Contemporary architecture faces a twofold challenge. On one hand, climate change requires the construction industry to design, build and deliver architecture with a low environmental impact. On the other hand, the construction sector is undergoing a major economic crisis: construction costs are rising, whilst the purchasing power of the French public continues to decline.
Delivering architecture that is high-quality, sustainable and low-cost is a complex challenge. To achieve this, the use of an affordable, low-carbon construction system and materials is an approach worth exploring. More specifically, agglomerated concrete masonry is synonymous with rapid, accessible and popular construction. Furthermore, the latest technological advances in the concrete industry have succeeded in reducing its carbon footprint by replacing Portland cement. However, concrete block architecture is associated in the collective imagination with being rough, commonplace, cold and of poor quality.
The research project led by SAME aims to make the concrete block an architectural solution of choice rather than a fallback option, by adding aesthetic value to its economic value. It explores the concrete block as a building system in its own right, using as a case study the most environmentally responsible product currently available on the market: the uncalcined clay concrete block. Initially, a review of the current state of the art and a critical analysis define this construction method and compare it with others. Then, through an experimental and hands-on approach, proposed hypotheses are tested via graphic and spatial representations, as well as a self-build project. The research also examines perceptions of the beauty of a widely used building material and suggests imbuing it with a sensitive and poetic character.
The FAIRE PARPAING project was presented at the 2025 Versailles Architecture and Landscape Biennale as part of the “4°C BETWEEN YOU AND ME” exhibition from 7 May to 13 July 2025. In a tropicalised Paris, ecological and socio-economic challenges converge to reveal an urgent need: to house more people in liveable (thermal) conditions. SAME explores the potential of the concrete block, the most widely used element in contemporary construction, porous to air and raw, to shape a new model. Through its ennoblement, a renewed aesthetic, bio-based materials and, consequently, a drastically reduced carbon footprint, we aim to offer our response to the pressing reality of global warming.
Photo credit: 11h45
Contemporary architecture is constantly reinventing itself to address a range of social, environmental and economic challenges. One of the greatest challenges for this sector in France is to tackle the housing crisis whilst striving for the most effective ecological transition possible. The mismatch between supply and demand for housing, a excess of vacant office space and the urgent need to act against climate change make the conversion of vacant offices into housing seem like an obvious solution. The ELAN bill has emerged as a potential catalyst. However, the targets it sets are unrealistic.
Our study aims to overcome the various regulatory, structural, architectural and financial obstacles, so that conversion projects are no longer a marginal phenomenon. As a first step, this research compiles findings and observations regarding the context of converting offices into housing in the Île-de-France region. It explores the reasons why conversion projects are not becoming more widespread. It identifies the barriers and maps out a reference atlas of conversions. In a second phase, it identifies the indicators needed to reveal the potential for converting offices into housing. Thirdly, the research focuses on cases where building properties are not easily adapted to be converted. Having identified the reasons for their apparent unsuitability for transformation, feasibility analyses in the form of scenarios explore alternative solutions tailored to each specific case.
In short, this research aims to accelerate projects to convert offices into housing, to reinvent ways of living, whilst enriching the debate on the adoption of a circular economy model in the construction sector.
Photo credit: Michael Wolf - Transparent City
There are more and more of us on a planet that is becoming increasingly fragile. Available land is becoming scarcer and house prices are constantly rising. Simultaneously, resources are dwindling.
Economic constraints are now pushing architecture towards extremly standardised projects, with thin-walled construction systems that are very often incapable of self-regulating fluctuations in temperature and humidity. The introduction of numerous labels and regulations has shaped projects that are heavily reliant on technology, with embodied energy consumption having tripled over the last thirty years. What of our cities of tomorrow?
We advocate an approach based on bio-based and geo-based materials, which takes into account the uses of the spaces.
Our intention is therefore to develop projects in harmony with the resources that are abundant today, which have a lower environmental impact, whilst aiming for optimal spatial and hygienic comfort.
Photo credit: Schnepp Renou, Terre de Paris - Pavillon de l'Arsenal
Nowadays, 40% of our planet’s land is devoted to agriculture. In a world that will need to feed 10 billion people by 2050, the issue of food is of central importance. Yet the overuse of this land is disrupting ecosystems.
The Covid-19 crisis served as a final warning about our lifestyles, production methods and consumption patterns, the consequences of which we are the first to suffer.
In the future, nearly 70% of the population will live in cities: we must find new ways to feed them whilst making cities desirable places to live.
« Biophilia is the answer to the human need to feel connected to nature. It aims to re-establish this connection within the built environment. It is also the intersection of health, biodiversity, art and beauty ». Eric Fromm
Until relatively recently in human history, humans were in constant interaction with nature and its inhabitants. Biophilia, or the idea that humans have an affinity with nature, is an emerging field that recognises our physiological need to be surrounded by life and vital processes.
Exposure to representations and images of nature can help to speed up the healing and recovery process, increase positive feelings and reduce negative ones. Conversely, cold, sterile and lifeless indoor environments can be detrimental to our mood and general state of mind. This element recognises the importance of creating an indoor environment that fosters the connection between humans and nature.
Photo credit: Williamson Park Lancaster Butterfly House
