Wood & Straw, an innovative and responsible constructive choice

Straw insulation is a natural material: it is a material healthy, durable (experiments show straw houses dating back nearly 100 years) and powerful (we get resistances of the order of 9 W / m².K - compare to 5 W / m².k traditionally for walls properly isolated). By opting for the construction of wood & straw, bio sourced construction is favored, which limits the use of unsustainable resources.

The constructive advantage of wood and straw construction compared to the traditional wooden structure and MOB wood frame walls is the possibility of complete prefabrication of the wall. The low weight of the wooden structure and straw allows the production of large areas of factory walls. The assembly line does not require a very powerful crane and the panels can be easily handled on site with light lifting equipment.

The insertion of the program in the site

The plot, a real park in the district of Gauchetières, is surrounded by Jean Moulin Avenue to the west, Val Street to the east and Paul Langevin Street to the north. The landscaped importance of the site (large free park) allowed a free and structured implantation:

The houses project will respond in the same way as the other buildings

present in the park. The boundaries on the north side will be treated

landscape and porous, to be perceived as thresholds.

At the back of the parcel of fences will be set up, with wicket access. The pedestrian can continue to cross the park thanks to the faults that preserve the distant views, the porosity and create a supervision from Paul Langevin Street. The project's challenge is not to recreate a built-up front but rather to create different rhythms and stay open on the site. By creating these faults of the street, the houses are grouped by module, which we will call "block" of 4 to 5 houses:

- Block A

- the central block B

- Block C.

A and C are identical, in mirror. The central block B is slightly set back from A and C, to allow the requalification of the pedestrian band located between the car parks of the schools and the future houses. This withdrawal also allows breakthroughs not only south but also diagonally. It protects the houses from the proximity of the street. The houses are

arranged in staggered rows to avoid sudden repetition by too rough alignments. The decommissioning of one house in two generates private green spaces and limits the creation of fence. An alternation of the heights of factage also allows to vary the silhouette and to energize it.