January 2010

Leading articles

Towards a single label for environmental quality and energy performance in certified buildings

The major building certification players in France (the CSTB Group and QUALITEL, the body responsible for promoting housing quality in France) will integrate unique energy and environmental performance measurement labels in their reference documents in 2010, within the framework of the Multi-Stakeholders’ Consultation Meeting on the Environment.

NF Tertiary Buildings in Operation - HQE® Approach: from construction to sustainable operation

CertiVéA, a subsidiary of CSTB, has launched a new aspect of NF Tertiary Buildings certification associated with the HQE® approach, namely the operation part of this certification. Owners, operators and users can now use this new national and international certification to certify environmental and energy performances of buildings. The first eight certifications were awarded on December 9 this year.

Environment and energy

Evaluation of heat pumps: combination of virtual and real

CSTB has developed an experimental geothermal platform within the ENR (Renewable Energies) cluster in Sophia Antipolis. More precisely, it has developed a semi-virtual laboratory through which manufacturers, industrialistsmanufacturers? and institutions such as ADEME can evaluate products, and particularly heat pumps, under almost real conditions. Explanations and test methodology.

Towards a Pan-European tool for calculating the energy performance of buildings

Different conferences dedicated to software for calculating the energy performance of buildings were held in Brussels, Paris, Istanbul and Zagreb with a two-fold objective: to measure the advantages of this type of software and to define actions to support the development and application of a common calculation methodology based on European standards.

ELODIE, two years later...

CSTB has been working on its ELODIE software that is a tool designed to facilitate the use and "consolidation" of data contained in construction products FDES (Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets) on the scale of a building, for more than two years. After a year of beta tests on the "construction products module, ELODIE will be provided to construction players with two new modules to handle impacts related to energy and water consumption.

Controlled Health and Safety risks

Madagascar: a hotel designed to resist cyclones

A hotel will shortly be built on Sainte Marie Island in Madagascar. This eco-tourist project is in a cyclone zone, and a wind study was carried out on it before the work started.

Sustainable town and building

3D display of a façade lighting project

Simulating façade lighting is one application of the tool developed by CSTB, to create a 3D virtual model from digital negatives. This should be particularly interesting for lighting designers.

Quality of products and structures

Certisolis TC, subsidiary specialising in Tests and Certification of the performances of solar photovoltaic modules

Certisolis TC was created through a partnership between CSTB and LNE, and confirms the commitment of these two leaders in the field of metrology and construction to develop a photovoltaic solar cell energy performance testing and certification laboratory. CERTISOLIS TC is supported by the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA2) and the National Institute for Solar Energy (INES).

Architecture and innovation

Brigitte Métra: a design experience at the heart of the context

Brigitte Métra was Project Leader at Jean Nouvel for many years, and is now continuing her activity under her own name, and is still a preferred partner for the construction of theatres such as the Théâtre de l’Archipel in Perpignan and the long waited La Villette Philharmonic concert hall in Paris. An overview of a 2-hour conference organised by CSTB and Archinov with the assistance of an architect who has excellent experience in this subject.

A pharaonic architectural project in Makkah

The Omar Jabal project includes plans for the construction of about fifteen towers in Makkah; the lowest will be 60 metres high and the tallest almost 200 metres. The two tallest form a hotel complex to accommodate pilgrims, and will face each other and be connected by a walkway 150 metres above the ground forming an arch facing Al-Masjid Al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque. CSTB was called in to help with the wind design of these two towers and improve pedestrian comfort under wind.

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