In Montegnet (province of Namur), architect Éric Furnémont is experimenting with a form of housing that places great emphasis on ecology and social values. This ‘solidarity-based housing’, as he calls it, is a genuine social project. Relationships with others, the sharing of knowledge and mutual support are central to this initiative.

Éric Furnémont is deeply attached to the Montegnet area; he has been active here for almost thirty years. Together with his partner Émeline Curien, a lecturer and researcher at the ‘Laboratoire d’histoire de l’architecture contemporaine’ (LHAC) at the Nancy School of Architecture, he has chosen a rural lifestyle. The couple constantly question their needs. Building their own home, tending the vegetable garden, maintaining the orchard or chopping firewood: these are daily activities that remind them of their connection to Mother Earth. They also question the necessity of contemporary construction. From their home, they observe the current health crisis and the accompanying economic crisis. They had already chosen a gentler way of life, far removed from the clamour of the city.