Since the setting up of pre-fabricated timber modules last spring, work on the Maison des Insectes has progressed a lot and will have reached completion by the end of the year. Following the installation of floor heating and ventilation systems, the resin floors have just been laid. All of the architecture-related work has been completed. Only the brise-soleil, outside access ramp for people with reduced mobility and outside revarnishing operations are still underway.

Blending perfectly into the landscape, the Maison des Insectes was designed to host a reception area and flexible exhibition space. Covering approximately 800 m², it will host an area for use by authorities, a reception that is shared with the Office Pour les Insectes et leur Environnement (OPIE), a screening room, an educational activities room, an exhibition space showcasing live insects as well as a breeding room and offices for OPIE employees.

Entrusted to the architecture firm AWP, the design of the Maison des Insectes was inspired by the relations between people and nature, as well as between urban environment and river environment. The Maison des Insectes conjures up the river and maritime environment. Just like the emblematic houseboats on La Galiotte pond, the structure appears to float above the meadow. Placed side by side and piled up, the “small houses” that make up the structure are also a conscious architectural choice. The architects were keen to interpret the characteristic shapes of traditional houses, a type of accommodation present on both banks of the river. Lastly, a lot of timber was used to create the structure. It is worth emphasising that the local area has heavily invested in the development of a green building industry that promotes local know-how.