Focus on connected offices

Digitalisation is having an impact on all those who use our buildings. The real estate sector, which includes planning, major construction companies, marketing and services must adapt.

Reinventing collective housing, and more

The need to make cities denser and to develop original tools for collaboration is giving rise to new ways of approaching the design of urban planning and housing. There are two objectives: to get citizens involved in urban projects that affect them directly; and, in parallel, to promote the design of open and custom collective housing in their own image.

3 questions to Emna Attouri, PhD student at Chaire Construction 4.0

Cast in situ, precast twin walls, precast slabs, modular construction, 3D printing... how do you choose? This, in essence, is the research project being carried out by Emna Attouri, a PhD student participating in the Chaire Construction 4.0 research

3 questions for Andry Zaïd Rabenantoandro, a PhD student at Chaire Construction 4.0

Bouygues Construction and Centrale Lille formed Chaire Construction 4.0 in 2017, to support the digitalisation and industrialisation of the sector. We met with PhD student Andry Zaïd Rabenantoandro, whose thesis is on 3D printing in construction.

Objective: zero waste…

Regulatory pressure is growing on how building and public works waste is processed. The sector produces 70% of waste in France (245 million tonnes, 46 million tonnes of which from the construction sector).

2 Rives, the circular-economy neighbourhood in Paris

When companies start pooling their efforts, sharing their tools and valuing their resources, does that create a circular economy?

When 3D printing meets plastic recycling …

Today, 300 million tons of plastic are produced each and every year worldwide, including more than 60 in Europe, where packaging accounts for the vast majority of single use plastic. Where does it go and how can it be used in 3D printing?

Making paint synonymous with the circular economy

Is it possible to create professional paint with a small carbon footprint and low emissivity? It is, with the start-up, CIRCOULEUR. It is an innovation from Matching Up that has been tested on our sites!

Quai 22 – the city reinvented

This area will be a great place to work, take it easy and unwind. The location, known as ‘Quai 22’, with its mix of city life, water and nature, will be situated on the banks of the river Deûle in the European Metropolis of Lille.

Trials with environmental excellence in carbon energy are not that simple

The aim of the Ademe’s Obec (‘Objectifs Bâtiments Energie Carbone’) programme is to support the trialling of positive energy & carbon reduction buildings (E+C-). It has just presented its initial findings and it is fair to say that they are surprising. Here is why.

The cities facing climate change

Not all cities are equal in the face of climate change. Some have published and committed to resilience strategies. Others are slow to take action ... or simply give up entirely.

The question is no longer “why” but “how” we’re going to stop the ticking clock that’s looming over us

Resilience

Still engaged with change after ninety years

Although the HLM movement will soon be a hundred years old, it is still calmly and determinedly addressing the challenges it must face: providing homes, of course, but also accommodating changes in society. Energy transition, climate change, regional sustainability, and the shift to digitalisation are all taken into account.

Construction Industry: Together, we are stronger!

Bouygues Construction joined Construct Lab in July. This group of construction and public works firms fixes frequent problems in these sectors, and start-up companies apply solutions. Julien Bourcerie, Open Innovation Manager for Bouygues Construction, on “collective intelligence” in construction.

Cities to be: “From aspirational metropolis to inspirational city”

Providing levers for attaining the goals of sustainable development, such is the ambition of Cities to Be. In concrete terms, this means pooling experiences, solutions and best practices, generating momentum among the territories, and persuading players of the building sector to commit to such goals. All in the aim of creating a denser, more resilient city that offers, quite simply, a pleasant way of life.

Temporary urbanism is transforming cities

Creating new spaces and experimental urban projects – whether they’re cultural, social or economic – revitalising spaces before their conversion for future use, making use of empty buildings, creating a dynamic in which members of the community can get involved, encouraging them to take part and to contribute to the creation of an area’s identity etc. A look at temporary urbanism-–building cities differently so that they can adapt to fit the changing needs of their inhabitants.

“We are in the process of making history, with the big bang of energy efficiency”

Meet Emmanuel François, Chairman of the Smart Building Alliance (SBA).

Greener construction – just a fad or a genuine concern?

Across the world, nearly 200 m3 of concrete is poured every second. Concrete is one of the most widely used industrial products - even more so than oil. Although we know all about its advantages in terms of land development, its drawbacks are significant. It is one of the major sources of CO2 emissions due to its cement content. About one billion tonnes of CO2 is released each year in the world by the cement industry. In the face of such global challenges and future changes in urbanisation, a revolution in construction methods is beginning. How can the construction sector commit to becoming more carbon-free?

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.