TheENSA Normandie establishment projectENSA Normandie the nature of an architecture school located in Normandy and its relationship with the world that this region opens up to it.
"Working together with the region
Responding to situations of risk and precariousness
The Normandy National School of Architecture (ENSA Normandie) is the only architecture school in the Normandy academic region.
A key player in Normandy's higher education and research landscape, it is a member of Comue Normandie Université, alongside universities and grandes écoles.ENSA Normandie alsoENSA Normandie in close collaborations with Normandy institutions—local authorities, CAUE, the regional council of the Order of Architects, the Maison de l'Architecture, DRAC, professional sectors, and scientific networks—to contribute its expertise in the construction of high-quality, resilient, and environmentally friendly living spaces for all. The major challenges facing this region include maritime and river risks, industrial and agricultural restructuring, interconnection with Greater Paris, and the revitalization of declining areas.
The Seine axis is particularly affected by these major contemporary issues, with rapid and profound changes in the modes of value production, combined with natural and anthropogenic risks. The Normandy coastline stretching from Le Tréport to Mont-Saint-Michel is receding, forcing towns, villages, and landscapes to reconfigure the human biotope in response to intense pressure from tourism, real estate, and industry (offshore wind farms, fishing ports, nuclear power plants, etc.). The obvious impact of climate change places the Normandy region, and consequentlyENSA Normandie, in a position to experiment with "critical zones," enabling it to develop expertise in the opportunities they offer. Faced with these challenges, the School collaborates with international actors facing similar issues in order to enrich local practices through the exchange of know-how and social experiences.
ENSA Normandie thereforeENSA Normandie its regional roots in the global challenge of adaptation and mitigation and positioning itself within a European and extra-European scientific network to define the levers for action.
"Making the most of local resources
Backing the project with scientific expertise
Architecture, in both its cultural and technical dimensions, makes the world habitable. But as a major consumer of resources, it must reinvent itself in a world of limited resources.
While the history of architecture demonstrates the frequent reuse of materials, the industrial era has produced a single, often polluting, consumption model. Recognizing that a major environmental impact of buildings lies in the extraction of raw materials and their transformation, architecture today must promote reuse, better construction and less construction, in a transcalary and multidisciplinary perspective.
This approach raises questions about the perimeter of resource territories, the preservation of built and living heritage, and the use of materials and implementation know-how.
Drawing on the work of its laboratory, the École has formalized the extension of the notion of resources in architecture to the climate and existing buildings.
ENSA Normandie active within the local GIEC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to contribute to discussions on adapting the living environment to climate change as it occurs in the region. This way of viewing climate—not only as a threat but also as a resource and opportunity for architecture—is reflected in the educational content and research directions.
ENSA Normandie existing buildings as raw material for training architecture students and develops a foundation of scientific knowledge to structure these practices.
"Doing for" experiential education
Creating differentiated student paths
ENSA Normandie a unique teaching approach based on practical experience, placing students "in the field."
Whether we're talking about scale 1 creations, scientific experiments, in situ work with local players, surveys or visits, each approach engages the body and mind in learning.
In an era marked by data saturation and generative artificial intelligence,ENSA Normandie that architectural training should be more experiential than ever before.
The mastery of gestures - from design to construction - is essential to create architecture that is frugal, comfortable and desirable. These are the prerequisites for mastering the discipline, skilfully articulating spatiality, structure and use.
This pedagogy requires a strong ambition, centered on the student as a player in his or her training. The ability to interact, collaborate, manage communication and time are all integrated and assessed skills. International mobility and dual-culture courses (architect-engineer or France-Vietnam) structure the student experience.
ENSA Normandie its investments on high-performance infrastructure to support this teaching approach: workshops, support on full-scale construction sites, organization of trips, and development of a network of professional partners.
"Architecture as part of the living ecosystem
Broadening the scope of architecture
Protecting biodiversity, managing natural resources sustainably, reducing the artificialization of land (ZAN) and the territorial organization between rural and urban areas are becoming major challenges.
Architects' specific skills enable them to design spaces that preserve or restore ecosystems, by integrating natural elements - water, soil, vegetation - into architectural and urban projects. This implies enriching training with knowledge from ecology and environmental engineering, and particularly involving the landscape discipline in project practice.
ENSA Normandie explore in depth the interactions between buildings and their environment.
This approach includes lessons on adapting to local climate, managing urban heat islands, using low-impact materials, ecological corridors, water management and social issues related to the living environment. Through on-site workshops, fieldwork and partnerships with academic and professional experts, students will take into account both the biological dynamics of ecosystems and the social needs of residents.
