In a decree, the European Union recently banned the use of flammable materials on the facades of certain buildings. This new regulation directly threatens the constructions of the Haute-Savoie resort of Avoriaz, whose emblematic facades are covered with wooden tiles.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “Today’s essentials: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
Could the Avoriaz resort soon change its face? Signatures of the architect-builders of the 1960s, these pyramid-shaped buildings, with their cascading roofs and their red cedar tile facades, have earned the station the “Heritage of the 20th century” label.
The Avoriaz ski resort is labeled “Remarkable Contemporary Architecture”.
•
© F3 Alpes
But the Haute-Savoie station risks reviewing its architecture because of an anti-fire decree. After the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, which caused the death of 72 people, the European Union has just legislated to ban the use of flammable materials on the facades of mid-rise buildings.
INTER
“This is the wood that we use on the facade, and this is the product authorized today by the regulations. We see that the color is completely uniform, which is not at all the desired effect in Avoriaz, compares Simon Cloutier, architect. Here, we seek to ensure that aging takes place according to exposure to the sun and bad weather, because wood is a living material. With the other covering, it’s as if we had a bathroom tile effect, with an inert material. It has the property of not catching fire, but that is its only quality.”
Simon Cloutier, architect at the Avoriaz Architecture Workshop, compares the fire-fighting coverings with the wooden ones typical of the resort.
•
© F3 Alpes
These composite materials and this faux wood decor question the architect of the station. In total, 25 buildings out of a hundred are affected by this new uniform European Union regulation.
Simon Cloutier would prefer that the decree provide for specific characteristics depending on the location. “The security argument makes complete sense. But today, we are able to find technical solutions, which allow laboratory tests to be carried out by setting fire to a facade sample to see how it reacts.“, argues the architect.
A mid-rise building in the station, potentially at risk, will therefore play guinea pigs in the laboratory. Professionals intend to preserve local singularities while ensuring the security of the premises.
Related News :