DV Construction, Quille Construction and Exprimm, subsidiaries of Bouygues Construction, have just signed, as part of a consortium⁽¹⁾, a contract worth 122 million euros in the first phase to renovate and restructure buildings on the Sciences and Technologies campus of Bordeaux I University. Bouygues Construction's share amounts to 116 million euros.

The project, part of Opération Campus initiative, is designed in the innovative form of a design-build-and maintenance contract over 30 years and covers 16 buildings.
DV Construction and Quille Construction are responsible for renovating 12 buildings dating from the 1960s and constructing 4 new buildings, with a total floor area of 87,000 m². Exprimm, a specialist in Facility Management and subsidiary of the Bouygues Construction Energies and Services Division, will provide maintenance for the buildings over 27 years. Financing for the project is not included in the contract: it is not a traditional PPP (Private/public partnership) contract but an innovative public-public arrangement. The financing is being managed in its entirety by the client, SRIA (Société de Réalisation Immobilière et d'Aménagement), a public equity company, and subsidiary of Bordeaux University. The shareholders in SRIA are Bordeaux University (with a majority interest), the Aquitaine Regional Authority and the financial body - la Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.

The project has, at its very heart, respect for the environment and the improvement of energy efficiency, thus illustrating Bouygues Construction's aims with regard to sustainable construction. The old buildings, which incurred significant energy costs, will be completely redeveloped and upgraded to the highest performance levels, without altering their architectural aspect that is part of the university's heritage. All the buildings will be HQE certified and accredited under the BBC (Low Energy Consumption Building) Renovation label. Several of the buildings will include an innovative bioclimatic design: closed in winter, the facade will collect solar energy thus enabling savings to be made. Open in summer, it will allow the buildings to be cooled. An energy-positive building (BEPOS) will also be constructed.

The consortium has also made strong employment commitments. 50% of the work sections will be contracted to SMEs. The consortium is also committed to implementing a social inclusion programme.

The works, which will be carried out on an occupied site, will start in summer 2013 and will last for two years. At peak periods the project will mobilise about a hundred staff.

Bouygues Construction is a global player in building universities, active in design, construction and maintenance, for both new-builds and renovations. The Group has just delivered the UFR (teaching and research unit) for medicine of the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, whose operation and maintenance it will also be responsible for. It is finalising phase two of the design-build works for the Sorbonne Paris IV University Clignancourt Centre and will operate the facilities for 28 years. Internationally, Bouygues Construction has a large number of references, and is currently constructing university buildings in Poland and the Czech Republic.
 
⁽¹⁾ The consortium comprises DV Construction, project representative, Quille Construction, AUA Paul Chemetov (architect), Debarre Duplantiers Associés (architect), ECCTA Engineering (technical design consultant), Agence Franck Boutté consultants (environmental technical consultant), and Exprimm.