Wooden construction and social exclusion, initiatives in the Walloon region

A look back at the experience of the Julienne Javel Association

Pascale Thys, septembre 2001

Habitat et Participation ASBL

Examples of actions implemented in the Walloon region

More and more architects and individuals are using wood in their constructions. Examples include the youth hostel in Saint-Vith, public buildings such as the forestry counter of the Walloon Region, social housing in Dison, constructions made by Public Centres for Social Action (CPAS), and many private projects, self-built or not, such as, for example, this private individual who used old wooden railway wagons to build a second home in Jalhay. The demand is growing significantly¹.

On the other hand, very few experiences are initiated -mostly still at the project stage- for people facing the problem of exclusion.

The association «  Le 210  » - a reception center for adults in difficulty which takes care of all the problems of the person (accommodation, social aid, medical aid…)- has initiated a pilot project of construction of a house, part of which is made of corded wood², for a family living in precarious conditions. The original project was to build the whole house in corded wood, but it had to be adapted due to some difficulties (especially financial). The Housing Fund for Large Families is supporting the project. The structural work will be carried out by a contractor (finalized for the summer of 2002) and the finishing, in corded wood, will be carried out (2002-2005) by beneficiaries of the 210. Some of them will have previously been on a training course to (re)acquire³ technical know-how at the Julienne Javel association. The building will be a good example of sustainable development: it will be equipped with a rainwater tank and solar panels. The project, in its first draft, is presented as an example by the European pilot project Igloo, for global integration through housing and employment⁴.

The coordination Integrated Pilot Action Camping (APIC) ⁵, based within the asbl GREOA (Groupement de Relance Économique des vallées de l’Ourthe et de l’Amblève) is looking for alternative housing project leaders among the population of campsites and residential parks. One idea would be to get the communes to equip a piece of land that would be made available for development with alternative habitats, particularly in wood. However, this project is fraught with difficulties: « innovative experiments » are not popular with the inhabitants of campsites and residential parks, who, moreover, have no guarantee of financial incentives ⁶ (some have invested in their habitat and do not wish to lose everything). The public authorities, whose objective is not to make the residents of campsites and residential parks even more precarious, are waiting to gather as much information as possible about the projects in progress before taking a position.

A charter has been signed by the municipalities of the Ourthe-Amblève region in order to freeze entries to campsites and parks, but the means have yet to follow.

Apic is also interested in other concepts such as :

• La Maison nénuphar, from the company Isographic - Goffontaine, is a self-assembly wood-frame house made of polygons (8-10-12 faces) of more or less 100m2 on one floor⁷ ;

• The Unihome concept (custom construction) from the company Degotte. Unihome is a product of the Expanda range, prefabricated units for schools (classrooms), companies (offices) and homes (rooms). For the firm it is «  a super economical project that allows to house a family with 1 or 2 children for a quarter of the price of a construction  ».

We can also mention the makeshift shelters scattered in the woods⁸ or some caravan owners in the residential establishments (campsites and residential parks) who have extended their space by building wooden annexes⁹.

On the initiative of the Province of Luxembourg, Valbois Ressources Naturelles manages a project for the construction of a housing estate for the elderly, a compromise between the individual house that has become unsuitable and the classic retirement home. A dozen communes have responded to the call. The houses will meet the standards of construction for the elderly and the different urban planning rules of the municipalities (for example, some require two-story buildings). Shortly afterwards, a social economy enterprise should be created¹⁰. It would compensate for the tasks not taken into account by the communes (e.g. meals on wheels, garden maintenance). This will allow the inhabitants to live in another structure than the traditional ones with many advantages.

On a private level, a few companies offer self-build wooden houses. Like the Biospeedhome kit, for example, which takes a team of a dozen volunteers three days to assemble. Their flyer reminds us that unemployed people are not allowed to be part of the volunteer team.

Indirectly, woodworking is also used for socio-professional integration.

The Apides work training company offers training in carpentry and cabinet making for people who are excluded from the world of work. In addition to the technical training, the company offers training in citizenship, business life and refresher courses.

Elements to be reproduced from the approach of the Julienne Javel association

The advantages of wood in housing are well known. For example, wood-frame construction allows for savings because it is prefabricated in the workshop, requires fewer foundations and less finishing work, and can be assembled quickly. You can discover the many advantages of wood and get rid of erroneous prejudices by visiting the websites of wood associations and professionals. The Minister of Land Management, Urbanism and Environment also promotes this material: {"~resolutely modern, this natural material is (...) one of the greatest assets of Wallonia. Important sector of our economy, wood is also the symbol of a Wallonia turned towards the future and the respect of the environment. Used in construction, it allows, by its level of insulation, to offer a healthy, comfortable and environmentally friendly home~"¹¹.

The Walloon forest covers 500,000 hectares of which 50 belong to the Walloon Region, 200 to the CPAS and the other 50% to private individuals¹².

The Region, for some years, supports and promotes the wood sector in Wallonia through competitions for architects and contractors, the « Bois et Habitat » exhibition, various publications, the « Habitat-bois » competition, discovery days, training courses… Regulatory texts refer to this:

• The commentary of articles 198 and 199 of the Housing Code, concerning the specific provisions for housing promotion associations, envisages the granting of subsidies to non-profit associations developing new housing construction techniques ;

• At the level of rural development, there are subsidies aimed at developing and promoting opportunities that are still very weak, such as wooden housing.

In some cases, wooden housing can come to the rescue of disaster-stricken populations. As, for example, during the floods in Picardy (France) in April-May 2001 ¹³, where wooden houses « with all comforts » were installed by municipalities on land to accommodate the disaster victims ¹⁴.

Proposals could be made in terms of finding alternative housing for permanent residents in campsites and residential parks in the Province of Namur. Indeed, the Province has created a fund of 100 million to support local projects. In the same register, the experience of the «  starting premium  » in Estinnes¹⁵ could also be adapted for the construction of wooden housing.

Everything remains to be built in the field of wooden housing for the disadvantaged.

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