“La Rep creates a positive dynamic for the building,” (Faire Avec, architectural agency)
Being content with what is is the motto of architecture agency Faire Avec. The company created by Gwenael Rivière, Clara Piolato, Elia Monsones and Clothilde Buisson seeks, through its projects, to make the construction sector more sustainable. how ? By combating the massive waste that is still practiced in this rapidly changing environment. It should be noted that the building alone produces 42 million tons of waste annually, equivalent to the annual amount of waste produced by families, according to figures from the Ministry of Environmental Transformation.
Since the creation in 2018 of the group, whose offices are located in Montrouge (Hau-de-Seine) and Marseille, several virtuous and social processes have been envisioned. Because the association that has become a company not only seeks to give a second life to waste, but also wants to improve the living environment of residents. Receives habitat improvement work known as “Fragility” like “Opportunities“.
Her commitment and work were noticed, and she was crowned with the “coup de coeur” award from the Cognacq-Jay Foundation in 2018. Since then, the agency has authored several pioneering projects, including La Ressourcerie pour l’Armée du Hello, a place that combines collecting On site and/or at home, re-evaluated and resold in solidarity, thematic events on raising awareness of reuse, waste reduction and recycling. The 240-square-metre building, located in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, was transformed, adding a staircase and freight elevator, creating a store on two levels, and relocating the retail space to storage in the basement. Faire Avec is also at the origin of the 14th arrondissement emergency shelter, located in the former Liberation Museum, and is intended for isolated men and women with children.
To better understand these social and environmental issues, Clothilde Buisson, one of the founders and co-partners of Faire Avec, agreed to answer our questions. She graduated with Elia Monsonis from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Paris La Villette in 2013, and the young woman quickly specialized in reuse. Meeting a lover…
Patyaktu: What was the initial idea for creating your agency?
Clothilde Buisson: Our lack of understanding and revulsion at the amount of waste from construction sites going to landfill, while many dilapidated housing units needed renovation, prompted us to come together and collaborate. We wanted to reduce waste in the construction sector, while designing projects with high social value. We view waste as resources. However, high-quality materials and equipment, sometimes new and from construction sites, are still often thrown away.
As architects, we had to act. Our idea was to collect construction site waste that we could use to renovate precarious and unhealthy housing, and improve the built environment. Working on what already exists was essential for us, as was the welcome and hospitality. Knowing one of our partners, Clara Piolato, helped us embark on these projects. As part of my doctoral thesis, I studied the role of the architect in renovating homeless shelters.
Also, in 2018, receiving a Cognacq-Jay Foundation Award and being interviewed on national radio gave us great exposure. The following year, the Salvation Army offered to conduct a study
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