Heritage is not just about beauty. “We must also ask ourselves the question of the usefulness of the buildings”, says Célia Verot, director general of the Heritage Foundation. As part of its “impact fund”, created in 2020 to support rehabilitation initiatives by virtue of their positive impact on the territory, the organization unveiled its 2022 winners on Wednesday June 8. The six winners, from around forty applications from departmental and regional delegations, will receive an overall allocation of 1.24 million euros.
Strengthen the attractiveness of territories
The proposals were rewarded according to the nature of their scope (economic, social, environmental, cultural, etc.) and their level of maturity. To do this, an impact study was conducted by the Foundation in 2021 to assess the social and economic benefits of the various projects. «We have considered the direct and indirect spinoffs, i.e. the effect generated by the completion of the work and the employment of labour, as well as the tourist and commercial activities that will be generated by these approaches. , explains Celia Verot.
Among the winners: the projects to restore the Hardy-Tartane distillery in La Trinité (Martinique) and the ruins of the choir of the former abbey church in Ourscamp (Oise), the renovation of the old mines of Pont-Péan (Ille- et-Vilaine), rehabilitation of Fort de la Justice in Belfort and modernization of the castle-museum and library in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées).
Encourage social connection
The social impact prize was awarded to the rehabilitation project of the former Monanges school group in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme). The objective: to accommodate 16 adults with disabilities and 10 assistants in two shared accommodations, an apartment for a refugee family affected by a disability and a hostel for students. The Heritage Foundation paid €200,000 to the association L’Arche, at the head of the project, to carry out the necessary work, which began in 2021 and which should last until 2023.
“We were touched by the social vocation of this project, the purpose of which is to create a mix of audiences”, says Celia Verot. The building will offer a “café of smiles” open to all, a day reception, offices, a daytime activity area and common living areas. The restoration, which will be carried out with respect for the architectural character of the place, will allow it to create social ties, after having been abandoned. «Combining the beauty of heritage and the use we make of it is essential for the Foundation,” assures Celia Verot.