In architecture schools, ecology brings its stone to the building

Wood, hemp, straw, cork... Biosourced materials hold no secrets for Marceau Bariou. Holder for a year of the State diploma of architect, the young man, 25, is part of this generation where "everyone considers themselves aware of environmental issues. We have heard about it since we were very young".

At the ENSA (National School of Architecture) in Rennes, renowned for its sensitivity to sustainable development, Marceau dissected frugality or sobriety, eco-responsibility and bioclimatic design in dedicated modules. Construction and the energy consumed by buildings in France generate around 30% of the country's carbon emissions.

The courses invite the students to a broader, philosophical reflection, on the way of living in an apartment by thinking of the district as a whole or on the sensation that the touch of a mud wall provides.

"Opening Horizons"

"All the richness of architectural studies is to open up horizons.

Unlike engineers or training in the construction industry, which offer a very technical curriculum, the school of architecture leaves room for reflection and pushes to grow, "considers Marceau, who works as assistant project manager in a Parisian agency.

It was the architect Philippe Madec, considered a pioneer in eco-responsibility, who injected the first courses in frugality into the ENSAs.

Professor for ten years at the School of Architecture in Lyon and then at that of Rennes, he "noted a turning point five years ago": "Since then, all the teachers have been carrying out an eco-responsible discourse. We have won the battle of ideas but on the ground there is still work to be done."

To replace insulators such as polystyrene, PVC and concrete block with biosourced materials and reuse, we must "reduce VAT so that the durable is at the price of the disposable", says the professor.

A manifesto of "creative frugality", launched by Mr. Madec and signed by more than 15.000 people, offers concrete ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to the development of urban and rural territories.

relationship to nature

Climate collapse, scarcity of resources, fight against urban sprawl... The architect Salomé Rigal raises awareness among students at ENSA Paris-Belleville about contemporary issues.

The professor, who now works for the firm PCA-Stream, remembers a lesson on the communication of plants: "We studied how trees exchange with each other via multiple ramifications", the aim being to "question our relation to nature and to develop a critical spirit".

In her final dissertation, 23-year-old Macha Krobski questions this relationship to the world through the notion of "atmosphere": "I have always been sensitive to spaces. What do you feel in a room? the walls?" asks the 23-year-old architect.

But once on the job market, freshly graduated architects can suffer "real shocks" from the reality of the profession. They confront political decision-makers, construction companies and architectural agencies, some of which "still prefer to concrete".

"Students are increasingly vigilant about the type of agency they choose. Often, they turn to smaller structures, less famous, but more in line with their values, such as associations, for example" , explains Ms. Rigal.

Others decide to "get their hands dirty", like Macha, who plans to participate this summer in a participatory project to renovate a farmhouse dating from the 16th century with earth.

"Ecology is a way of understanding our relationship to the world. A world of which Man is not the master but a part, at the same level as nature", philosopher Macha.