Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world.

Nelson Mandela, Statesman, President (1918 – 2013)

For the Mengeot & Associés agency, the concept is to design wooden modules that can be dismantled and adapted to needs and emergencies. They are intended for emergency accommodation following a cataclysm, for a dispensary, a school….

These modules are composed of panels allowing assembly / disassembly by local populations. These panels, built in France, are made of wood from sustainably managed forests. The buildings are also equipped with photovoltaic panels giving them energy autonomy.

This first achievement, a school with 8 classrooms, with accommodation for teachers and a study room, is already underway in Uganda.

This humanitarian commitment through its involvement in the project in partnership with the NGO UGL and Bakalu Power, is possible thanks to its exhaustive expertise. To its technical skills and its experience in the design of medical-social buildings, it is added its know-how in the field of sustainable development. Faced with the many requests, this achievement marks the first part of a long series.

Buildings designed to be adapted to multiple climatic environments.

The wooden modules are designed to provide perfect protection against solar overheating: roof overhangs, sun screens, over-roofs created by photovoltaic panels. They are also designed to combat the very high humidity (factory-treated wood) in this geographic area. The ease of use has been particularly designed to allow good natural lighting: large windows, without glare and good distribution in the room. Different usage of light is provided by the sun screens.

A very advanced sustainable development approach

The Mengeot & Associés agency wanted to inject its humanist vision into this project. The one it applies in the design of Medical-social buildings. With this objective, the sustainable approach is taken into account for the design of the buildings but also for the social aspect.

Thus, sustainable development for the building is reflected in:

• Adapting the building to its environment, without resorting to active equipment such as air conditioning.
• The choice of recyclable construction materials, from sustainable sectors and adapted to climatic conditions.
• The search for building energy autonomy through photovoltaic panels.

Other ecological themes are studied around this achievement:

• Adaptation to the site and in particular the possibility of returning it unchanged after dismantling the buildings.
• The treatment of effluents which are then used as fertilizers, are as many ecological themes studied around this achievement.

The social dimension of the project is also reflected in an educational approach, in close relation with a local association which will supervise the assembly of buildings by the inhabitants. hey will be trained from a United Greenliving partner in order to develop their autonomy and skills.