The one that hurts
We are doing our best to manage our disappointment after our proposal for a school complex (a collaboration with Atelier Hart Berteloot) in the Union eco-district in Tourcoing (Lille) was excluded from the competition. During the site visit, we were excited to see that the existing building’s concrete structure, dating from the 1970s, was designed with a high degree of flexibility. This flexibility would have allowed the new primary and elementary school program to be seamlessly integrated into the existing structure; a perfect fit for the project’s circular requirements.
However, despite circularity being central to the project’s goals, it was administratively decided that the demolition of the existing building could not be questioned, ruling out the preservation approach we had championed. As a result, our proposal was not considered for the competition.
This raises a critical issue in architecture competitions: ambitions for reuse often decrease the chances of success rather than being rewarded. We reflect on this experience with mixed feelings, recognizing that awareness of the value of reuse still has much room to grow. Nevertheless, we are grateful to Atelier Hart Berteloot for the wonderful collaboration.
