Jemappes – The forest moves to the municipal school
Recently, the architectural cooperative Havresac bought the former Jemappes Municipal School, on the Croisette. Thus the forest will settle in the school! The place will not only provide offices for its owners, but above all it will provide a school for ecological construction. This project was supported by the Wallonia Ring Programme.
That’s it, it’s done, the architects of the Havresac cooperative have taken over the former Jemappes municipal school, a place purchased from the city of Mons. If these specialists in ecological construction and reuse decide to work here, it will be to develop a multifaceted project.
« We plan to do a lot of things! Haversack offices of course, then training spaces for eco-builders who intend to learn eco-building, co-working spaces and artist studios which will be located below » explains Arnaud Cordier, one of the architects of the Haversack Cooperative.
To develop this project called The Jungle, there is no question of demolishing the building. Architects will work on the existing school.
« The idea is to transform it exclusively with reused materials to make it an eco-construction training room. There will be a school within the school and training will begin from the beginning of the construction site with school camps. » specifies Hélène Margneau, another architect of the cooperative.
The old municipal school will become an environmentally friendly school
School sites that will allow professionals, individuals or students to learn about different eco-building techniques: insulation with reused materials, timber frame construction or even flour-based paint for example. Thus the old municipal school will find a new life, without really changing its appearance.
« We will keep the existing frames with single glass. The idea is to create a double deck inside to create isolated spaces for training and offices » confirms Helen Margneau.
« Here were the two main classrooms of the school. We will divide the space for offices and then there will also be this internal street thanks to the double skin that will serve all the internal spaces“Adds Arnaud Cordier.
To develop their forest, Haversack Architects received a grant of €45,000 as part of the Wallonia Ring Appeal, launched by Wallonia. It remains to start the first work, using recycled materials of course.
« What you see are prefabricated elements that we dismantled at a construction site in Brussels and from which we will create a temporary site office “He points to Arnaud Cordier.
The first training courses in eco-building will start in 2024. They are enough to bring life to the site of the former Jemappes municipal school.
