The project by NZI Architectes, 13 wooden and straw houses for social housing, is located in Nogent-le-Rotrou, a small French town in the Loire Valley Centre region. The residential complex set in a large park in the Gauchetières district is based on the principle of sustainability: the use of wood and straw as building materials allows for lightweight walls that can be lifted and moved easily and for the costruction of large areas in the factory with on-site assembly.

Prefabrication, however, is not the only advantage of straw as an insulating element, since this natural material is sustainable but also healthy, durable and highly efficient. The houses, clad with wooden planks, are arranged in three lots consisting of 4 or 5 houses each – A, B and C, with the first and third ones mirrored, and the central one placed slightly behind the other two. The French studio used a fastening system that includes a cut in the roofs so that the adjacent modules are “anchored” to each other.

The entrances on the north look at Paul Langevin Street and the parking, while the southern facades have private green spaces overlooking the park. The staggered disposition of blocks A and C gives movement to the composition along with the alternating colours of the facades – white, brown and black. In the block C, on the other hand, the dwellings are aligned and the L-shaped plants have a larger surface area.