Building sustainably in Chapelle Charbon

In the context of the climate emergency, the Chapelle Charbon ZAC (Paris 18th arrondissement), led by SPL Paris & Métropole Aménagement, is a pilot project for low-carbon construction in a dense urban environment. Atelier Franck Boutté is involved as a carbon/climate project manager assistant, designing the environmental strategy for the operation: energy approach, life cycle assessment, carbon optimization, and feasibility study for bio-based and geo-sourced materials.

This work is featured in a book published by h2o architects, which offers a comparative analysis of materials that can be used to build differently. Wood, stone, earth, straw... Each material is studied according to its uses, performance, constraints, and potential. More than just a catalog, this book is intended as a toolbox for rethinking construction methods in light of climate challenges.

In this project, materials are not just resources. They are language, constraints, culture, and industry. They shape architecture as much as they structure uses and territories. This is the approach developed by Franck Boutté in the interview published in the book, alongside Antoine Santiard (h2o) and Laurent Mouly (SPL), conducted by Andrew Ayers:

When we revisit construction methods that use ancient techniques, we have to consider them in light of other criteria [...]. It is therefore essential to look at how the material requires the form to be adapted. - Franck Boutté