In Nîmes, the difficult management of Nemausus by Grand Delta Habitat

Patrice Loubon et des locataires du Nemausus. – Mario Joly

At Nemausus in Nîmes, the problems of co-ownership and elevators are recurrent. And it seems that the Grand Delta company is taking its time to resolve them.

In the exhibition room of the NegPos gallery run by Patrice Loubon, a photographer from Nîmes, it is not the time to talk about art. Surrounded by his latest creations, mixed with the particular architecture of the building, the artist is focused on telling the story and evolution of Nemausus. "We are witnessing a downward slide", notes the tenants' representative. By addressing the management described as bad, he attests that this "is not in conformity with Jean Nouvel"'s project.

Created in 1986 by architect Jean Nouvel, Nemausus social housing is a set of two buildings, located a few minutes from Nîmes train station. Since then, residents have faced problems that have become almost habitual. At the end of February and beginning of March, heavy rains (re) began to block the elevators, in particular by flooding the machine room. "The problem has been known for years",insists Patrice Loubon. Indeed, the mobilized residents frequently report the situation to the management company Grand Delta and continue to point the finger at their poor management.

A manager who contradicts himself

Contacted to find out more, Grand Delta indicates that it is well aware of the situation, but that it “had not been the subject of an in-depth study until now”. In October 2021, two representatives of their company accompanied an expert, a technician and two residents to make an assessment and an appraisal. Noting that “the elevator shaft is outside and therefore exposed to bad weather”, the expert carried out a detailed study of the elevator situation.

Compensations deemed ineffective

Due to long delays, often subject to the availability of parts for repair, tenants find themselves faced with long periods without a lift. To deal with this, a shopping delivery initiative was proposed but deemed ineffective by its residents. In addition to being at fixed times, they explain that the problem sometimes lies in the simple daily act of climbing the stairs. When asked about this, particularly if they had proposed other initiatives, Grand Delta did not respond to our request. Finally, from a financial point of view, the management company has exempted, in recent quarters, the costs related to the management and use of the elevator.

Current solutions

In order to avoid “untimely disconnections”, the technician had recommended covering the shim, eliminating 80 % of the failures. However, by being labeled "Remarkable Contemporary Architecture", modifications to the installation must be approved by the City, the Bâtiments de France and the architect Jean Nouvel. While an old modification proposal was reportedly rejected by the authorities in 2021, Grand Delta indicates that the study of the solution project dates back to last May.