Improving the energy efficiency of structures, reducing CO₂ emissions, protecting biodiversity and changing uses, such are our work priorities in terms of innovation.

Directly related to sustainable development, our innovation processes strengthen the partnerships that we forge with companies, laboratories, colleges and universities.
Combining all of these skills enables us to carry out a large number of future projects with significant added value. For example: the designing of insulating concretes (Thermedia 3.0) with Lafarge, optimisation of window insulation with Saint-Gobain, and creation of the "Sustainable Building and Innovation" chair with the l’École des Ponts Paris Tech, l’École Centrale Paris, Supélec and the CSTB ( l’École des Ponts Paris Tech), etc.

BIM (Building Information Modelling) also holds an important place in our R&D policy. We are already carrying out projects using this process through which information from the digital model is managed throughout the life of the structure: Paris Philharmonic Hall, Singapore Sports Hub, Amiens University Hospital Centre or Abidjan bridge. Thanks to significant progress made by companies and software publishers, the tools are now powerful enough to provide increasingly realistic images and real time interactions.

And because our employees have ideas that are often worth knowing and putting into action, we have set up a collaborative innovation process. Every 2 years a competition is organised and is bearing fruit: 889 dossiers were presented in 2014. A committee will select the best innovations and will provide the means to bring them to life.

Reducing our environmental impact starts right from the design stage of our projects. To guarantee compliance with eco-design principles, we rely on environmental certifications (BREEAM®, LEED®, HQE®, etc.) which are currently implemented on 66% of our building orders compared with 23% in 2007.
Various tools enable us to integrate eco-design into our projects:

•  lifecycle analysis in order to quantify all of the environmental impacts of our products,
•  the Polygreen database which lists over 5,500 construction products according to technical, health and environmental criteria, and also production sites and labels,
• the BiodiverCity® label created in 2013 with the International Biodiversity & Property Council (IBPC) in order to assess and promote property operations that take into account biodiversity in built-up areas for the benefit of users.

After the design stage, we also pull out all the stops to limit our environmental impacts during the construction of buildings. In addition to this goal, we want to make sure that the projects are fully integrated into the territory, whilst respecting residents.
To provide our customers with the guarantee of building exemplary sites, in 2010 we created the internal environmental label, Ecosite^®. Waste management, reduction of nuisances for residents, protection of biodiversity: these themes are addressed in line with the strictest environmental regulations and our sustainable development goals. In 2013, 68% of our eligible sites were labelled Ecosite^®.
On the sites, environmental respect also, and above all, involves a collective awareness that we encourage through our prevention policy. Based on an ISO 14001 certified environmental management system, this process is used extensively in the field. In 2013, 91% of our activity was certified.

Once the buildings have been delivered, we assist our customers up to controlling the consumptions of their structures. The aim is to guarantee real and no longer theoretical energy performance. This reflection exceeds the simple scope of the building and progressively extends to the district or city scale.
In practical terms, energy performance contracts (EPC) allow the user to see guaranteed energy consumption for his premises throughout the life of the contract. Implemented in 2010, the Vitry-Sur-Seine EPC, which was the first energy performance contract produced in social housing, is showing positive results. Following work and one year of heating, the residential building has already reported more than 50% of energy savings. On top of that: savings and greater comfort for the tenants.

In addition to the energy performance needs of structures, new equipment and service needs are emerging for users. In order to meet them, EnergyPass®, the social housing energy management system, provides tenants with an innovative energy consumption measurement and monitoring screen. At the same time, the offer is complemented with a tenant assistance and awareness-raising programme as well as technical maintenance over several years in order to make the benefits sustainable.