Lionel Gougelot 6:13 a.m., June 30, 2022

In Gommegnies, in this municipality of Avesnois, the mayor is calling on its inhabitants to come and participate in the construction of the new kindergarten.

He invites the inhabitants to come and shape by hand the mud bricks that will be used to build the walls of the school.

In Gommegnies, a small town in Avesnois, in the North, the mayor invites residents to come and shape by hand the mud bricks that will be used to build the walls of a kindergarten.

An employee of the architectural firm in charge of the project, Alexandre has a good command of the technique of manufacturing mud bricks.

"In the mould, you have to press well, pack well in the corners to have nice edges and scrape well on top to have the cleanest possible brick", he explains on Europe 1. 

The bricks will dry in the sun

Composed of clay extracted on the construction site and straw collected in the surroundings, these bricks will then go to dry in the sun.

A construction material designed in short circuit, which seduces Bernard, a volunteer.

"Finally, it may not be 'dumb' to work with what we have under our feet, an available material, rather than going to look for it further", he underlines. 

The objective for the inhabitants and the mayor of the commune Benoit Guiost is to shape 3,500 bricks by the end of July.

"Everyone is invited to come and participate and we advise to register for two days because there is a little time to learn the technique", explains the mayor of the town at the microphone of Europe 1.

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A building that will cost less

Together, they are going to erect the interior partitioning walls of an 860 m2 eco-friendly building without additional heating and therefore more economical in the long term.

"It's a building that will cost less because it will be almost 'passive' with a wooden structure and straw insulation, triple glazing, improved comfort with healthy products and it is also an example for the children who will be able to come manufacture the mud bricks themselves in the days to come", continues Benoit Guiost. 

The school, partly built by the inhabitants, should open at the beginning of 2024.