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French crafts in focus: Traditional dry-stone walling
Sébastien Heurtevent is leading a resurgence as an artisan murailler de pierres sèches in Haute-Garonne
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France’s historic upturned boat houses offer clue to Dickens mystery
On France’s north coast lies a cluster of upside-down boats converted into dwellings. Could they explain a confusing quirk in the classic tale of David Copperfield?
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French building industry taps into the power of hemp
Innovative hemp-based materials are making a comeback in France, offering enhanced insulation and lower carbon emissions
Owners lose out in erosion battle
Owners of flats in the erosion-threatened Signal building on the Atlantic coast have lost a long-running court battle to be compensated for their properties being declared uninhabitable due to the danger of collapse.

Although only a few of the 75 owners lived year round in the block at Soulac-sur-Mer (Gironde), all were ordered out by the prefecture in 2014 after heavy seas eroded the 200m of land protecting them from the ocean. Built in 1967, the block is now just a few metres above the waves.
The owners had demanded compensation but the top court of law, the Conseil d’Etat, ruled compensation was only due if there was immediate danger – and that did not apply with coastal erosion. The government has said it is in talks with the owners on a partial payment.