Lyon: the Charial transit center is being rejuvenated
the transit centerby Sharial in the 3e district of Lyons is undergoing a facelift. This old building dating from the 1930s originally belonged to a religious congregation.
“Since 2013, the Refugee Forum was a tenant of the place. In 2017, the congregation wished to resell this property, nevertheless it wanted the Forum to continue to benefit from this building. Greater Lyon Housing therefore acquired in 2019″contextualize Florence Sebertresponsible for the renovation operation for GHL.
A €4 million operation
During the inventory, the public body realized that the building was dilapidated, that the rooms intended for asylum seekers were separated and the sanitary spaces very badly used. Based on this observation, the decision to renovate the building was taken.
In collaboration with the Refugee Forum who wanted the number of places for asylum seekers to remain the same, Greater Lyon Housing has been carrying out this major renovation since January 2022.
Delivery of the site is scheduled for the third quarter of 2023. In total, this operation amounts to just over €4 million. It is funded in part by the statethe City of Lyon and the Metropolis of Lyon.
Significant work operations
The main objective of this project is to restore a comfortable place to live for the refugees who pass through this centre. To do this, it was first necessary to remove asbestos and heal the entire structure.
“This phase lasted about three months,” comment Antoine Bernadalarchitect in charge of the project. Currently, companies are working on raising the roof. “We raise the level of the attic by about two meters”, explains the architect. The facade is being renovated and the exterior wood furnishings have also been changed.
The old rooms will benefit from new facilities. “We are going to build 44 bedroomswhich will each have a kitchenette and one bathroom. They will communicate in order to facilitate family reunification.details Florence Sebert. “The doors could also be electronically locked to remain individual”adds Antoine Bernadal.
These homes of 13 a 25 m² to accommodate a hundred people in total. Two rooms accessible to people with reduced mobility are also taken on the ground floor.
750 m² of living space
In this new space, architects have thought about the establishment of many common parts. Garbage room, stroller room, linen room, reception desk and kitchen for Forum Réfugiés employees will fit into the middle of the building’s 750 m² of living space.
In this building, the remains of a Chapel are still visible. The choice was made to keep some of the stained glass windows of the building.