Rouens. Lead, friend, dry rot and parasites: part of the Corneille high school evacuated
By Mathieu Normand
Published on
Three years, the Since unfortunate discoveries follow one another on the construction site of restructuring and rehabilitation from Pierre Corneille High School a Rouen (Seine-Maritime). The latest to push, Friday, October 14, 2022, to decide theemergency evacuation of part of the buildings.
A press conference was organized at the headquarters of the Region, in the presence of the principal Patrice Delamare and the vice-president in charge of high schools Bertrand Deniaud, Tuesday, October 18, 2022, to take stock of the situation and on this very important project, the largest in progress in a high school in the Region, on track to accumulate delays and a staggering additional cost.
“It could collapse at any time”
The latest disappointment concerns part three and four of the work, in the Corneille buildings. “We discovered completely new disorders, and perhaps even more serious than before”, explains Fabrice Piedagnel, deputy to the general management of resources for the Region, in charge in particular of buildings.
Over the past fortnight, the filing of plasterboard® has revealed particularly worrying damage, to the point that the technical experts have demonstrated that “we can no longer guarantee the integrity of the building and its load-bearing capacity”. “We only had the center of the structural elements, eaten away by dry rot and parasites, describes Fabrice Piedagnel. These are the fruits of tens, even hundreds of years of disorder in the roof, infiltrations, leaks which have created this type of completely invisible pathology. »
Hence the need to keep the public away. “These are measures that we take urgently, as an immediate security measure, underlines Bertrand Deniaud. It can fall, collapse at any time. It is a question of putting the pupils in the most secure places possible. Scaffolding was erected all around the damaged areas to secure them. “On advance zone by zone. » Watertight and secure worksite areas have been set up to prevent any contact with staff and students. Only certain authorized personnel are involved.
Nearly 60 million euros more
The Joyeux building, the first on which the companies intervened, was plagued by the same types of evils, which proved to be more apparent this time. “The decision was made to redo everything”, saving the heritage elements that can be saved. The report was not more glorious in the audiovisual building thereafter. To the point that only the facades could be preserved. Only the science building, which is more recent, did not pose a problem.
The treatment of pests on the stone of the Happy building is still in progress. Its delivery in part is expected for the start of the 2023 school year. “We are progressing step by step, it is a project that will last a long time yet”, tempers Fabrice Piedagnel. Impossible to be completely sure of the dates for the moment, the objective being above all that everything happens “in the best conditions”, according to Bertrand Deniaud.
All these discoveries, which greatly complicate the rehabilitation work, have greatly increased the bill for the site. “We had 45 million euros in cost at the start and we are more than 100 million today”, indicates Fabrice Piedagnel. The result, he promises, will be “beautiful” and extremely durable.
No interruption of study or service
In addition to the decision to empty the Corneille buildings, there is the decision to no longer use the Documentation and Information Center (CDI) and the teachers’ room, rehabilitated a few years ago, in order to see if the same problems do not arise. not hide under the surface.
In the meantime, the school administration is composing to avoid any disruption of study or service. “There was a lot of reorganization work this weekend,” says Patrice Delamare. The high school relied on partners, in particular the Fontenelle and Barbey-d’Aurevilly colleges to offer to find outdoor spaces for its students in preparatory classes. He also relied on his internship. “We used this place to make it a place of learning in a deeper way. »
The rest of the students are accommodated in three prefabricated buildings set up within the grounds of the school and in the science building. Delivering the Merry Building on schedule might offer some breathing room. “I have already done my accounts: we will be able to accommodate 800 students there”, indicates the headmaster. That is half of the establishment’s workforce.
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