (14 million euros), close to the hospital, has already made it possible to respond to this logic of rationalization.
Since 2016, 167 million euros have been committed to the real estate policy of the University of Reims.