The research project Material Transition: Learning from Grand Paris, led by architect Christina Eickmeier, co-founder of CHRITH architects, and landscape architect, researcher, and architect in training Emma Diehl, is an extensive exploration of building practices using biobased and geobased materials across the Paris region.
France, particularly Paris, is currently at the forefront of ‘biobased building’ in Europe. As the host city of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Paris is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In the building sector there is a concerted effort to transition to low-carbon materials, which includes – in addition to an ‘end of demolition policy’ – the promotion of plant-based materials such as timber, straw, and hemp, as well as minimally processed mineral-based materials like raw earth and natural stone. Public buildings are a catalyst in this effort: the use of biobased and geobased and other low-carbon materials is stimulated for all public buildings, both on a national level as well as in Paris. Special subsidies have been introduced by the city of Paris that focus on the combination of social housing and the use of biobased materials. With the implementation of national regulations on embodied carbon, low-carbon and carbon-storing materials are receiving an additional push.
These are just a few examples of policies and incentives that have been introduced to support this transition of building practice.
