Reunion Island welcomes the first overseas architecture school

The school opened its doors in 1988 as a branch of the National School of Architecture (ENSA) in Montpellier. But it will become autonomous.

"We will create, from March 1, 2025, a new national higher school of architecture on the island of La Réunion, in order to better cover the architectural needs of the overseas territories," declared Ms. Dati while presenting to the ministry her national strategy for architecture 2025-2029.

This school, the 21st of the ENSA, "will be able to act as closely as possible to the reconstruction needs in Mayotte", an archipelago whose infrastructure was ravaged in mid-December by cyclone Chido, she added. However, she did not detail how.

The school is located in Le Port, a town located between Saint-Paul and Saint-Denis.

The strategy for architecture also provides for the launch of post-master's training, via the ENSA in Clermont-Ferrand, to "fight against architectural deserts by encouraging and preparing young architects to settle in rural areas".

Around 20.000 students are trained each year in the twenty or so existing higher education schools, a figure that the minister also hopes to see increase by "20% over ten years".

To do this, Ms. Dati announced the "strengthening of the links between teaching and professional practice" with the generalization within two years and in all schools of architecture of a work-study training. These work-study courses allow students to be paid from the beginning of the master's degree.

Within five years, all schools should also welcome 20% of students from professional or technological fields.

On the occasion of these announcements, Ms. Dati presented the 2024 National Architecture Grand Prize to Atelier Architecture Perraudin, a pioneer in the use of sustainable biomaterials and the design of ecological buildings, which has a branch in Senegal.