UFR STAPS: An exemplary renovation project
October 19 was a day of celebration on the Veyrassi campus. Building A, renovated after a year and a half of work, was officially inaugurated. Let's take a look back at this €5 million project, which proved to be exemplary in many ways, starting with the mobilization of UM management and the entire "Stapsian" community.
"Now when students refer to Building A, they say 'thenew building,' which says it all, "says Angèle Chopard, dean of the UFR Staps. "We've had nothing but extremely positive feedback." It must be said that the particularly successful renovation of this building brings a welcome breath of fresh air to this campus, which is home to 2,200 students, more than 70 teachers and Professors around 30 administrative staff. "Whether it's the restructuring of the UFR's activities made possible by this new building, its energy performance, or the strong mobilization of the UM and UFR Staps management teams, this project is exemplary for us on several levels ," summarizes Bernard Maurin, vice president in charge of real estate.
Guided tour
Inaugurated in 1980, Building A, which welcomes visitors as they arrive on campus, now features modern facades adorned with silhouettes of male and female athletes. "On the front, we see a couple of runners, which for us symbolizes equality. On the right and left sides, there is a tennis player and a rugby player, and on the back, there is a wheelchair basketball player to emphasize our commitment to inclusion," explains Angèle Chopard, who came up with this " personal touch."
With a surface area of over 3,000 square meters, this building was constructed on three levels, all of which have been renovated and restructured. The ground floor houses an e-library, the first of its kind at the University of Montpellier, administrative services (registration, logistics, reception), a room reserved for people with disabilities, and a beautiful common room opening onto a small terrace. The 150-seat amphitheater has also been completely renovated. "This amphitheater was notorious for its dilapidated condition and unpleasant odor due to ventilation problems," recalls the dean. Today, it is a magnificent and very pleasant facility."
Quality of life at work
The garden level, located one floor below the ground floor, is largely dedicated to students. It includes: the student office, a study room with three individual cubicles and a relaxation and social area also opening onto an outdoor terrace, a brand new learning lab, and a connected gym withrowing machines, treadmills, skisErg machines, and more. Everything is connected for real-time analysis, training students in the analysis and evaluation of physical activity, technological tools, exercise physiology, etc., " explains Angèle Chopard. Finally, the first floor, reserved for the teaching staff, houses the administration, the academic department, the boardroom, the teachers' offices, and the Santesih research laboratory.
"These new premises bring a new dynamic and greater comfort. We see each other much more often, which generates more interaction and conviviality. We can talk about a real quality of life at work," emphasizes the dean. To ensure everyone can move around easily on these three levels, an elevator and an access ramp have been installed. And there is color everywhere: " orange for the sports training department (ES), pink for the adapted physical activities and health department (APAS), turquoise blue for the education and motor skills department (EM), and midnight blue for the sports management department (MS). And in the staff offices, everyone was also able to choose their own color," says Angèle Chopard, who came up with the idea. The colors were showcased in a dance performance by the students on the day of the inauguration, directed by Frédérique Tison, head of the dance department.
Energy renovation
And this renovation is not limited to cosmetic improvements. The building's energy performance has been completely overhauled, in line with the government's recovery plan, which financed a large part of the work, costing a total of $5 million. External insulation of the entire building envelope, installation of new windows, replacement of the air handling unit with a dual-flow system, replacement of old lighting with LEDs, and finally, accessibility improvements (installation of an internal elevator and an external ramp) and safety upgrades.
The resilience plan unveiled by the government in March 2022 also enabled gas boilers to be replaced by heat pumps, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting dependence on fossil fuels. "This is an operation that had long been identified by the DPI, whose forward-thinking approach should be commended, but which had not been possible to carry out previously due to a lack of necessary funding," emphasizes Bernard Maurin. " We benefited from a windfall effect thanks to these two plans, but above all, we gave ourselves the means to obtain this funding."
An exceptional mobilization
This windfall effect does come with a price. While these government plans represent a real opportunity for public institutions, they also come with significant constraints, particularly in terms of deadlines, with relatively short timeframes. "We had to work very quickly to put together the files and then notify all the construction contractors. There was an exemplary mobilization on the part of the relevant UM departments, including the real estate department (DPI), of course, but also the purchasing and contracts department." The work also had to be completed within short deadlines, yet these stimulus plans, due to their scale, are creating a sharp increase in demand at the national level.
"All companies are being solicited at the same time by state operators, with three effects: shortages of materials and components, price increases exacerbated by inflation, and overloaded contractors who have not all been able to honor their commitments," explains the vice president. What are the consequences for the Staps renovation project? A delay in delivery of several months and an inflated bill of €600,000. "And here again, I would like to highlight the commitment of the University, which was able to finance this increase in costs from its own funds, and the exemplary behavior of the Staps staff and students, who were able to work in poor conditions for over a year."
It was"well worth the wait," exclaims Angèle Chopard! And the campus renovation doesn't stop there: in 2024, a climbing wall will be installed in the Veyrassi university sports center, a key facility whose surroundings will also be secured. The dean also hopes that the Montpellier metropolitan area will move forward with its plan to replace the current rugby and baseball fields with synthetic turf in order to optimize soccer, rugby, and baseball practices thanks to triple marking."Then we will be able to say that our campus is optimal. It will greatly contribute to the quality and influence of our teaching and research, and will enable shared sports activities," continues Angèle Chopard, before letting Bernard Maurin conclude: "We had a good alignment of the planets, but we could not have seized this opportunity without this exceptional mobilization!"