unifying three deserted plots into a central public square and pavilion, french company comac has revitalized the town center with this new social development the main goal for the new proposal was to connect the public square with the center which required demolishing surrounding houses to allow for a direct route through the site the neighboring old barn was also renovated to leave a historical trace by extending the axis of the multipurpose pavilion the area is structured around its functions this continuation of the actual town hall’s square is defined by the entrance of the new pavilion located next to the historic barn.  view showing the entrance to the square and pavilion located only twenty km from marseille in gignac la nerthe the city was heavily urbanized in the late 1960’s alongside the first wave of north african immigration it has been populated by low cost social housing without any consideration for public spaces the old barn was renovated to leave a historical trace in the middle of the city hosting a variety of activities the 70m long building features a children’s area and at the very end a projection screen for screening open air movies as a testimony to the region’s heritage ceramic pattern comes from pieces found on the site the generation of several intimate spaces to help foster social gatherings and activities is at the basis of this project lifting the social policy goals for the citizens of gignac la nerthe designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed A total of 38 communes in the south of France have been recognised as new drought disaster zones after the devastating drought in 2023 The official state of ‘catastrophe naturelle (natural disaster)’ was declared for the communes in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in a ministerial decree dated July 2 This official declaration means that people affected in the communes can now unlock special insurance money to help repair any damage caused Drought in 2023 caused expansion and shrinkage of the ground causing structural damage to many homes and properties The decree mentions: “consecutive land movement caused by drought and rehydration of the ground (mouvements de terrain consécutifs à la sécheresse et à la réhydratation)” It covers damage caused by this in the two-month period between April 1 and June 30 Claimants covered can now declare the loss to their insurance companies up to August 1 Read also: New tool helps homeowners in France assess drought damage risk  A similar decree was declared last year for the same reason, for 62 municipalities. This is now pushing up home insurance premiums, especially in Bouches-du-Rhône, which is now in the top three of the most expensive departments for home insurance costs in France, reports BFMTV The situation looks likely to reoccur this year the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture has placed around 30 communes under a state of drought alert Read also: How do I see if any drought rules are affecting my French home? Read also: 84 areas of south of France declared drought disaster zones: what changes?  The full list of communes affected by the new catastrophe naturelle decree is:  This small department on the German border is home to the historic city of Strasbourg French succession laws can qffect inheritance of property from a step-parent Couple may sue French council over drainage issues in their bargain property