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Association Quatorze Designing and building with local communities

Country

France
Community Initiative

If a community organization or employer, how was integration achieved?

IIntegration is achieved by focusing on developing the right partnerships for each project (universities, local associations, mediators, local authorities, etc.).

These partnerships make it possible to work together on both the design of the architectural project (light housing, shared gardens, tiny houses) and its construction in participative work camps, with future users as well as volunteers.

What level of the local language do you have?

For its construction projects the association adapts to the community languages, and if needed mobilizes translators.

What supports were provided?

The association conducts participative projects aimed at improving the quality of life, particularly in areas suffering from poor access to essential services. At the moment, three pilot projects are carried out to house refugees.

In 2021, a special training session was aimed entirely at beneficiaries of international protection, with trainees working on the construction of a tiny house. In addition to the wood construction module, they were given professional support by Acina and French courses in wood construction by the Thot school.

 

Do you provide upskilling workshops in your organization or company?

The association has developed LAB14, a manufacturing workshop that hosts training courses in wood and ecological construction. The workshop enables people who have missed out on employment to learn how to use both digital and more traditional manufacturing tools, and to understand the logic behind the production of a built object.

Was any funding used to put into place supports lacking?

It depends on the projects. Some can be partly funded by universities as they take the form of action-research projects.

In addition, the projects are based on the participation of all the members, which means that the collective energy of the participative building sites means that they do not involve the traditional construction costs.

Was enough support given to you by the community organization or employer?

The local roots of these projects mean that they are often supported by local authorities and local stakeholders, that are invited to integrate the project.

If a community organization or employer, how was the integration of refugees successful for you?

First, it is important to take stock of existing integration policies. This involves looking at all the European initiatives promoting the integration of exiles through housing, at regional and local level, but also at the level of individual practices. This comparison of reception and integration situations will make it possible to identify best practices.

This will help in favouring the integration of the refugees in the project as soon as the conception phase starts.

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