Sustainable development

To deal with the challenges of climate change and demands for improved energy efficiency strengthened by the recommendations of the French Grenelle environment forum, held in 2007, Bouygues Construction increased its sustainable construction research budget by 13% compared to 2006, and plans to raise it 60% in 2008. This will place sustainable construction at the head of Group research spend (21% of the R&D budget in 2007, rising to 29% in 2008). A variety of topics are on the agenda, including the energy efficiency of residential and office buildings, overall cost, commitment to lower energy consumption (on the basis of thermodynamic simulations) and integration of renewable energies into the build, etc.

 

Beyond its R&D teams, Bouygues Construction has set up a network of in-house experts in the various Group entities who deal with all aspects of sustainable construction (approximately fifty people in all). It has also forged partnerships with other industry players who have developed extensive know-how on low energy consumption buildings. These include architects, specialist civil engineers, materials suppliers, solar panel suppliers, etc.