Complete renovation of a historic military building to create a House of Services

May 2023

Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT)

Comprising 20 communes, the Vesoul conurbation, the capital of Haute-Saône, has a population of 34,000, 15,000 of whom live in the town centre. The town centre is home to a large number of government departments and public services, including a departmental hospital.

The town is also home to the PSA Peugeot-Citroën group’s global logistics centre, which supplies spare parts to all sites in France and Europe and employs nearly 3,000 people.

Served by major roads (RN 57 and RN 19), Vesoul also boasts a number of tourist attractions, including a vibrant, renovated historic town centre. The town boasts extensive green spaces and a vast network of cycle paths.

The site

Known as the Délégation militaire départementale (DMD) (Departmental Military Delegation), this limestone block building dates from the late 18th century, with work completed in 1776. At that time, four squadrons of chasseurs were stationed in Vesoul. From its modest beginnings, the 11th Chasseur Regiment became the finest cavalry quarter or barracks in France.

After the Second World War, the building housed the Haute-Saône departmental military delegation and its recruitment office from the 1950s onwards. In 2018, the building will see the departure of its last occupants: the Intelligence Service (RG), which was housed on the ground floor at the time.

This vast building, with 1,500 m2 of usable floor space on three levels (plus cellars and attic space), was originally set within a 3,000 m² courtyard, most of it asphalted. Located in the heart of the town, this imposing landmark needed to be given a new lease of life.

The project

The elected representatives and partners wanted to carry out an exemplary redevelopment, in terms of sustainable development, in order to create an innovative facility to serve the local population. This project is naturally one of the flagship projects of the Action cœur de ville programme.

Given the enormous potential of the site, the Vesoul conurbation, as part of the Action cœur de ville programme, wanted to make the refurbishment of the DMD and its transformation into a Maison des services a flagship project for urban regeneration.

The DMD was acquired from the State in 2019 for €207,000. The project was the subject of a partnership with the State, the Bourgogne-Franche Comté region and the Conseil départemental. The aim was to precisely define the project as a whole and, in particular, the third-party space.

Located on the ground floor and part of the first floor, this is an entrepreneurial space. It currently houses a Micro-Folie (digital museum), coworking spaces, four meeting rooms, a digital public space and a historical museum.

Levels 1 and 2 are dedicated to the conurbation’s headquarters, with around thirty offices, while the basements are used for archive storage and other purposes.

The building, which was structurally sound and solid, was completely obsolete on the ground floor (R+2), having been disused since the end of the Second World War. No work had been carried out on the other levels for several decades!

Strong choices in terms of works and sustainable development

Lots 1 and 2: landscaping and asbestos removal

The tarmac courtyard has been transformed into an urban park, with the creation of a 40 m diameter wooden landscaped ditch to collect excess rainwater, crossed by a wooden footbridge. In addition, 900 sq. metres of bitumen were removed from a total of 1,350 sq. metres in the courtyard and planted with small fruit trees and grass. In addition, most of the ivy hedge that used to encircle the courtyard (around 150 m) has been retained in order to preserve biodiversity, particularly for poultry, as birds are used to nest there.

Finally, the garages with their asbestos roofs were completely demolished.

Lots 3 and 4: structural work and carpentry/roofing

The contractor has completely refurbished the huge vaulted cellars to make them suitable for archives and storage. The load-bearing walls were preserved as far as possible in order to preserve the building’s centuries-old structure.

In the attic, the original oak beams were retained, and the existing tiles were preserved. The façades have also been treated, restoring the building’s stone walls to their original splendour.

Batch 5: Ironwork

The fire escapes were installed inside the building to preserve the harmony of the façades. Aesthetically pleasing black cast-iron grilles were fitted to the window wells, giving the building a modern appearance that is in keeping with its status as a building steeped in history.

Lots 6 and 7: joinery

The choice of quality was made with the installation of wood-aluminium double-glazed external joinery. More than 150 windows and doors were replaced, while adjustable brise-soleil blinds ensure summer comfort and the right amount of light for everyone.

Inside, wood has been used extensively, particularly in the entrance hall, while the original parquet flooring has been retained on the ground floor (R+1). The staircases and parquet flooring on the ground floor (+2) have been completely recreated in oak, giving the building a certain cachet.

Batch 8: partitions/painting/insulation

As insulation from the outside was outlawed due to the building’s heritage status, rock wool was installed on the inside to a thickness of 20 cm throughout the building. A further 40 cm was laid on the attic floor.

Lots 9 and 10: flooring

The choice was made to lay large, high-quality tiles throughout the ground floor (around 500m²) in order to preserve the building’s majestic character.

Lots 11, 12 and 13: plumbing/heating and boreholes

A water/water heat pump will provide the building with perfect comfort in winter and summer, thanks to geothermal energy. 16 wells 120 m deep have been drilled in the park, making it possible to avoid using gas, which is proving particularly relevant today.

Batch 14: electricity

Very attractive, energy-efficient LED lighting has been installed in each of the rooms. Adjustable according to the wishes of staff and users, they provide ideal, personalised lighting.

In addition, electrical terminals have been installed in the car park for service vehicles and in the bicycle room, to enable users of soft modes of transport to recharge their vehicles.

Batch 15: lift

A lift serves all floors to enable users with reduced mobility to move around the building.

Batch 16: green wall

The installation of a green wall in the entrance hall seemed obvious both from an architectural point of view and in terms of greening the building.

The aims

• To revitalise the town centre as part of the overall Action cœur de ville programme

• Produce an exemplary building as a showcase for the local authority

• To innovate and contribute to the development of Vesoul’s image.

Specific features

• Revitalising the town centre by creating a mixed-use facility that meets the needs of residents, entrepreneurs, elected representatives and employees of the Vesoul urban community

• Giving a new lease of life to an emblematic building and site dear to the hearts of the people of Vesoul

• Setting an example and leading the way in terms of renovation and sustainable development, by achieving the BBC renovation standard and installing geothermal systems

• Planting the outside areas to create an urban park open to all

Sources

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