Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont

  • Oval Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont with timber brick base, black cladding and deep roof overhang, set in a reclaimed mining landscape.
  • Interior of the Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, with timber ceiling, steel structure, glazed façade and planted experimental greenhouse.
  • Oval timber and steel Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, with dark cladding and glazed façade reflected in a pond, set against wooded slag heaps.
  • Distant view of the oval Environmental Education Center in Parc des Îles, Hénin-Beaumont, set among water basins, planted islands and former slag heaps.
  • Aerial view of the oval Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, a low timber pavilion set by water basins within the Parc des Îles landscape.
  • Detail of the Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, showing staggered timber brick cladding against a blue membrane with vertical fixing lines.
    Detail of timber brick cladding at the Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, showing dry-assembled blocks fixed by exposed steel rods.
    Detail of the Environmental Education Center in Hénin-Beaumont, showing staggered timber brick cladding with ventilated joints echoing industrial masonry.

Project description

Located in the Parc des Îles in Drocourt, the pavilion supports the conversion of a former 45-hectare mining and industrial site. Integrated into the large-scale landscape project designed by Ilex, it adopts an oval form inspired by the sequence of islands and water features that structure the park. Compact and legible, it serves as an educational facility focused on environmental issues, incorporating exhibition areas and an experimental greenhouse. Built using dry construction methods with steel portal frames and a timber structure insulated with straw, its timber brick cladding and black siding reference the site’s industrial legacy.

Project details

  • Address
    1573 boulevard des Freres Leterme, Hénin-Beaumont, Pas-de-Calais
  • Dates
    2010-2013
  • Programme
    Exhibition hall, indoor garden, offices
  • Surface area
    1,035 m2
  • Budget
    4.1 M€
  • Regulatory framework
    RT 2005
  • Energy consumption
    32 kWh/m2/year
  • Labels
    BBC Effinergie, Minergie
  • Notable details
    Greenhouse for thermal purposes, 25 kWp photovoltaic, facades in heat-treated Douglas bricks
  • Selected media
    d'a – octobre 2014

Credits

  • Client
    Communauté d'agglomération Hénin Carvin
  • Lead architect
    Tectoniques (architect)
  • Project management
    Tectoniques Ingénieurs (cost consultant), Ilex (landscape architect), Arborescence (timber structure), Inddigo (MEP engineering, sustainability consultant), Maning (roads and utilities)
  • Photography
    Julien Lanoo

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