Ikea is developing SolarVille, a solar Smart City project
And what if IKEA were set to sell us not flat-packed furniture but pre-packed Smart City kits? This is just what the Swedish giant seems to be working on, if its latest announcement is anything to go by. Named SolarVille, the project designed by Space10, its in-house innovation lab, can power a community with solar energy by way of a smart microgrid using blockchain technology.
Perfony, a cure for acute meetingitis
At last, an end to meetingitis and email addiction. This tool facilitates the management of meetings and follow-up in businesses. Bouygues Construction’s new partner is Perfony, a software program that makes everyone’s life easier at work.
Reuse – the fourth pillar of the circular economy
The idea of reusing materials resulting from renovation or demolition work is gaining momentum. It has to be said that it is very attractive since by reviving this age-old practice, there is indeed much to be gained - new means of recycling, low-cost materials, improved carbon footprint during activities, etc... The list is long. All that remains is to remove any barriers.
From underground to organic market gardening: recycling excavated soil
Where Grand Paris Express worksites are concerned, Bouygues Travaux Publics Région Parisienne is seeking to give a new lease of life to excavated soil. A review of a circular-economy pilot project with the restructuring of an agricultural plot in partnership with the conurbation of Grand Paris Sud Seine-Essonne-Sénart and the municipality of Ris-Orangis.
Gender & urban planning: it’s time to get back to work
What if, beneath the apparent gender diversity, the playground reveals that urban space is far from egalitarian?
Towns and buildings desperately seeking biodiversity
UN experts have issued a chilling verdict: in cities and in the countryside, biodiversity is at death's door. The good news, as with climate change, is that it is not too late. Although natural areas remain the priority, urban planners and developers in the broad sense must learn to build, to rebuild cities and buildings that will let ecosystems flourish, where ecological continuity really comes into its own.
3 questions to Thomas Danel, a PhD student at Chaire Construction 4.0
Bouygues Construction and Centrale Lille formed Chaire Construction 4.0 in 2017. Its aim was to support the digitisation and industrialisation of the sector. Thomas Danel, a PhD student in this field, has been working on a prototype for a remote-controlled crane. He talked to us about his project.
Smiile, the revolution in inclusive refurbishment in the Smart City
Smiile is a way of pooling resources and neighbourhood networks on the scale of an apartment block, a neighbourhood or even a city. The solution is one of the services proposed in the WIZOM Réhabilitation 2018 offer by Bouygues Construction. It is a great example of the Group's collaboration with a ‘French tech’ start-up.
Be Issy: a convenient window onto the city
Whether reimagining the tripod shape to move proudly towards the traditional shape of the closed island, stepping back from the street , using curves to provide a maximum of natural light or working with materials to create pleasant, social spaces, the research and design work done here at Be Issy by the architects from PCA Stream is intended to improve the lives of the occupants.
LeanCo, the open innovation solution for democratising lean management
The Matching Up Challenge is back! This call for innovative projects ‘matches’ start-ups with Group employees. What's it like working with a start-up? Yolaine Perrot, Lean Management Director at Bouygues Construction and Xavier Motsch, the founder of LeanCo, tell us all about it.
Smart cities will have to be transparent and inclusive
More and more sensors and cameras are popping up in cities. So what is being done to protect people’s private lives?
Experiencing smart cities
Whether you call it a smart city, a connected city or, even better, a smart region, digitalisation is primarily all about improving and offering new services to citizens and then to the persons behind local policies in order to allow them to run the city more effectively.
Living labs are good for your health!
Do-it-yourself projects are good for your health. Specifically, they can help improve the lives of patients. That is how living labs can help the medical field. These are “third places” dedicated to innovation. Their methodology brings together ordinary citizens, public and private actors, aiming to test services, tools, and new uses in real life.
3D printing, a technology to serve humans and human art
With the aim of reducing occupational health risks on work sites, improving productivity and producing complex items, 3D printing, while still in its experimental stage, is taking the building sector into an industrialisation process that will result in some exceptional achievements. Technology to serve US, not vice-versa.
Robotics and virtual reality used for health and safety
Improving working conditions on sites with a system combining robotics and virtual reality. This is far from a fairy tale - this research and development programme will come into effect in 2020. The aim is to train employees to pick up the right habits, via a process that is both visual and tactile.
Cities and mobilities #1 An encounter with Virginie Alonzi
Urban projects, infrastructures, recharging stations for electric vehicles, Smart City ... The world of mobilities is changing every day and various different factors of it influence our daily lives. Introducing our series of expert testimonials on the subject. The first contribution is from Virginie Alonzi, Outlook Director at Bouygues Construction. She discusses the innovative solutions that are arising in the wake of emerging uses?
Bouygues Construction goes down the path of artificial intelligence
April 2018 – Cédric Vilani, a deputy of the La République en marche (LREM) party in Essonne, publishes a reference document on artificial intelligence. It namely gives a few indications on the consequences of artificial intelligence development on the construction sector. At Bouygues Construction, are we ready?
The circular economy: at the heart of Bouygues Construction’s strategic thinking
Transforming waste into resources: when the circular economy disrupts our growth models and the way we consume and produce goods. Bouygues Construction is fully committed to acting as a responsible and committed industry player.
Medium-size cities: areas which stimulate the local economy
Do we necessarily need to live in a megacity to fully enjoy the modern economy?
Solar thermal energy: a world first in France
In Llo, a town in the Pyrenees mountains, France just installed a thermodynamic solar power plant.
Anticipating in construction for reversible and sustainable buildings
This is an entirely new approach to construction, a more ethical and sustainable one. It involves predicting changes in usage, and the reversibility of a building after construction The aim is to be able to change the building's purpose easily to accompany changes in lifestyle and in the regions themselves.
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Monaco’s offshore extension: ecological engineering at the core of project design
Creating this 6-hectare offshore space between two reserves that are marine protected areas (the underwater reserve of Larvotto and the Spélugues coral reef), illustrates the particular care given to respecting the site’s biodiversity and attention paid to impacts arising from the worksite.
Morocco – future solar energy giant?
A few kilometres from Ouarzazate, in the heart of Morocco, is one of the world's five largest solar farms.
Intrapreneurial interview with Nicolas Courtois and Nicolas Dubreil
Intrapreneurship is a way of developing an innovative project without leaving your company. How does it work? What do you need to know before you start? Nicolas Courtois and Nicolas Dubreil, intrapreneurs from NewValue, seasons 1 and 2, told us about their recent experience in the matter.
La Manufacture des Allumettes: Bringing a historic heritage site to life
A massive project undertaken almost 10 years ago, the Manufacture des Allumettes was converted and refurbished into rented social housing for the residents of the agglomeration. This innovative approach has two objectives: to preserve one of the town's historic monuments; and to respond to the territorial issues faced by the whole region.
