Ecoparc Forum 2019

The observation of our built heritage shows that it is renewed in relatively slow cycles. Its transformation often requires complex interventions that consume significant environmental and financial resources. On the contrary, our society is characterized by socio-cultural evolutions that are increasingly rapid and unpredictable. This phenomenon manifests itself both in the area of housing - in particular due to the break-up of the traditional family unit and the reduction in the size of households - and in that of activities marked by the acceleration of socio-economic trends and other technological changes.

Faced with this dual reality, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers involved in the built environment are looking for new paradigms to respond in a sustainable way to the changing needs of our society in transition. It appears that the new buildings should be all at once more scalable, more flexible, and more efficient. In this context, modular architecture offers a promising prospect, insofar as it incorporates the notions of adaptability, sustainability, and architectural quality right from the first steps of the design process.

A profusion of innovative approaches characterizes this field, combining notably the principles of thinking in systems, the methods of integrated design, the digital techniques of prefabrication, and the increased use of local resources. The result is the emergence of new types of construction, which combine modularity, sustainability, and architectural quality.

Throughout the day, architects, urban planners, engineers, and sociologists shared their research and experiences to lead participants to identify the issues and challenges inherent in this type of approach from a perspective of transitions towards sustainability.