Established in 1954, ANAIS Fondation, aims to support vulnerable people or people with disabilities throughout their lives. Achieving charitable status in 2007, it now comprises over 100 specialised social centres across over 14 departments in northern France, all ensuring, first and foremost, that they offer support to those who need it.

ANAIS is involved both with employment protection for disabled people through specialised centres, and with setting up institutions for children who are unable to follow a standard school curriculum. It also manages several accommodation centres for dependent older people and supports the day-to-day activities of older people who are dependent or in need of some assistance.

ANAIS recently purchased the premises of a rehabilitation centre in Ferté-Macé (61), with a view to redeveloping it into a specialised care home, known as an MAS.

MAS-type care homes are more focused towards medical care and therapy and are suitable for adults with a serious mental, physical or somatic disability. Unlike day centres, a M.A.S provides permanent or temporary accommodation combined with constant medical supervision.

ANAIS led the project to bring the building up to standard and make it suitable for its new purpose, commissioning Arbane, an architectural firm in Le Havre (76), to carry out the redevelopment of the 4667 m² original building.

Being no stranger to projects in the healthcare sector, the Normandy-based architectural company had previously redeveloped a home’s clinic in Nogent-Le-Rotrou (28) and built a care home in Fleury-les-Aubrais (45). To cover all the areas of construction while also ensuring a quality service was provided, Arbane selected building companies and craftsmen based on their proposals to deal with the project’s constraints, as set out by their client.

This type of specialised home must be designed to be accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities: physical disabilities and motor impairments, and congenital or accidental. It must be designed to facilitate patients’ stimulation or rehabilitation, working towards daily benchmarks. The materials used, particularly in corridors, must be able to withstand impact, wear and tear, as most patients move around in wheelchairs or on hospital beds. They must also comply with the safety requirements necessary for public buildings (E.RP.).

So for the internal woodwork, Arbane decided to put their trust in Menuiserie Louise. As a local business in the Orne department, based in La Coulonge, Menuiserie Louise can boast over six generations of expertise and craftsmanship. As well as the experience passed down from generation to generation since 1849, Menuiserie Louise has learned to adapt to the demands of modern building sites by meeting the standards for reliability and competence set out in the French QUALIBAT certification and RGE qualification.

When it came to selecting materials for decorating and protecting corridors, the decision to take advantage of the benefits offered by the Acrovyn® range was unanimous.

ANAIS firmly believed in the importance of safeguarding the premises with impact-protection sections and wall coverings, and acknowledged its preference for the robustness of the Acrovyn® brand when drafting its specifications. It had been tried and tested on redevelopment projects carried out in its other centres.

As far as decoration was concerned, it was the wide range of colours offered in the Acrovyn® colour chart that persuaded the team running the project. The colours coordinate beautifully, and the contrasts available in the range help to distinguish and delineate the different areas of the building. The way that colours can be matched across different types of protective panels was also visually a significant plus point for the architectural company.

As well as the sanitary aspect that is essential in a healthcare environment, and the standards necessary due to the public nature of the building, this type of home also needs a strong design and finishes that can withstand wall damage.

Considering the heavy-duty use anticipated, marks, bumps and dents on the walls and doors had to be pre-empted with the use of robust wall sections. To counter the problem, a variety of panels were factored into the project specifications. These trims were delivered made-to-measure and pre-assembled, ready to be fitted by Menuiserie Louise.

For the building to comply with standards for public buildings, handrails were installed along corridors. With the building’s medical function in mind, the architect insisted on the Bio Form 40 handrail. This product is the only handrail on the market with an anti-bacterial feature. This unique treatment makes it able to kill the most dangerous and common strains of bacteria found in a hospital environment. Combined with its fire-resistant classification (B-S2-d0 – non-combustible), this feature makes the Bio Form 40 perfect for this job.

As well as the handrails, Aqua Lign 203 crashrails were installed along the lower sections of the walls. They serve to protect painted walls from scrapes caused by heavy loads being moved around on a daily basis (beds, food trolleys, laundry carts, cleaning equipment etc.). Their integrated full-length cushioning is perfectly suited to this type of heavy-duty use. Aqua Vario corner guards and protective door plates were also fitted, completing the building’s finishing touches. Delivery of the restructured structure took place on 27 September 2019. This rehabilitation in 14 months was carried out and monitored by the IMOBATE agency in Hérouvillette (14). Residents were able to move into the premises at the beginning of December 2019.