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Justin Sargenti
winner of the Students on Ice 2015 competition,
qualified architect, technical designer for FGWRS and
doctoral student at the AMUP laboratory in Strasbourg

In December 2022, Justin Sargenti

set off on a mission to the Franco-Italian
Concordia research station on behalf

of the Monegasque grey water recycling
company Firmus Grey Water Recycling

System (FGWRS), as part of an environmental
improvement project run in collaboration

with the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile
Victor and the European Space Agency, and

supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco
Foundation.
© Justin Sargenti_IPEV

How has the Students on Ice programme in- Before I left, I met with five classes of high school
fluenced your career path? students in the Principality. During our stay at
After my experience in the Arctic with Students on Concordia, in the most hostile environment in the
Ice, I decided to study architecture with the aim of world, we were able to hold a video conference with
working in a polar environment. After graduating, at around fifteen people on the station representing
the invitation of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foun- different professions, including one of Concordia's
dation, I applied for a mission to recycle grey wa- first overwinterers. This is the only videoconference
ter from the Concordia station in Antarctica. It was from the Concordia base that has been carried out
an incredible opportunity, particularly for my thesis for France in 2022. Posts on social networks roun-
project. I was selected for this assignment, which ded off this communication campaign around the
was developed in partnership with the Monegasque mission.
company FGWRS. Before leaving on this mission,
I first worked as a technician and trained in the Has your time at Concordia changed your ap-
greywater recycling system. proach to architecture?
I was able to experience life in a hostile environment
What were your responsibilities at Concordia? for myself, as well as the state of the local infrastruc-
My main task was to install a pilot plant for testing ture. It changed my architectural approach to polar
FGWRS ultra-filtration membranes and to carry out environments. I'd read a lot of books on new po-
daily tests on two greywater recycling machines. lar stations, particularly those built after 2010, but
I analysed the data and sent it to company. We going there showed me that the architect's point of
are currently finalising reports to determine which view never takes precedence over the technical as-
membrane performs best and adapts best to the pect: you must be able to adapt to environmental
hostile environment. In partnership with the Prince constraints that are so extreme that the technical
Albert II of Monaco Foundation, I also carried out aspect is always right, which implies certain com-
a communication campaign aimed at secondary promises in terms of comfort or building renovation.
school students on the importance of protecting the This calls into question the role of the architect, who
poles and the role of innovation. can very rarely visit the site to monitor the work.