Maison des Solidarités — Langon
Credits
Company / Customer
Designer
Year
2026
Location
Langon (FR)
Disciplines
Architecture
Category
Innovative Material
Award
Best of Best
Details
Not only a central hub for social services, but also an important meeting place: since its completion in 2025, the new Pôle Territorial Sud Gironde social centre in Langon (near Bordeaux) has been offering residents a wide range of services. In addition to a library and a youth centre, the Paris-based architectural practice Abf-Lab has also incorporated advice centres for older people and people with disabilities, as well as services for the protection of mothers and children, into the two-storey new building. The design is based on a radical environmental concept that focuses on bioclimatism, passive systems and the use of natural building materials sourced from France. Using timber, straw bale construction and clay and lime plaster on the walls, the team has succeeded in creating a social facility with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The avoidance of products that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), energy-intensive and petrochemical materials, and non-renewable resources ensures a low carbon footprint. In keeping with the principles of the circular economy, 177 wooden doors and radiators from the former gendarmerie were reused on site.
The Jury‘s Statement
It is truly remarkable how uncompromisingly and unconditionally ABF-LAB placed its trust in the superpowers of regional, organically, and geologically sourced materials. And, as it turned out, they were proved right: the building’s radically ecological design almost entirely eliminates the use of industrial, petroleum-based building materials. Instead, the community centre is built on an innovative timber-earth-straw structure and supported by external walls of carbonised timber, which also make them weather-resistant, while unfired clay and lime plaster inside ensure a natural indoor climate. Even the lift shafts and stairwells, which are usually made of concrete, are constructed entirely of timber, representing a regulatory and technical innovation for public facilities. This combination of bioclimatic design, low-tech materials, and circular construction makes the new building highly energy-efficient. On this scale of more than 2,500 sqm, the French pilot project serves as a model for how materials can be used consistently and in a forward-looking manner on an architectural scale.
