2024-07-11 11:19:32
A shared economy aims to reduce waste and energy use by using raw materials wherever possible and recycling them. Purpose: avoid resource depletion. Luxembourg, a small European country located between France, Germany and Belgium, was one of the first countries to adopt a decentralized economy in its national policy three years ago. Report on a high school that was recently renovated using construction materials.
About fifteen minutes from the center of Luxembourg, the Michel Lucius International School is located in a residential area surrounded by trees. ” Here there is a building with classrooms “, explained Sophie Maurer from a terrace in the middle of the campus. If the building no longer meets the standards, ” we deconstructed and installed this terrace », explains this graphic from the Public Enterprises Administration that leads the renovation project on behalf of the Luxembourg state. Of the old building, only the basement remains, used as a storage space. The balustrade is made from recycled green papers: before, they were an important part of the facade of the damaged building.
The old beams have been turned into a pergola
The reconstruction project, which will be completed in 2021, also makes it possible to convert part of the old building structure into a pergola. The beautiful colored cloths are stretched between the red beams, which are sometimes a little rusty. ” We made a decision to keep what we can do and not to bring new resources, for example paint in this particular case. Because we don’t need it », under Sophie Maurer. Later, the concrete elements were broken up and mixed with new cement to cover the ground in the courtyard and build seats and planters. The ceiling panels are finished in the new library. ” We decided to try and earn as many resources as possible. We told each other : “If we have all these facilities, why don’t you use them in another house, next door?” », remembers the architect.
79% less waste
The project does not cost the State less but emits less CO2 and a lot of reduction. “If we had built a new building of the same size for the library, instead of renovating and renovating, it would have produced 79% more waste than the project. It’s too big”, emphasized Sophie Maurer, sitting on a sofa in the library, made from recycled clothes.
At first, the high school’s vice chancellor, Robert Goedert, wasn’t really sure. ” When we were told that we would be reusing the old building and the old equipment, our first reaction was to say that we would have liked something new.he admitted. But in the meantime, we have taken ownership of the project. »
It is even a learning lever for students, explains Georges Weisgerber, biology teacher. ” We talk about it in classes and it is very important to have a house that is there to show the importance that reuse, recycling and sustainable development can have for them now and in the future. » explains the teacher, who maintains a small vegetable garden in the courtyard of the new high school, with his students, and has organized an aquaponics workshop for the students.
Building: very dirty complex
The project received an architecture award last year from the European Union. The housing and construction sector plays a particularly important role in global warming: it represents more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
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