Archives

March 2010

Leading articles

DEARSUN: when thermal solar covers the building heat demand

To produce and store heat at a temperature of up to 150°C using thermal solar energy; this is the purpose of the DEARSUN research project initiated by Enersun. This project brings many SMEs and R&D partners together around CSTB.

Terra Magna: at the time of the 3rd dimension

CSTB is working alongside the Star-Apic Company as one of the partners of the Terra Magna project. The Terra Magna project aims at bringing geographic information systems into the 3D age. It will also enable inter-operability of applications related to the design and simulation of towns. The keystone is the possibility of being able to propose sustainable urban renewal and development solutions.

Environment and energy

Carole Le Gall, CSTB Managing Director, elected co-president of SB Alliance

Sustainable Building Alliance elected a French-British female pair to lead it during its General Assembly on January 29 this year in Paris. The new leaders are Carole Le Gall, CSTB Managing Director, and Carol Atkinson, BRE Global (Building Research Establishment) Managing Director.

Control of Health and Safety risks

OP2H: Close up on the propagation of electromagnetic waves

The purpose of the OP2H program was to develop a tool to simulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves taking account of the heterogeneity of building façades. Mission accomplished after three years of research.

Cladding under seismic loads

CSTB has a test platform that realistically recreates the effect of an earthquake to test add-on cladding and shortly other products such as sandwich panels and glass façades.

Quality of products and structures

New laboratories dedicated to innovative lighting works

CSTB Grenoble has acquired new test benches to test new generation lighting systems based on LEDs. What light is emitted for each watt consumed? Is there any degradation or variation in the light flux with time? Is the colour rendering satisfactory? Manufacturers are expecting answers to all these questions to obtain satisfactory and economic lighting in homes or in public spaces.

Architecture and innovation

Emmanuelle Colboc: "Construction always involves making a link"

Architect Emmanuelle Colboc was the most recent guest at the "Women’s Cartes Blanches" cycle organised by CSTB and Archinov. It provided an opportunity to present the latest news about a project that relocates space at the centre of architectural concerns.

"Galeo", a monolith of glass scales in the Paris region

Christian de Portzamparc has drawn an unusual and heterogeneous complex in the West Seine district in Issy-les-Moulineaux. CSTB has issued a Technical Experimental Assessment for the façades and glass walls in the main building. We will take another look at the new HQE head office of Bouygues Immobilier, one of the most significant architectural works in the tertiary sector during the year 2009.

A garden and a Canopy in the heart of Paris

A few months of patience will be necessary before the Halles de Paris redevelopment project can be started. The main point of this emblematic operation is its glass envelope (the Canopy) that extends over an external garden. CSTB was asked to determine wind forces on the roof and to study the comfort of local inhabitants.

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