Rennes hides timber framings to preserve its historic houses

• In the historic center of Rennes, a major building renovation plan was started ten years ago.

• Some residents are surprised that the renovated buildings lose their exposed wooden facades.

• Acting on the orders of the architect of the buildings of France, the metropolis explains that these timber framings are often structural and not designed to be exposed to the external elements.

They can be red, brown, yellow, blue, sometimes green and even white.

The colored wooden beams that adorn the facades of the historic center of Rennes have long been part of the postcard of the Breton capital.

Largely devastated by the immense fire of 1720, these buildings, dating for the most part from the Middle Ages, retain a special place in the hearts of the people of Rennes, as in those of the inhabitants of Vannes, Dinan or Quimper, who enjoy the same inheritance.

Suffering from their great age, these half-timbered facades are the subject of special monitoring in Rennes, where a third major safeguard plan has just been adopted.

Largely subsidized, but paid for by the owners, these careful renovations sometimes raise questions.

The main one: why remove the half-timbering?

asked the question to a specialist in this renovation.

In a tweet illustrated with two photos, an Internet user is moved to note that Rennes hides its timber framings under plaster.

“It completely distorts these houses, which lose all their interest.

And that spoils all the charm of the old center.

We would shave them to make something new, it would be the same, ”he criticizes.

This choice, however, owes nothing to chance.

“There are a lot of wood sections that you shouldn't see, which aren't decorative, but structural.

These, we cover them with coating to protect them, as requested by the architect of the buildings of France ”, assures Mélanie Barchino, who manages the old center site for the public company Territoires.

There are few decorative timber framings

When they are not decorative, the wooden sides are used to hold the building upright and constitute its structure.

They should not be left out in the open, otherwise they will be eaten away by the rain (some say this happens in Brittany), the wind and the sun.

Damaged, they weaken the entire structure of the building… And of its neighbours.

“Decorative half-timbering is actually quite rare.

We keep them all,” notes Mélanie Barchino.

With the continuation of the ten-year renovation plan, should we expect to see less and less?

“Yes, it is likely.

The census continues on a case-by-case basis,” replies the specialist.

In particular, the timber framing has disappeared from the corner of the Saint-Michel block, victim of a fire in 2010. During the renovation of the building at the corner of rue de la Soif, the beams were covered,

suggesting a bias of architects to erase this heritage.

The reason was elsewhere.

To coat the facades and protect the beams, craftsmen today use lime plasters, capable of letting the structure breathe.

A paying choice that has not always been made in the past.

"We sometimes have cement coatings which have weakened the buildings", suffocating the interior materials.

Unattractive, these are gradually broken down to be completely renewed and covered with lime.

This mineral material also has the advantage of offering good thermal capacities.

Praised as a complement to hemp for good insulation, its fine grain will be increasingly visible in the historic center of Rennes.

Now you will know why.

Company

In Rennes Métropole, a balcony, terrace or loggia is compulsory in all accommodation

reindeer

Rennes: “It will take us twenty years”… The rescue of the old center is far from over

• Company

• reindeer

• Brittany

• Inheritance

• Accommodation

• Immovable