Located south of Rouen, a few kilometres from Louviers, Val de Reuil is the youngest of the nine “new towns” planned by Paul Delouvrier in the early 1970s and built entirely on bare lands. The development of the “town seed” never met the objectives of the original plans, and the expansion of the town stopped before reaching the banks of the Eure. The dynamics of the expansion of the town, once again on the agenda for several years, led to prioritising the junction and integration of the banks of the Eure and the station into the town centre. This eco-village project in Val de Reuil was born from the desire to offer the inhabitants a new way of living more respectful of the planet and more in accordance with their aspirations. The idea is to rely on the past experience of the village’s social life, rather than on its urban form, as well as on its economic foundation: agriculture.
Thanks to the dynamism of the municipality, more than 60,000m² of industrial park has been built in recent years. The jobs generated, mainly in the pharmaceutical sectors, create a need for diversified housing. In addition, the municipality has been involved in eco-responsible development for several years.
A particularly sensitive site from an ecological point of view, with 2 ha floodable, was transformed into an actual asset in the project, by converting it into a unique market gardening and plant complex.
The functioning of the neighbourhood will be based on its social and intergenerational mix. In terms of energy, the City of Val de Reuil and SILOGE want to make this ecovillage an exemplary neighbourhood.
Land reserves remain available, particularly in the south of the Eco-village, enabling us to envisage the medium-term densification of housing. The coherence of the project in relation to the overall development and the incorporation of a harmonious solution to the water makes the Eco-Village des Noés a living laboratory serving future development projects.
The Noés programme, deployed around three villages, includes zero-energy low-passive housing units for rental housing and shared equity low energy buildings (BBC); a hall with an organic store and a cooperative laundry; a municipal crèche; a gardeners’ house; organic family gardens and an organic horticultural farm supporting social reintegration; the creation of a pike spawning ground; rigorous flood management; local compost management; a heating network; car-sharing vehicles.
The dwellings are strategically facing south to make use of the light and offer at least two opposite facades which bring cross-ventilation in summer. Each unit has an outdoor extension, wooden shutters, green roofs and photovoltaic panels.
Initiatives to promote the respect for biodiversity were implemented: an association provides two donkeys as part of the Asinobus (school bus service), beehives were installed in the conservatory orchard, a bird observatory is available by the river, and a shared chicken coop is also maintained by the inhabitants. All the characteristics of the EcoVillage of Noés allow it to take into consideration the application for the prestigious World Wide Fund for Nature label: One Planet Living.
Tools used
The inhabitants were questioned as part of a sociological survey. Information meetings were held.
local
https://www.siloge.fr/