◀︎  Lectures / beyond cycle

Plant fiber architectures of Grand Paris

Focus on four metropolitan achievements

Lecture on February 17, 2022

Load-bearing or insulating straw, hemp concrete, thatched roofs ... Plant fibers are back in the metropolitan vocabulary. A few pioneering architects explore their potential: rapid growth, short supply chains, carbon storage, comfort of use ... Through projects carried out in Boulogne, Paris and Saint-Denis, they demonstrate that it is possible to build differently, relying on resources available in quantity just within reach and vernacular know-how without renouncing innovation. Organized within the framework of the exhibition "TerraFibra architectures", this meeting engages a renewed dialogue for both construction and renovation and testifies to the potential of local bio-sourced materials to respond to the climatic challenge and the necessary adaptation of building systems.

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Meeting on four metropolitan projects with

Axel Adam & Camille Ricard, architects - Moonwalklocal
Chaume Urbain, Saint-Denis

Christine Desert, architect - North by Northwest
Laurent Mouly, engineer - LM Ingénieur
Building of 15 apartments, Boulogne-Billancourt

Emmanuel Pezrès, chief architect & Charlotte Picard, architect - City of Rosny-sous-bois
Centre de loisirs Jacques-Chirac, Rosny-sous-Bois

Clara Simay & Julia Turpin, architects - Grand Huit
La Ferme du Rail, Paris 19

8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Nocturne, free visit of the exhibition TerraFibra architectures in presence of the invited architects.

Evening moderated by
Dominique Gauzin-Müller
Architect-researcher and co-curator of the exhibition TerraFibra architectures

Project presentation

BUILDING OF 15 APARTMENTS, Boulogne-Billancourt
North by Northwest Architects, LM Ingénieur; Groupe 3F
The Silly-Gallieni neighborhood is one of the most dynamic in Boulogne-Billancourt: public facilities, services and shops are located alongside two- to ten-story apartment buildings with good public transportation links. As part of the densification of the urban fabric, a house built on a 241 m2 plot was replaced by this 15-unit residence. The reinforced concrete skeleton with a 22 cm hemp-lime filling is five times lighter than concrete walls with rapid insulation. This lightness, the ease of implementation and the speed of execution presented several advantages on this difficult site: fragile subsoil and a very small plot of land for the R+8. The wood shavings used on this site come from the Aube region, but more local channels have since been developed in Seine-Marne and the Gâtinais. Produced in Île-de-France in a short circuit, hemp contributes to the development of sustainable agriculture, promoting crop rotation and soil regeneration.

LA FERME DU RAIL, Paris 19
Grand Huit architects; Mélanie Devret, Scoping, Toreana Habitat, Albert & Co, Pouget Consultants, BTP Consultants; Réhabail, associations Atoll 75, Travail et vie and Bail pour tous
La Ferme du Rail was the first achievement of the call for projects Réinventer Paris 1, launched in 2014 by the city. This militant operation, initiated by residents and associations of the 19th arrondissement, proves that another way of life is possible, even in Paris. Its eco-responsible economic model, based on short circuits, combines urban market gardening and solidarity in order to generate a job-creating agricultural activity. Two wooden buildings insulated with straw frame the vegetable garden. To the east, the residence accommodates fifteen people in integration and five horticulture students. To the north, the operations building includes a large greenhouse, workshops, a mushroom house and a restaurant. Customers can taste the fruits and vegetables produced on the site and those of partner farmers. The Ferme du Rail is also a neighborhood facility that provides several services: collection and treatment of organic waste, maintenance of green spaces, organization of workshops and events, etc. A frugal, joyful and creative project.

CENTRE DE LOISIR JACQUES-CHIRAC, Rosny-sous-Bois
City of Rosny-sous-Bois, Research and Territorial Innovation Department
The Jacques-Chirac leisure center welcomes 180 children in the Bois-Perrier school complex. The regrouping of extracurricular activities in a new building has made it possible to create kindergarten and primary classes in the vacated premises. For the City of Rosny-sous-Bois, a pioneer in frugal architecture using biosourced and geosourced materials, this two-story straw building marks a new step towards the goal of reducing the environmental footprint of its buildings. The building, slightly curved, is compact to reduce heat loss and naturally ventilated thanks to five wind towers. Its southern facade is largely glazed to capture a maximum amount of solar gain; the other, more opaque facades protect the building from rain and prevailing winds. The innovative technical choices were discussed upstream with the control office in order to eliminate any possible blockages. They also gave rise to numerous exchanges within the city council's departments to optimize the operation of the equipment.

CHAUME URBAIN, Saint-Denis
Moonwalklocal architects; CUBE ingénieurs, Mobius, Lab-ingénierie; Icade
In Saint-Denis, the real estate group Icade has converted the former site of the Paris warehouses and general stores into a tertiary park bringing together the headquarters of major groups, small and medium-sized companies, start-ups and players in the audiovisual and digital sectors. Chaume urbain is a covered street that protects employees and visitors from the rain and sun as they leave the metro to reach these office buildings. This atypical project is above all an expression of the architects' commitment. The Moonwalklocal agency wants to develop the reuse and use of bio-sourced materials, and to support the workforce and artisanal know-how rather than industry. His 1:1 prototype is one of the elements of a competition for a covered street composed of several sections. Installed on a temporary site, it will be installed in its final environment once the development work of the business district is completed. Several hundred meters long, the future covered street will border two perpendicular lanes, the corner of which will be marked by the thatched ring.