The association
Our missions :
Enable people of all ages to become more independent through adapted & accessible DIY workshops.
- encourage the appropriation of technical know-how by “doing with” rather than “doing for”
- boost participants’ self-esteem by proposing achievable goals & support tailored to each individual’s needs
- listen to the functional & aesthetic needs expressed by participants or clients
- be available to share moments together
Our history
the road towards open-source design
The association’s history is closely linked to that of its founder, Christophe André.
After completing his engineering studies, he returned to art school with the aim of creating alternatives to industrial production and the management of intellectual property. To address these issues, he and a friend founded the Entropie association.
From the outset, DIY eco workshops were created to popularize scientific and technical knowledge, particularly for young audiences.
Accompanied self-production workshops were set up in response to requests from individuals or organizations wishing to make specific objects for a particular purpose.
For example, the association La petite marmite wanted to build a large solar oven for cooking at festivals, and this is how La Grosse Bertha came into being.
Open to people in precarious situations
We were also approached by Solexine, an association that fights social exclusion by offering artistic activities. We helped several people create furniture for their homes. That’s how the reading desk and jewelry chest came about. Since this project, we’ve been focusing on reaching out to vulnerable and marginalized groups who wouldn’t otherwise have access to our workshops, because they’re not part of our networks or don’t have the financial means.
Accompanied self-production workshops encourage the appropriation of woodworking skills by offering participants the opportunity to move from the status of consumer to that of producer of objects. Already, all productions are documented in the form of step-by-step instructions distributed under a free license, enabling everyone to appropriate, improve and re-share them.
A manifest and a festival
In 2011, the association produced a “manifesto of free design” to convey its vision of collective management of intellectual property. In 2013, it published its catalog “20 objets à réaliser en design libre”, now out of print. To push her thinking even further, every year she organizes the “Vivre l’Utopie” festival on Grenoble’s university campus, which showcases SSE social alternatives through a themed week of meetings, screenings, debates and more. The festival came to an end in 2016 after 5 editions, but reflections continue, notably through conferences given by the association.
Developing workshops for professionals
In 2012, accompanied self-production workshops are in full swing. We have become a training organization, training professionals in the self-production of furniture and tools for their activities, such as beehives and solar serifiers for beekeepers.
The association now needs a real space in which to work with wood and welcome workshop participants.
Building the woodworking shop in the Trièves
In 2015, a building with a floor area of 70 m², comprising a carpentry workshop on the first floor and attic space for accommodation, was built. In keeping with Entropie’s values, the building was constructed using bio-sourced materials (local wood, straw & wood wool insulation), and, to enable everyone to get involved and pass on knowledge and skills, the association organized a participative worksite for the sawing and assembly of the timber frame and roof. However, the association has kept its urban premises in Grenoble’s Cap Berriat nursery, to ensure that it remains part of a dynamic community and easily accessible to the general public.
New activities, tiny houses & inclusion through woodworking
In 2015, the training reform no longer allows participants to be financially supported in accessing the accompanied self-production workshops offered by Entropie. Unfortunately, these workshops are still not very accessible, as it takes several days of training to complete the construction of an object, and few people can individually bear the cost of accompaniment.
Entropie then embarked on two new projects to diversify its activities and offerings.
- The tiny house self-build project distributes documentation for people wishing to build their own tiny house, supported by thematic training courses offered by the association to help them gain technical autonomy.
- The “Construire pour se reconstruire” (“Build to rebuild yourself”) project, conceived following a meeting with a social worker, enables disadvantaged people to benefit from a carpentry workshop to build equipment for their homes.
In the end, this second project made more sense for the association, which found new impetus in this social dimension and decided to prioritize its development in this direction, with the same energy deployed for the transmission of technical know-how and the free dissemination of knowledge.
Grenoble offices move to La Bifurk
In 2022, after 10 years in the CAP Berriat association incubator, we moved our office and a small workshop to the La Bifurk association incubator, still in Grenoble. We are keeping our carpentry workshop in Mens, in the Trièves region.
Opening up woodworking workshops to other audiences
In 2023, following new encounters, two new projects similar to the Construire pour se reconstruire (Building to rebuild) project were launched, aimed at new target groups.
- The Fab’el age project, aimed at isolated and disadvantaged senior citizens. It’s a fab lab equipped with traditional carpentry tools and digital tools (laser cutters, milling machines, etc.) to make small items of furniture to improve the daily lives of senior citizens.
- The Pimp my room project for young people in residential care. It consists in offering accompanied self-production workshops to furnish common spaces and bedrooms.
The members
They form the board of directors
After studying architecture, I joined the Entropie association for a 9-month civic service. Entropie gave me the opportunity to learn the woodworking trade and help people in very precarious situations to make their own furniture. It was an enriching experience, giving me a better understanding of both social and environmental issues within the collective. I also discovered woodworking by applying my design skills. Today, I’m still a volunteer at Entropie, helping the association with various projects. The association is very open-minded, with everyone finding their place. There’s an understanding and a collective spirit that’s part of its charm. Through my experience at Entropie, I’ve developed confidence in my abilities and rigor in my work. Now that I’m more independent and resourceful, I’ve become a real do-it-yourselfer! ”
They are currently employed
My name is Christian RAMAROKOTO, and I’m studying for a Master’s degree in Organizational Economics with a specialization in the Transformation of SSE organizations at Grenoble University. As part of my studies, I did a two-month internship at Entropie from June to July 2023 to explore the administrative side of the association and gain an understanding of carpentry practices. Subsequently, I extended my commitment to Entropie as the person in charge of administrative management of projects, setting up operational and financial partners, and taking part in the technical support of projects, all on a work-study basis. This experience will last one year, from September 2023 to September 2024.
They have been employed in the past
I’m a committed designer (born 1979 in Gap, France) living and working in Grenoble. After an engineering degree (Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France INPG), I chose to leave the world of industry to develop other modes of production at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art de Grenoble, where I obtained my Diplôme National Supérieur d’Expression Plastique (DNSEP). With Gabrielle Boulanger, we founded Entropie in 2008. I’ve been working with the association since December 2011.
I joined Entropie as a development officer during a work-study program in my final year of studies (Master 2 – “Transformation des organisations de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire” at the Grenoble Faculty of Economics).
During this one-year period, I plunged into the very heart of this association, discovering its challenges, obstacles and concrete actions implemented in Grenoble. What particularly impressed me was the opportunity to exchange ideas with our partners, committed organizations with whom Entropie works hand in hand to help integrate disadvantaged people. But beyond that, I’ve also had the chance to play an active part in developing new projects aimed at reaching new audiences, notably isolated and precarious seniors and young people living in hostels in the Grenoble area.
Entropie is much more than just a professional experience. In fact, it provided me with many skills in line with my university training, and also gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with carpentry techniques. My year with this association has enabled me to grow both professionally and personally, and I can proudly say that I’ve come out of this experience grown and enriched. Long live inclusion through woodworking!
My first contact with Entropie was during a short internship at the Ecole de design de St Etienne. I naturally turned to Entropie, as I wanted to deepen my understanding of free design and practice design “differently”, by being close to people and to social, societal and ecological issues that are particularly important to me. I wanted to get involved in the association by contributing my creative qualities, my skills in object design and graphic design, but also to confront myself with other fields I knew less about… communication, organization of the Vivre l’utopie festival, running workshops… After a civic service, I became an employee of Entropie as a development-communication officer! For over three years, I played an active role in the “En Tiny Entropie” and “Construire pour se reconstruire” projects. I’m leaving for new horizons in August 2019.
I was born in Annecy in 1987. I pursued long and sometimes interesting studies at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Lyon and at the Arabic language faculty of the University of Lyon II. My arrival in the world of Free Design was by chance. In July 2012, I was hired at Entropie to manage the administrative aspects of a European project. It was there that I developed a taste for woodworking and, more broadly, for manual labor. In 2015, I began a reorientation to become a carpenter/roofer, which is what I am today.
I studied at an engineering school specializing in the environment. After a short experience in research, I met Entropie through the Vivre l’utopie festival. Seduced by the festival’s focus on alternative democratic experiments, I went from spectator to volunteer before signing up for a civic service contract to work on the energy map and permaculture. At the end of this contract, I became the association’s communications manager until 2015.
I joined Entropie in 2013. I designed and accompanied the construction of the joinery building, which was more comfortable than the garage that housed the machines. After that, I specialized in eco-building, particularly straw construction. I created the Nebraska association for the construction of load-bearing straw buildings. These days, I keep a close eye on what my comrades are up to, and sometimes lend a hand designing objects or cutting out new business cards!
http://nebraskaconstruction.fr/
mathilde.lapierre@gmail.com
I graduated from a general engineering program in Lyon in 2011. When I left school, new societal issues prompted me to question our concepts of work organization. It was to develop new initiatives aimed at breaking free from capitalism and excessive consumerism that I decided to join Entropie as a civic service volunteer for 8 months in 2013. I worked largely on computer-aided object design and the layout of objects in the catalog. I kept the link and later, in 2022, I came back to work for 14 months on a fixed-term contract when Entropie asked me to design and give a training course on the design of low-tech projects in fablabs: this notably gave rise to our e-book “Technicien Éco-Low Énergies”.
They have been involved in a civic service
I joined Entropie after studying architecture. Wanting to develop my technical knowledge and skills in the field, I contacted the association and completed an 8-month civic service. My mission is to continue the construction of the carpentry workshop in Mens following the participative workcamp of summer 2015, from the technical design of the finishes to the realization and implementation of the materials. At the time, I enjoyed working with my hands, and was experimenting with the site as a self-construction coach. It’s a field I’ve now moved into, specializing in ecological architecture and straw materials.
After two years at engineering school, I decided to take a break. I joined Entropie as a civic service for 8 months. At Entropie, I was in charge of fitting out the workshop part of the building in Mens, and taking part in various Entropie projects (such as the Festival Vivre l’Utopie). I discovered that the knowledge I’d acquired during my studies could be put to good use in a militant cause. I’ve also learned a lot about the non-profit world that will be beneficial for my future. I’m recognized for my cooking skills at Entropie!
I studied design at the St Étienne art school. Eager to get involved in a more manual activity, I started working as a volunteer on the construction of the Entropie woodwork shop buildings in Mens. Appreciated for my manual dexterity, I was taken on as a civic service model maker. My mission is to make scale models of the objects in Entropie’s catalog.
After graduating and a few good experiences in the corporate world, I decided to take a few months off to develop a project with the Entropie association. I’m passionate about architecture, design and the decorative arts, and particularly like working with my hands and creating objects. As part of my studies, I spent a year living in Florianópolis, Brazil. As well as giving me serious surfing skills (you don’t just study at the Federal University of Santa Catarina…), this experience enabled me to travel (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia), discover other ways of life and question the one proposed in France. It also led me to take a close interest in the various alternative movements taking shape in Brazil and Latin America in general. On my return to France, I embarked on a project to design a self-build tiny house with the Entropie association. My friend and fellow traveler Mathieu was also on board…
After some trying experience in construction management, I decided to carry out a project that had long been close to my heart: developing a new form of ecological micro-housing. I’ve long had a passion for drawing and architecture, and am also experienced in woodworking. In 2015, I spent 1 year abroad in Argentina as part of my studies. In Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes, I indulge my passion for the mountains. This experience also gave me the opportunity to travel around Latin America (Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Peru) and changed my way of thinking about my lifestyle. On my return to France, I became interested in a number of issues, notably food, agriculture and housing. My encounter with the Entropie association in October 2016 enabled me to take a concrete step towards the development of the tiny house, an ecological micro-housing project.
Following my studies in Product Design and Brand Art Direction, I quickly began looking for meaning and ethics in my work and my creations. During my civic service at Entropie, I found my happiness in the workshop, where I finally rediscovered a taste for handmade work. I was also seduced by the good team atmosphere in which I flourished.
A fan of Do It Yourself and new discoveries, I learned about the Tiny House project and easily rallied to the cause, offering my help in various ways. Already sensitive to current ecological, economic and political issues, I became even more involved in this project, which I find relevant and avant-garde.
A hydraulic engineer with a degree from Grenoble INP – ENSE3, I took part in various programs during my training: a rural electrification project in Senegal, a study year in Iceland, and a 6-month student program in Cambodia. My final year internship led me to specialize in hydraulic design (hydroelectricity in particular) in an Alpine design office.
My experience in design and construction was then extended through a civic service assignment with Entropie. I was highly motivated by the idea of discovering the fields of wood construction, learning cabinetmaking and passing on my knowledge by leading workshops,
Attracted by the great outdoors and an indefatigable adventurer, I particularly enjoy the mountains (omnipresent in Grenoble!) and the various associated sports: climbing, mountaineering, cycling, or simply hiking…
I came to Entropie after studying Industrial Engineering and gaining two years’ experience in mechanical design for major companies. A strong questioning of our lifestyles and a quest for meaning in my work led me to resign to take part in a local and associative project. The self-construction and free design aspects of Entropie appealed to me and led me to start a civic service with the organization.
Over the course of 8 months, I took part in a number of projects, including the construction of a bicycle cart for an urban agriculture association, an outdoor Kiosk layout with a billboard and free zone, and several pieces of furniture as part of the “Construire pour se reconstruire” project. This enabled me to discover the rudiments of carpentry and woodworking, life in an associative environment, and of course the transmission of technical knowledge by adapting the discourse to different audiences.
I was a student (bac +4) in design and innovation for architecture when I joined Entropie. I became involved with the association because I was looking for a “different” way to practice design. My involvement with the association began with an internship, followed by an 8-month civic service. In all, I spent a year at Entropie.
My mission was essentially based on the “build to rebuild” project, but I also took part in the association’s other projects (green DIY workshops, documentation on tiny houses, etc.). My time at Entropie enabled me to develop my technical skills, work with all types of public, discover the association’s way of life and define my career path.
With a degree in mechanical design and having worked in various industrial sectors, I was looking for meaning in my job.
My civic service at Entropie enabled me to take a step back and realize that when it comes to designing and carrying out a project, it’s possible to follow another path than that of efficiency at all costs – an ethical and responsible path! This is the path I want to follow, this is the philosophy I want to spread!
During these eight months, I was lucky enough to be accompanied by a dynamic and caring team, and to take part in all the association’s activities: customer meetings, production, animation, delivery, as well as association communications, general assemblies, quotations…
After obtaining my engineering degree from INSA Lyon, I worked for 6 months in a startup that developed new glasses technology to correct presbyopia. In search of discovery and more commitment, I decided not to extend my contract to join the Entropie association.
And I was not disappointed! Participating in a wide variety of projects has been super enriching and educational. From the beginnings of an idea to the final installation of a piece of furniture, I was able to take part in all stages of a carpentry project and work with different audiences. For example, I have organized and led carpentry courses with young migrants, led ecological DIY workshops, or even made furniture with and for a former homeless person.
Ultimately, I came away from this civic service with lots of new knowledge and a greater open-mindedness!
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After five years of engineering school and a short year of wandering, I decided to join the Entropie association, with which I share many of my convictions, for an eight-month civic service. I want to try my hand at self-building in wood and am more than enthusiastic about the idea of discovering new cabinetmaking tools. I am very interested in eco-construction, in particular the question of alternative housing offering a simple way of life in small and ecological spaces. I was seduced by Entropie’s Tiny House project! In addition, I am passionate about adventures and travel. With a backpack on my back, I have traveled to some faraway lands, mainly seeking to discover new cultures. I am a fan of cultural and sports outings, and I am particularly fond of artistic disciplines such as music, drawing, or photography.
Following an experience in the sports and passions industry, but unfortunately in the service of mass consumption, I have the joy of joining Entropie in civic service. I discovered the fundamental values of the association, its militant reflections and its proposals for alternatives. The Tiny is the perfect opportunity to combine a professional project with personal learning, on a fascinating subject! Even more than the Tiny itself, I am won over by the idea of transmitting knowledge and exchanging around the subjects of relevant ecological construction and self-production. Beyond wooden cabins, I also like skiing and going on polar expeditions, surfing and eating fish, bivouacking and drinking a good beer. The wide open spaces versus minimalist habitats… I lost the arm wrestling match against Christophe, but I am asking for a right of revenge after the construction site!
As an architecture student in Grenoble, I decided, before my master’s degree, to commit to an eight-month civic service at Entropie. I wanted to discover cabinetmaking and be more in touch with wood as a material. As a DIY enthusiast, I was looking forward to deepening my knowledge of supported self-production. Interested in the issues of nomadic and alternative housing, the Tiny House quickly won me over. It was also an opportunity for me to get involved in a concrete project. This form of housing is combined with a certain lifestyle that questions our needs and symbolises a form of independence. Always looking for discoveries, I like to take part in events, share beers and wander around. After my civic service, I will fly abroad to study for a year for my master’s 1.
After very different studies in business management and ecological transition in Rodez, Toulouse and Lyon as well as personal experiences in activism and in the creation of new alternative lifestyles, I started looking for an end-of-studies internship that would allow me to put my skills into action for something that made sense. That’s when I found Entropie, where I was able to validate my studies thanks to a civic service. In particular, I was in charge of finding funding, in particular for the “Build to Rebuild” project, which was thus able to continue. I was also able to discover carpentry, a field that interested me, by helping to carry out several orders. The time spent at Entropie allowed me to deepen certain reflections on current issues and to continue to develop my critical thinking in order to continue ever higher, ever further towards new self-managed and alternative societal models!
They lent a hand during an internship
I obtained a Master’s degree in product design near Lyon. Design appeared as a way to achieve what was important to me: improving the daily lives of the elderly or disabled. I have always been in favor of sharing knowledge and helping each other, which does not necessarily go hand in hand with current industrial design. My encounter with Entropie therefore made me discover the possibility of combining design and conviviality, solidarity and sharing.
As a student in DNA Design at ENSA Limoges, I am interested in better living and well-being in precarious contexts (health, housing, etc.), in raising awareness of ecology and in reinventing our daily environment in a sustainable and ecological way. I was therefore looking to discover alternative design practices in line with my values. I then did a 6-week internship at Entropie and learned about free design by developing and building a wooden frame cabin, intended for ecological construction workshops for children, which had been designed by a previous intern (Johanna). My experience at Entropie allowed me to confirm my desire to support more responsible lifestyles and production. Today, I am carrying out a solidarity entrepreneurship project as part of a civic service at Unis Cité Saint Étienne through which I would like to help populations in precarious situations to meet their material needs by offering them the opportunity to make objects from recycled materials.
As a design undergraduate at EESAB Brest, I discovered Entropie through a conference organized by the Ultra Editions association. Sensitive to the notion of access to art and design for the greatest number, I was interested in the principle of supporting self-production and dissemination of object notices in free licenses. I did an internship in 2021 with the aim of participating in the entropie adventure. I discovered the city of Grenoble and its surroundings of course, but I also met some very nice people. The exchanges with the members of Entropie, the deepening of my learning on woodworking at the Mens workshop, the animation of eco-friendly DIY workshops with children, the pre-design of the mobile kitchen with the MDH les Baladins brought me a lot, I come out of this experience grown. I was touched by the pedagogy and the thirst for knowledge transmission of the members of Entropie, with the children during the workshops, but also with the people supported for the “build to rebuild” project.
I coordinated the organization of the 2013 edition of the Vivre l’utopie festival, as a civic service. I was able to discover several aspects of an animation job: building a program, working on communication, partner relations, and hosting events. I was also able to learn / offer training on political popular education as part of the organization of the festival (speaker training, training on participatory processes with the SCOP l’Orage, etc.). My experience within Entropie allowed me to develop certain know-how (animation, communication, coordination, etc.) and to learn the internal functioning of an association (administrative and financial aspects, collective organization). By working within the Cap Berriat incubator, I was able to discover many associations and thus develop my professional network. Today I am an administrator of Cap Berriat, and am developing the Contrevent association, a popular laboratory aiming to put university knowledge and popular education know-how at the service of those involved in social transformation.
I joined Entropie for a few weeks. I designed and supported the manufacturing of growing planters for the association Cultivons Nos Toits. I also participated in a documentary study on the solar dryer!
As a student at ESAAB in product design, I completed a six-week internship at Entropie. I chose the association for its desire to respond to real needs and also for its ideology of free design. What struck me here was the notion of sharing which is the common thread of the association, which in my opinion is illustrated by the object notices put in open source. Despite my brief stint, I participated in the “Construire pour se Reconstruire” project, in partnership with the Totem association, where I led the design phase of custom-made storage furniture and a removable side table. I participated in the launch of the project to create a stage design for a play for which I made several preliminary project proposals. I was delighted with this internship and I thank the entire Entropie team!
They were extraordinary volunteers
I arrived at Entropie after my architecture degree, when I was looking for myself… I signed up to organize the Vivre l’Utopie 2013 festival with Nicolas, which allowed me to tackle a first professional mission, but above all brought me many discoveries, deep reflection around self-management, models of society, and ecology. My critical mind has developed a lot, maybe even a little too much! I have also become more self-confident and have acquired a lot of autonomy of thought, as well as ease in speaking in public, in leading work meetings or collective reflection. Today I have returned to architecture, but without regrets for my time at Entropie, where I have now found comrades for life. I work in India, at the Auroville Earth Institute, and even if the socio-political environment has nothing to do with it, I am also learning a lot of things, in particular how to build concretely in an ecological way. The adventure continues…
I am very satisfied with my time at Entropie as a volunteer! Christophe was a great supervisor, attentive and very involved, who allowed me to learn more about woodworking! Having at heart to work on a project with a strong social impact based on mutual aid and the transmission of knowledge, I was able to provide my support to all the activities of animation of ecological DIY workshops and design of wooden furniture. A superb experience!
With a degree in home energy, Jeanne regularly offers the project her help and good humor! Met by chance while carpooling, she regularly joins us in our work sessions…or over a drink. She takes charge of the search for energy solutions and equipment for the Tiny House and always gives good advice in the various areas we cover. She is delighted to be able to get involved in a project that is in line with her convictions, a little different from the business world she frequented and which did not always convince her!
I participated in the revision and improvement of a notice for a workshop on bioclimatic architecture and materials in construction, as well as in the animation of the Vivre l’Utopie 2013 Festival, in particular the conference by Gilbert Dalgalian. At Entropie, I was able to discover a serious and at the same time relaxed, open work environment, which leaves room for experimentation and which supported me during my job search in the field that interested me. I was also able to discover free design, deepen many notions in bioclimatism, and learn how to set up practical educational workshops. Now, I work in the CRAterre association in the field of sustainable housing and ecological materials.
I am originally from the east of France, then I studied at an engineering school in the west and ended up settling in Grenoble! I got in touch with Entropie through the crowdfunding of the catalog “20 objects to make in free design” in 2014. Then, I gravitated more or less far around the association (making objects in the Gap workshop, volunteering for Vivre l’Utopie) before joining the CA from 2016 to 2021.
The DIY workshops that I helped to lead taught me to be more patient, precise and autonomous in my DIY projects. The objects I made (shelves and solar ovens) are useful to me every day: thanks to Entropie!