Retour la liste des raccourcis et au menu d'échappement
Élan, a specialist operating unit of Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, is a project management expert that has played a pioneering role in the development of HQE® in France. In 2002, France's environment and energy management agency (ADEME) issued a call for projects under the impetus of the CSTB, a building research body, to define the legal framework for HQE® certification. Some twenty Élan programmes have been awarded prizes in recognition of their excellence, and a few others have been selected as pilot projects to contribute to the development of the standards. One of these was the new head office of Bouygues S.A., where Élan was commissioned as an HQE consultant to assist the client. Audits and feedback from this project ultimately led to the establishment in 2005 of technical requirements for the environmental-quality certification of tertiary-sector buildings in accordance with French standard NF Bâtiments Tertiaires - Démarche HQE®, Bureau et Enseignement (Offices and Educational Buildings).
"Élan is now well known for its expertise in the area of HQE certification. We are among the top ten players in the market for this knowhow", says a delighted Rébecca Couzens, who manages the Sustainable Construction department set up by Élan in 2003, with a current staff of 23. It was not until 2007 that the first engineering firms specialising in sustainable construction emerged in France, employing an average staff of about ten. Along with its role assisting clients in the areas of HQE®, thermal engineering and renewable energies, Élan also provides technical assistance services, notably to the entities of Bouygues Construction.
Since early 2008, Élan has been providing technical support for the project during the construction phase. Madeleine Allaert visits the construction site regularly to check on progress with Dominique Savin, the HQE officer on site, recruited notably to coordinate environmental aspects. Along with the engineering office commissioned to provide HQE assistance to the client, he is Élan's main contact for all the other issues that need to be monitored during the monthly site visits. "On a project of this scale, every detail becomes significant. Any proposed alternatives or changes must be checked for full compliance with HQE standards", explains Allaert. "Let's say the client wants to change the spotlights", Savin continues. "That is going to have an impact on visual comfort for building occupants of course, but also on energy consumption. In other words, a change may affect several different criteria".
The nearly 1,000 products and materials selected by the various subcontractors must all be checked to make sure they meet health, environmental and durability criteria (project target: 30 years). This may require a technical analysis. An environmental balance is currently being computed for several different paint options, since the one initially specified in the contract documents turns out not to give the desired visual effect, although it did comply with specifications. "Élan's expertise gives us the guidance we need to find the right solutions while working within our own constraints", says Savin. The collaboration has already proven effective with respect to the methodology and logistics defined for managing the enormous volume of waste generated by the construction site-100,000 cubic metres. 50% of it has already been recycled under a Waste Management and Organisation Plan drawn up with the participation of subcontractors. The plan identifies inert and hazardous waste materials. To ensure proper traceability, waste disposal receipts are collected and inspected. These are part of the documentary evidence that will have to be produced during the construction-phase audit scheduled for 2011, at the time of project handover.
"A high-rise building, an HQE renovation programme, and an exemplary construction site all in one! First Tower teaches us valuable lessons about the working methods and conditions that result in the best environmental quality", concludes Madeleine Allaert enthusiastically. The project is definitely a feather in Élan's cap and will help the company pitch its services to clients outside of Bouygues Construction, especially now that it is accredited to certify or support builders for compliance with the international BREEAM* (British) and LEED** (American) rating systems.
* Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
**Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
With five evaluation criteria rated as "Very High Performance," five rated "High Performance" and four rated "Baseline Performance," the First Tower exceeds the minimum requirements for certification. Rénovation Privée is aiming especially high by targeting a "Very High Performance" rating for criterion No. 3, "Construction site with a low environmental impact". The NF HQE® Bâtiments Tertiaires certification is based on ratings for the fourteen evaluation criteria of the HQE® approach. Before the planning stage, the client defines the rating he wishes to achieve for each of the fourteen criteria. To be eligible for certification, the environmental profile of the project must attain a Very High Performance rating for at least three criteria, High Performance for four criteria and Baseline Performance for the rest. An audit is performed by certification body, Certivéa, upon completion of each key stage of the project (planning, design, construction).
First Tower goes green with Élan
When it reopens in 2011, the 231-metre-tall building now renamed "First Tower" on the outskirts of Paris will be the tallest in France. It will also rank as the most extensive office renovation project to earn certification to the French tertiary building standard, NF Bâtiments Tertiaires - Démarche HQE®, for its Planning and Design phases. In an example of fruitful collaboration between operating units of Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, the Rénovation Privée entity handling the project called on the specialist expertise of Élan to help meet its ambitious goals.
HQE stands for Haute Qualité Environnementale, or high environmental quality. But what actually lies behind the initials now so coveted by building owners? HQE refers neither to a certification nor to a label, but rather to a voluntary approach to managing environmental quality in a way that minimises the environmental impacts of building construction or renovation programmes. The approach embraces the full life cycle of a building with reference to a benchmark. In some cases, it may lead to certification.
A pioneering role in HQE®
Élan, a specialist operating unit of Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, is a project management expert that has played a pioneering role in the development of HQE® in France. In 2002, France's environment and energy management agency (ADEME) issued a call for projects under the impetus of the CSTB, a building research body, to define the legal framework for HQE® certification. Some twenty Élan programmes have been awarded prizes in recognition of their excellence, and a few others have been selected as pilot projects to contribute to the development of the standards. One of these was the new head office of Bouygues S.A., where Élan was commissioned as an HQE consultant to assist the client. Audits and feedback from this project ultimately led to the establishment in 2005 of technical requirements for the environmental-quality certification of tertiary-sector buildings in accordance with French standard NF Bâtiments Tertiaires - Démarche HQE®, Bureau et Enseignement (Offices and Educational Buildings)."Élan is now well known for its expertise in the area of HQE certification. We are among the top ten players in the market for this knowhow", says a delighted Rébecca Couzens, who manages the Sustainable Construction department set up by Élan in 2003, with a current staff of 23. It was not until 2007 that the first engineering firms specialising in sustainable construction emerged in France, employing an average staff of about ten. Along with its role assisting clients in the areas of HQE®, thermal engineering and renewable energies, Élan also provides technical assistance services, notably to the entities of Bouygues Construction.
From the Bouygues corporate head office to the First Tower
"That is just the type of specialist expertise we were after," recounts Marc Debey, project manager for Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France. In December 2006, the company had just signed a memorandum of understanding with developer SCI Vendôme Assur on the basis of a guaranteed maximum price. The agreement called for the development, in conjunction with the owner, of a massive renovation programme for the existing AXA building at La Défense, subsequently called CB31 and now renamed First Tower. The client had already defined the environmental profile of the building and registered it as an HQE® project. "At the time, HQE certification was in its infancy," Debey remembers. "We really didn't have any experience in the field". Élan was commissioned to support the operating unit, Rénovation Privée, throughout the design phase, which was due to last one year. "Based on the environmental profile of the programme, we performed regular audits to benchmark the environmental quality of the building against the contract requirements", explains Madeleine Allaert, Sustainable Construction project manager at Élan.
Although Rénovation Privée was not in charge of design, as the general contractor it did have a duty to alert the client to any alternatives liable to lead to a cost overrun, and also to make sure that the project complied with all HQE® criteria. "Élan's technical input and presence at the weekly meetings with the client were indispensable", Debey reports. For certain sensitive issues, Rénovation Privée relied on Élan's expertise to conduct more in-depth analyses and secure the client's consent on the strength of its sound technical arguments, as Yasmine Mansouri, in charge of Energy Engineering at Élan, confirms. "For example, a dynamic thermal simulation of the building performed using our Virtual Environment programme revealed that the criteria for hygrothermal comfort were not being met". This paved the way for recommendations for limiting solar gains and optimising the building envelope. A major effort was also made to make the most of natural daylight in the office areas. In March 2008, the project in the design stage earned certification to NF Bâtiments Tertiaires - Démarche HQE®.
Although Rénovation Privée was not in charge of design, as the general contractor it did have a duty to alert the client to any alternatives liable to lead to a cost overrun, and also to make sure that the project complied with all HQE® criteria. "Élan's technical input and presence at the weekly meetings with the client were indispensable", Debey reports. For certain sensitive issues, Rénovation Privée relied on Élan's expertise to conduct more in-depth analyses and secure the client's consent on the strength of its sound technical arguments, as Yasmine Mansouri, in charge of Energy Engineering at Élan, confirms. "For example, a dynamic thermal simulation of the building performed using our Virtual Environment programme revealed that the criteria for hygrothermal comfort were not being met". This paved the way for recommendations for limiting solar gains and optimising the building envelope. A major effort was also made to make the most of natural daylight in the office areas. In March 2008, the project in the design stage earned certification to NF Bâtiments Tertiaires - Démarche HQE®.
Aiming for certification of the construction phase
Since early 2008, Élan has been providing technical support for the project during the construction phase. Madeleine Allaert visits the construction site regularly to check on progress with Dominique Savin, the HQE officer on site, recruited notably to coordinate environmental aspects. Along with the engineering office commissioned to provide HQE assistance to the client, he is Élan's main contact for all the other issues that need to be monitored during the monthly site visits. "On a project of this scale, every detail becomes significant. Any proposed alternatives or changes must be checked for full compliance with HQE standards", explains Allaert. "Let's say the client wants to change the spotlights", Savin continues. "That is going to have an impact on visual comfort for building occupants of course, but also on energy consumption. In other words, a change may affect several different criteria". The nearly 1,000 products and materials selected by the various subcontractors must all be checked to make sure they meet health, environmental and durability criteria (project target: 30 years). This may require a technical analysis. An environmental balance is currently being computed for several different paint options, since the one initially specified in the contract documents turns out not to give the desired visual effect, although it did comply with specifications. "Élan's expertise gives us the guidance we need to find the right solutions while working within our own constraints", says Savin. The collaboration has already proven effective with respect to the methodology and logistics defined for managing the enormous volume of waste generated by the construction site-100,000 cubic metres. 50% of it has already been recycled under a Waste Management and Organisation Plan drawn up with the participation of subcontractors. The plan identifies inert and hazardous waste materials. To ensure proper traceability, waste disposal receipts are collected and inspected. These are part of the documentary evidence that will have to be produced during the construction-phase audit scheduled for 2011, at the time of project handover.
"A high-rise building, an HQE renovation programme, and an exemplary construction site all in one! First Tower teaches us valuable lessons about the working methods and conditions that result in the best environmental quality", concludes Madeleine Allaert enthusiastically. The project is definitely a feather in Élan's cap and will help the company pitch its services to clients outside of Bouygues Construction, especially now that it is accredited to certify or support builders for compliance with the international BREEAM* (British) and LEED** (American) rating systems.
* Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
**Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Environmental profile: First Tower
With five evaluation criteria rated as "Very High Performance," five rated "High Performance" and four rated "Baseline Performance," the First Tower exceeds the minimum requirements for certification. Rénovation Privée is aiming especially high by targeting a "Very High Performance" rating for criterion No. 3, "Construction site with a low environmental impact". The NF HQE® Bâtiments Tertiaires certification is based on ratings for the fourteen evaluation criteria of the HQE® approach. Before the planning stage, the client defines the rating he wishes to achieve for each of the fourteen criteria. To be eligible for certification, the environmental profile of the project must attain a Very High Performance rating for at least three criteria, High Performance for four criteria and Baseline Performance for the rest. An audit is performed by certification body, Certivéa, upon completion of each key stage of the project (planning, design, construction).
-
- Bouygues Construction
Publications
Specialization
Major projects references