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Day: 31 October 2022

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to build a new eco school

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/10/2022

A new 3,000m2 green school for pre-school and primary school children is to be built in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Currently in the planning stage, it is expected to be in operation by 2025. 

Boasting features such as natural lighting, solar panels, and a design that will make the space cooler and comfortable even in the hottest weather, the school will be constructed on the site of a former air base and will be part of a new eco-friendly neighbourhood that will spring up around it. 

The new site, created by the Icade & Emerige group, will see shops, housing and offices form a eco-focused quartier, with the school, which has been imagined by Nice-based architectural firm Comte & Vollenweider in association with the Atelier Stéphane Fernandez, as the cornerstone.  

The entire bill for the school is estimated to be in the range of €7,500,000, and the hope is that the school will be open for business by 2025. It will house 420 children from kindergarten through to primary, and will replace the aging La Plage school.  

This energy efficient model is meant to “optimise the glazed surfaces in order to benefit as much as possible from natural light,” Emmanuelle Delahaye, the General Director of Technical Services (DST) of Roquebrune-Cap Martin, said to Nice Matin, thus cutting down on electricity usage.

“There will also be an air handling unit with a double-flow system,” added Delahaye. “This allows night cooling in the evening and natural ventilation of the premises.”  

225m2 of photovoltaic panels will be positioned on the roof to produce 45kWh of energy to be used on site. As for the lighting, it will be LED with automatic graduation, varying according to the outside light. The structure will be a mix of bio-sourced materials and concrete, allowing the site to obtain the carbon energy label awarded to buildings with low carbon footprints and good energy efficiency.

There will also be a massive 824m2 outdoor play area, of which 500m2 will remain wild and natural. Another 1092m2 of courtyard space within the school will be dedicated to play.  

 

 

Photo source: Comte & Vollenweider

New record set at Nice-Cannes Marathon

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/10/2022

A new women’s record was set by Ethiopian Zenebu Fikadu this Sunday at the 14th Nice-Cannes Marathon, blowing the old one away by more than two minutes.  

With over 10,000 participants, the Nice-Cannes Marathon is one of the biggest, most exciting running race events in the Alpes-Maritimes. This year saw the added bonus of a new women’s record being set by Zenebu Fikadu, who crossed the finish line in an astounding two hours, 28 minutes and 13 seconds, beating the old record of two hours, 30 minutes and 37 seconds.  

The men’s race was a nailbiter, seeing a three-way contest between John Langat, Vincent Rono and Japhet Kosgei for much of the race. With only two kilometres to go, Langat took control, finishing the race in two hours, ten minutes and 25 seconds. Sébastien Lhuissier won first place in the disabled category, with a time of three hours 29 minutes. 

The race brings together athletes from all over the world every year.  

“It’s the biggest international marathon behind Paris,” says Pascal Thiriot, the marathon’s organiser. “We have almost 30% foreigner runners and 66 nations represented.” 

Lucas Gehin, who was the first French runner to cross the line, came in 6th place with a time of two hours 30 minutes and six seconds. For women, it was Anne-Louise Lorenzo from Nice who finished with a time of three hours, 20 minutes and 14 seconds. 

 

Photo source: Nice-Cannes Marathon

Verstappen makes history in Mexico, Leclerc falls further back

by: Luke Entwistle
31/10/2022

Max Verstappen won his 14th race of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday to beat Michael Schumacher’s record in a tactical battle that never reached its climax.

Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, only managed sixth with Mercedes consistently quicker than the Ferrari over the course of the race weekend. The result relegates Leclerc to third in the drivers’ standings, behind Sergio Perez, who made the podium at his home Grand Prix. 

The victory rarely looked in doubt for Verstappen, who was on a different strategy to the two Mercedes hunting the Red Bull to no avail. Starting on pole position, Verstappen held his lead off the line, leaving Hamilton and George Russell to scrap for second. It was the former who took second, as the latter went wide and was left in the clutches of Perez, who swept up third. 

From there, there was no change toward the top of the field. Each on their own strategy, the race was consequently devoid of on-track action. But the tactical battle that was promised never really materialised either. 

The Mercedes started on the mediums and moved onto the hards in a one-stop strategy, whilst Red Bull started on the softs and moved onto the mediums. It was expected that this was synonymous with a two-stop strategy, but the Red Bull’s impressive tyre management allowed both cars to stay on their sets of mediums until the end of the race. 

Verstappen’s victory, his 14th of the season, sees him beat Schumacher’s record for the number of wins in a single season. With two races remaining, he could move further clear of the seven-time world champion. That is all there is left to play for, with Verstappen already crowned world champion and his team already wrapping up the constructors’ championship. 

Hamilton, who is desperate to register a win this season, could only manage second and Perez wrapped up the podium in third. Russell was fourth, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc, who led a lonely race in sixth. 

“It is just an incredible season for the team. I never thought I’d be able to win 14 races in a year,” said Verstappen.

The only man who looked capable of stopping Verstappen’s feat, Ferrari’s Leclerc, reflected on a tough weekend. “[We were] too quick for the midfielders, but too slow for the frontrunners. We were just too far off and we have to understand why so that we can work on being more consistent,” said the Monégasque.

The grid next heads to Brazil in two weeks’ time before the finale in Abu Dhabi a week later.

 

Photo by Scuderia Ferrari