PREUSE project partners meet at the Monastère des Clarisses
For this fifth Steering Committee, all the project partners were welcomed to Roubaix, where one of the project's pilot operations is being developed thanks to the work of La Fabrique des Quartiers. Two days in Roubaix gave us the opportunity to discover and meet the local leaders of circular economy and building materials reuse projects, and to work on the deployment of our activities!
Our first stop was the Monastère des Clarisses, which opened its doors to us for our day's work. The former convent is a 6,500 m2 complex built by Baron Béthune at the end of the 19th century in the Épeule district of Roubaix. Uninhabited since 2008, the building was listed as a historic monument in 2010. The City of Roubaix then wanted to turn the desacralized monastery into a place dedicated to accelerating the area's ecological transition. In 2019, the Saison Zéro project is launched, led by Zerm in collaboration with Yes We Camp. Thermal comfort, reduced energy consumption, reuse of building materials and openness to the public are all issues addressed by this project.
Our meeting and workshop provided an opportunity to review the progress of various activities, including :
- The upcoming publication of the project's first deliverable “A state of the art of the possible business models to set and run public reuse centres". In the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and Portugal 35 reuse centers were identified and documented. 17 were visited over several months by our teams.
- The evolution of Local Actions Plans in the different territories concerned: Wiltz in Luxembourg, La Metropole du Grand Paris in France, the city of Mechelen and Utrecht. The workshop led to the elaboration of several planning scenarios for the implementation of the projects.
- The progress of the three pilot operations supported by the project. All have succeeded in finding a location for their reuse center and in carrying out initial studies for their construction.
- The development of an online documentation center to centralize all available documents on the subject of reusing building materials.
- Announcement of dates for our international symposium in 2026!
Visit the ECI platform and discover the site of the future Roubaix reuse center!
Our second day of work was focused on visits and meetings with local players committed to the reuse of materials, who will be involved in setting up the Roubaix reuse center, one of the three pilot operations of the PREUSE project.
First, we visited the ECI platform and discovered its history, organization and business model. The ECI platform recently signed a negotiation process protocol for the future Roubaix reuse center led by La Fabrique des Quartiers. The center's program focuses on four main areas:
- Industrial hub for reuse & requalification of resources (electricity, HVAC, plumbing, wood, structure, bricks).
- Research & Development hub (hosting & providing material flows for start-ups).
- Sales (building professionals and private individuals).
- Awareness & training center (including a showroom).
At present, the reuse center project has validated several key stages: choice of site - feasibility studies - operation of the center - equipment. It will soon be ready for the operational phase!
This project is being carried out as part of the Roubaix Quartiers Anciens NPNRU program with the Metropole Européenne de Lille and the City of Roubaix, with co-financing from the ANRU, the French government under the “Fonds vert – France nation verte” and the European Union under the “Interreg NWE Program”.