the construction of tomorrow - the matrix of living together

Philosophers have only interpreted the world in different ways; now it is a matter of transforming it." Karl Marx

It would be an understatement to say that the construction industry does not enjoy a very positive reputation. Certainly, some civil engineering works attract attention for their exceptional nature. However, current production is constantly being criticized for both the quality of its execution and the cost of its acquisition.

This observation is not just a mood inherent to a profession that has never gone beyond a so-called vernacular organization. It goes much deeper, since it also concerns access to housing, which is still far from meeting collective needs. Yet what is most surprising is the recurrence of this state of affairs. Reports on the situation are full of information, but no structural changes have been made. The sector's productivity remains as decried as ever, in spite of accompanying incentive measures that are proving ineffective.

In the French context, the public authorities have pursued a succession of unsuccessful policies, each of which has been called into question. The prefabrication of multi-family housing gave way to individual construction, itself criticized for its sprawling nature and destruction of the natural environment. The call for private-sector initiative was no more successful. In fact, a certain inevitability seems to accompany this economic sector, which is essential to the country's activity, since it is the leading contributor to national GDP.

However, the pandemic we are currently experiencing may offer the conditions for a new perspective on this issue.

If you think about it, this problem has never been tackled from a substantive point of view, but has always been dealt with from a technical point of view. To be even more explicit, it has never been considered from a societal point of view. The urban question was indeed raised in the 70s, but never received any real attention, since it was confined to a political quarrel of little weight in view of the inertia of this industrial sector. With the current health crisis, the terms of the debate are once again topical, since the very nature of the urban environment is being called into question. The discussion is no longer simply a technical problem of productivity, but concerns the nature of the built object itself.

The current health crisis is calling into question the very purpose of this economic sector. Building, of course, but for what purpose? This formulation is not neutral, as it raises two issues:

• redefine the sector's contribution to the evolution of our lifestyles and collective organization;

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