In Redon, France, sustainable design sets an example

In response to the paradigms associated with new ways of building, architecture is adapting and, regardless of the country, proposing solutions capable of effectively addressing today’s many challenges - whether environmental or social. In France, Atelier Belenfant Daubas has given shape to the Charlie Chaplin School, an exemplary project that gives pride of place to bio‑based materials and makes use of responsible construction methods - no small feat.

The plan is deceptively simple, yet the requirements are highly specific and the expectations high. It is a sustainable design that is both eco-friendly and in harmony with its surroundings. The building weaves a delicate dialogue between the town of Redon and the surrounding natural landscape. With this in mind, the majestic plane trees, silent witnesses to the passage of time, have been carefully preserved; their silhouettes, inscribed within a natural topography, celebrate the land itself.

The urban façade, conceived as a lively public space, welcomes educational gardens - true sanctuaries for raising children’s awareness of biodiversity - inviting young and old alike to discover the richness of the living world. As for the natural façade, in perfect harmony with the terrain, it opens onto a fully planted courtyard, a haven of coolness and play for the 130 pupils, offering them a space for recreation and breathing room.

The buildings, designed to reduce heat‑island effects, are arranged with gentle restraint, while the vegetated walkway - a link between inside and outside - provides protection from the sun and offers a space for contemplation.

The Charlie Chaplin School embodies a symbiosis between architectural innovation, the preservation of biodiversity, and the use of bio‑based materials. More than a cultural facility, it is a true institution, fully attuned to its natural environment. Forming a welcoming and warm boundary, the urban façade is clad in unfinished Douglas fir with openwork boarding, while the inner façade is covered with wooden shingles. A dialogue between different periods is thus established between the two façades.

To best illustrate this educational tool - where ecology and functionality converge - the architects have turned to a timber structure, earth and lime renders, and timber‑frame walls. The result is a composition that is both sensitive and frugal: a place of learning and of symbiosis.

Materials and textures

In terms of materials, the façades are built using local timber (structure and cladding in rough‑sawn Douglas fir, retaining elements in robinia, and vertical openwork cladding in front of the covered playground, providing both wind protection and visual permeability). This is a deliberate choice on the part of the architects, responding positively to the client’s requirements. But that is not all: with regard to insulation, the decision was made to use bio‑based materials such as hempcrete combined with raw earth. This assembly maintains optimal indoor humidity levels, naturally regulating interior temperatures.

The system is further enhanced by cross walls made of timber framing infilled with adobe blocks, which provide high thermal inertia and contribute to the passive management of the indoor climate. These materials - sourced from renewable resources, infinitely recyclable and requiring minimal processing - contribute to a reduced carbon footprint. The combination of timber, raw earth and hemp forms a passive hygrothermal envelope, ensuring constant comfort while reducing energy consumption. It is a sustainable, reversible solution with a low carbon impact.

Raw earth bricks taken from the site, timber sourced from the region, preserved plane trees, permeable ground, a reduction in heated areas and natural ventilation: all the ingredients are in place for an exceptional project that is both virtuous and unprecedented for the municipality. Buildings of this kind, which rely on short supply chains, should be actively encouraged. In this regard, it is worth noting that COURTS‑CIRCUITS will be the theme of the next ARCHITECT@WORK Lyon, on 10 and 11 June 2026.

All images: © Simon Guesdon