The NV Maison des Yvelines winner of the low-carbon Green Solutions Award

November 15th last, during the COP23 meeting in Bonn, AVN received the low-carbon building prize from the Green Solutions Awards / Construction21, for the Maison des Yvelines project in Ourossogui, northern Senegal.

Financed by the French Département des Yvelines, this exemplary building of 370 m² was constructed by a local NV enterprise - Richard Somda’s firm Habitat Moderne – and overseen by the NGO Le Partenariat and AVN, with the support of local technical partners (l’Agence Régionale de Développement de Matam, la Commune d’Ourossogui and the Service Régional de l’Urbanisme) and the architect Mathieu Hardy (Al Mizan architecture).

150 participants from 19 countries submitted innovatory eco-responsible architectural solutions for this international competition, solutions which had to integrate human beings as a central factor ensuring durability.

The Maison des Yvelines, as do all NV buildings, fits these criteria very well (see the project description). In addition, the low-carbon performance of NV buildings extends well beyond the passive and thermal comfort properties of their architecture. In effect, the overall construction process relies on simple techniques with little or no mechanisation, and the use of locally sourced raw materials with a very low carbon footprint. For example, 342 tonnes of CO2 were economised for this project, and 19 NV masons were trained on the construction site.

The Maison des Yvelines has soon become a reference point in the region, for both the local population and institutional actors. The President of Senegal, Macky Sall, who visted the building in March, praised its architecural qualities, as did Mariline Diara, Director of the Environnement et des Etablissements Classés du Sénégal, who declared during its inauguration that the national deployment of of the NV concept would, over several years, produce significant results in improved access to better housing, involving major economic, environmental, and health benefits.

The President of the Conseil Départemental de Matam, Amadou Djibril Diallo, expressed his intention to encourage and accentuate all modern construction techniques and to build the future Town Hall of the Department of Matam using the NV technique. This new project is now in its early phase. Its execution, accompanied by the NV Fouta team, is yet another example of the progressive integration of the NV concept into local public policies. This construction site will also involve the recruitment and training of local NV masons, who will be essential actors in the development of a home-grown market for adapted housing.

• Seethe Green Solutions Awards video about the Maison des Yvelines
• More information about the NV Fouta project

Galerie Photo