Saida School - Ecological and Participatory Approach in a School Refurbishment

Eco-School Saida Entrance
Area characterisation: 

Scale of the project: object (building, etc.)

Urban density in which the NbS is implemented: high (dense city center, etc.)

Objective: 
  • Develop a school refurbishment in an ecological and participatory approach
  • Contribute to the sustainable development of the well-being of children and educational community

Implementation of an ecological building (low-energy building) favorable for biodiversity, partial impervious pavement release, green spaces and vegetable gardens creation. This project is also notable for children and educational community consultation in its conception, making them as full stakeholders. The design reinforces the ecological networks at the district scale.

The project is combined with other environmental friendly solutions:

  • Renewable energy system (solar panels, etc.)
  • Bio-sourced materials
NbS benefits 
  • Developing climate change adaptation; improving risk management and resilience
  • Reducing temperature at meso or micro scale
  • More energy efficient buildings
  • Improve air quality
  • Increase awareness of NBS solution & their effectiveness and co benefits
  • Increase well-being
Transferability of the result: 

Process enablers:
Governance drivers → cocreation and participation
Knowledge drivers → Information accessibility


Expected time for the NbS to become fully effective after its implementation: short (immediately to few months)

Feedback: still well adapted

Expected life time of the intervention: around 25 years

Project delivered date: 2015

Financing: 

Global (estimated) cost of the project: more than 5M€

Financing mechanism: cluster1 public financing


BUSINESS MODEL:
Business cluster:Social
Business model: Adopt a stewardship role

Business cluster:Technological
Business model: Substitute with renewables and natural processes

NbS classification 
  • Objects shapes (1)
  • On the ground (1)
  • Parks and gardens
  • urban green spaces with specific uses (school playgrounds
  • camp grounds
  • sport fields
  • etc.)
  • Objects shapes (2)
  • On the ground (2)
  • Structures characterized by food and resource production
  • Vegetable gardens
Contacts: 

Alice Duquesnoy (alice.duquesnoy-mitjavila@plante-et-cite.fr)
Olivier Damas
Plante & Cité (https://www.plante-et-cite.fr/)
Maison du Végétal, 26 Rue Jean Dixmeras, 49000 Angers

Further information


Nature4Cities (https://www.nature4cities.eu/) aims to develop a knowledge diffusion around Nature-Based Solution (NbS) and a decision support platform through new collaborative models.

This project is part of the Nature4Cities's pioneer case studies database, it will feed the observatory, NbS pre-selection and replication tools, gathered into the Geocluster4NBS.

This project was chosen as a pioneer case study for the following reasons:

  1. This project has been built by consultation of pupils and the educational community
  2. It is an ecological school (education to gardening, awareness about biodiversity)

Nature4Cities project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 730468.

Urban challenges
Climate issues: 
Climate adaptation
Water management and quality: 
Urban water management and quality
Air quality: 
Air quality locally
Biodiversity and urban space: 
Biodiversity
Urban space development and regeneration
Resource efficiency: 
Food, energy and water
Public health and well-being: 
Quality of life
Health
Environmental justice and social cohesion: 
Environmental justice
Urban planning and governance: 
Urban planning and form
Governance in planning
Key Performance Indicators: