New with old: the metamorphosis of a barracks thanks to reuse

A reconversion which promises to be one of the largest operations in France for the reuse of construction materials.

Built during the German annexation at the beginning of the 2008th century, the Lyautey Barracks, which became a military hospital, had been abandoned since XNUMX in the popular Neuhof district, in the south of the Alsatian capital.

This old 2,3 hectare site closed on itself must be transformed from next year into a mini-district housing a college and 90 housing units, on the ruins of the old buildings, with the exception of a few which will be rehabilitated, such as the officers' mess.

The construction industry sees the reuse of materials as a major solution for reducing its waste.

“We measured the volume resulting from demolitions that could be reused at 11.900 tonnes,” explains Benoît Gaugler, director of the Alsace Public Land Establishment, owner of the site which he bought from the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

On this volume, there are no less than "925.000 bricks, 35.000 tiles, 3,5 linear kilometers of wooden windows, 100 m3 of sandstone cut stones, some 80 m3 of structural wood, five candelabra...", he explains.

Beaver tail

The more or less good condition of each material determines its destiny. “Everything was scrutinized, element by element, so as not to miss any opportunity for a new life,” points out Mr. Gaugler.

Although most of the bricks had to be crushed, in particular to form the future exterior coverings, 109.000 of them will return to their previous function exactly in the walls of the new buildings.

“For one of the first times in France, bricks will be reused for the structure of a new building, which requires specific technical validation by the site control office,” underlines Louis Piccon, the project architect.

The typical beaver-tail tiles of Alsatian roofs will partly change their destination, along a new residential building.

“They will not only cover it, they will also dress the facade,” announces Nicolas Jeandel, general manager of the real estate developer Pierre & Territoires de France – Alsace.

Circular economy model

“The construction will thus be in harmony with the appearance of the two preserved buildings which it will extend, and which we are also transforming into housing. New which feeds on the old and the old which becomes new again thanks to rehabilitation work : this project shakes up the boundaries between the two notions", he continues.

When identical reuse proves impossible, another on-site reassignment is sought. Thus, the frames of the old wooden windows will become pieces of furniture in the new college. As for the most obsolete elements, such as almost all radiators and sinks, they will go to recycling.

“This project is a model of circular economy: we recover as much as possible, we use resources on site instead of bringing them from elsewhere, and we thus reduce the carbon footprint”, welcomes Danielle Dambach, vice -president of the ecological transition of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, which is orchestrating the reconversion of the site.

According to Benoît Gaugler's calculations, all the efforts undertaken "will result in saving the emission of 1.180 tonnes of C02", the equivalent of the emissions of approximately 4,7 million kilometers traveled by car. “And their additional cost of 113.450 euros compared to traditional waste management is minimal given the volumes involved.”