An inhabited garden at IUGA: students take up the challenge of reuse

Workshop Sustainable development, School life, Training
Two weeks, forty students from civil engineering (PhITEM) and architecture (ENSAG), one challenge: to build a convivial, functional space in the garden of the Institut d'Urbanisme et de Géographie Alpine (IUGA) using only reused materials.
The 17th edition of the intensive educational construction workshop, organized by teachers from UFR PhITEM and ENSAG - UGA, with the support of the Ecological Transformation Department ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes, was a resounding success.

Imagining tomorrow's world 

After the industrial era of overconsumption, at a time when raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce and energy crises are on the rise: how do we build the world of tomorrow? This is the question that the intensive interdisciplinary workshop, led each year by Yannick Sieffert, a teacher-researcher in civil engineering at UGA, invites us to ponder. In 2025, it brought together some forty students from the Master Génie Civil UFR PhITEM and theÉcole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble (ENSAG - UGA).


 
Warehoused equipment   On-site equipment

A full-scale testing ground

This year, IUGA, a component ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes , was the winner of the call for projects launched by the TREC Directorate. Located south of Grenoble, IUGA hosted the worksite from September 8 to 22, 2025. The IUGA buildings, which are largely glazed, are subject to intense heat from May onwards. The interior courtyard, which is very mineral in nature, is not very cool, and the adjoining garden, although pleasant for breaks, is still very exposed to the sun. The challenge was therefore to transform this space into a real living garden, rejuvenating and adapted to the needs of students, teachers and staff.

Working students

Two intensive weeks to design and build

The workshop took place in two stages.

  • A first week of design: site analysis, definition of needs with users, sketches and plans. The expectations were varied: more greenery, a place to rest, or a sheltered convivial space. The proposals were presented to a jury comprising representatives from IUGA, TREC management, ENSAG and UFR PhITEM.

  • A second week of construction: time for action. In just a few days, the students cut, assembled and built with the reused materials collected, ready for the inauguration on September 22.

Students on site  Student sanding

A collaborative, sustainable training site

Beyond the technical challenge, this workshop enabled students to cross-fertilize their engineering and architectural skills, while raising their awareness of the challenges of ecological transformation. The materials, derived exclusively from reuse, were collected thanks to the support of local partners: the technical services of La Tronche and Grenoble, the 3SR laboratory and the Botanique sign.
Thanks to their creativity, sense of innovation and collective commitment, the students have transformed this garden into a living, convivial and sustainable space. A concrete demonstration that it is possible to build differently, reconciling sobriety, cooperation and a desire for the future.

Student with a hammer   Two students with a saw
Published September 30, 2025
Updated October 2, 2025