Archives

April 2009

Environment & Energy

For « Factor 4 » rehabilitation of detached houses

Rehabilitation of detached houses based on the « factor 4 » is one of the main objectives of ODMIR 4 project supported by the Building Energy Foundation. Phénix houses are at the forefront of this project. The inauguration of the first rehabilitated house a few months ago in the commune of Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry (Seine-et-Marne), is one illustration of it. The profession recognised this rehabilitation by awarding it the prize for the best “renovated house”.

Climate change, energy and real estate: the new deal

Why should real estate professionals and the investors continue to invest in sustainable development, despite a financial crisis that is expected to be severe and a barrel of oil costing less than 50 dollars? Why do things in advance, rather than wait? To help see things more clearly, Jean Carassus presented the stakes for the planet and summarised high energy and environmental efficiency construction models in the framework of a conference organised by the Real Estate & Prospects association at the Paris Commodities Exchange.

Sustainable towers: an enquiry for MEEDDAT

MEEDDAT contacted CSTB to write a state-of-the-art report on office tower buildings with remarkable sustainable development and energy performances. Twenty buildings were listed, and special observations were made on five of them.

NF Tertiary Building certification - the HQE® approach crosses frontiers

Environmental quality has changed from a national to an international priority. The building sector is a large energy consumer, and is the leading sector concerned. An international network (SB Alliance) has been set up to homogenise practices and evaluation systems. This is firstly to assure that environmental quality is dealt with in common internationally, and no longer nationally, in order to maximise chances of success. In the meantime, the French HQE® certification of tertiary buildings also forms part of an approach to cross frontiers and will be exported to other countries in the future.

Research

"Call for expressions of interest" for an installation in CSTB's INTEGRA Technology and Science Park in Grenoble

CSTB has decided to develop a technology and science park (INTEGRA) dedicated to sustainable development on its Saint-Martin-d'Hères site near Grenoble. This project is organised in close relation with the commune, regional communities, the Metro, the Isère General Council, the Rhône-Alpes region and the TENNERDIS, MINALOGIC and AXELERA competitiveness clusters.

Convert facades into energy gaining components

Transforming existing high-rise building facades into active renewable energy gaining components is the challenge that the European Cost-Effective project set for itself! It started in October last year and is designed to last for four years, and is one of the largest projects initiated by the European Commission, at a cost of 11 million Euros and with 26 partners !

Lighting with light emitting diodes: let there be light!

The arrival of light emitting diodes (LED) in force is a major technological change in the lighting industry. The purpose of the CITADEL project (Characterisation of Integration and Durability of LED Lighting Systems in buildings) coordinated by CSTB is to generate a platform for global evaluation of the performances of these devices.

Architecture

Françoise-Hélène Jourda: "Towards a responsible architecture"

Architects who concentrate all their work on sustainable development are few and far between. Françoise-Hélène Jourda's leitmotiv for more than twenty years has been an environmental approach in the broadest sense of the term, and she has been constructing buildings without respecting conventions and stylistic preconceptions. "I am now a very happy woman", she said as the Chairwoman of architecture and sustainable development at Vienna Technical University during a "Carte blanche" meeting organised by CSTB and Archinov on February 3 this year. "The subjects that I have been fighting for have finally become respectable”. An overview of a conference with an architect looking for meaning.

The Franklin tower in Montreuil builds an image for itself

The Hubert & Roy architect's office is getting ready to deliver an operation that demonstrates that making façades satisfying comfort and safety standards can also radically change the image and status of a building. The former Seine-Saint-Denis Urssaf building, renamed the Franklin tower, has swapped its solid concrete appearance for glass façades composed almost entirely of breathing glazing for which CSTB has issued a Technical Experimental Assessment. An overview of the mutation of a 26-storey building, which also transforms the Montreuil-sous-Bois town centre.

Smooth curves for the lace museum in Calais

CSTB evaluated the feasibility of producing a unique and spectacular facade, within the context of an ATEx. The Moatti & Rivière architectural office designed two large bubbles, one concave and one convex, deforming a very serene silk-screen printed plane glazing, for the extension to the Calais Lace Museum.

Strajural, two towers at the Gateway to Asia

CSTB teams were called in by the Valode & Pistre architects to measure the wind actions on a tower nearly 200m high. It will be built in Ekaterinburg, in Russia, at the boundary between Europe and Asia.

The "Stand-Inn" project for a better exchange of technical data

After two years work to extend the use of innovative practices in the construction sector, the Stand-Inn project has just been awarded the Europe Innova prize for the best distribution network for exchanging professional data.

3D architecture competition with real time walk-through

CSTB's Le Corbusier® immersion room was the scene of the final phase in the call for bids for the construction of a 20,000 msq m complex on the Sophia Antipolis site, on December 8, 2008. It consisted of a direct walk-through in the digital models of finalist candidates.

Risk management & Security

Lille stadium: fire safety different from the others

Lille Stadium will be able to accommodate more than 50,000 persons by summer 2012. This will be France's first closed-roof stadium, and consequently fire safety is of overriding importance. CSTB's work will be at two levels: in fire safety and engineering for smoke removal; and in wind design and study of spectator comfort, including wind tunnel design tests.