One programme, four sites
Four buildings, three towns, one coherent programme. Across Ham, Chaulnes and Nesles, SWD Architecture is simultaneously leading the energy retrofit of 84 homes in the Somme region. At €1.6M, this project goes beyond technical rehabilitation — it is an urban intervention at the scale of a territory.

Energy as a starting point
At the heart of the project lies thermal performance. External wall insulation, full window replacement, thermal bridge treatment, roof insulation — each building's envelope is rethought to durably reduce energy consumption for its residents. A concrete response to the climate emergency, at the scale of everyday housing.

A renewed façade identity
Energy retrofit is not architecturally neutral. It is an opportunity to recompose façades, work with colours, materials and proportions. On each site, a coherent palette was defined — lime render, terracotta brick, off-white joinery — to give each building a dignified presence in its environment.

The heritage discipline
One of the sites, on Rue Salvador Allende in Ham, falls within a protected heritage zone under the supervision of the Architectes des Bâtiments de France. With no external insulation permitted on the main façades, the project relies entirely on precision of detail: windows faithful to original proportions, dark green timber entrance door, zinc gutters. Heritage constraints become a formal discipline that sharpens the design.

The architecture of coordination
Four planning applications, four municipalities, four simultaneous construction sites — each with its own stakeholders, technical constraints and deadlines. The value of this project lies as much in its coordination as in its architectural choices. This is precisely what SWD Architecture stands for: a rigorous, committed practice that finds its relevance in the landmark project and the everyday one alike.