Sustainable building: regional real estate is accelerating

Five real estate and construction experts debated at the Lab Immo Midi Libre in Montpellier Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

A major emitter of greenhouse gases and a consumer of energy, construction must reinvent itself. Professionals showed the way, with examples to support their argument, at the Lab Immo Midi Libre on September 19 at the Hôtel de Girard in Montpellier.

This fall, the construction sector is doing badly. But it also knows how to reinvent itself, to become a sustainable sector, as detailed by five experts, Thursday evening during the Lab Immo Midi Libre in Montpellier. The challenge is considerable, for developers, promoters and construction companies. Indeed, the housing sector accounts for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 44% of energy consumed, far ahead of transport, remind Ademe and the Ministry of Ecology.

Michaël Lalande, Idealys, French Proptech

“In terms of smart cities and heat networks, the City and Metropolis of Montpellier, through the operator Altémed, are exemplary and pioneers on a national scale. This must be remembered, especially a few days before the National HLM Congress (September 24-26 in Montpellier). Idealys works mainly with social landlords. As they are sole owners, it is easy to deploy solutions on a large scale in their rental properties."

"Faced with global warming, we can remain fatalistic, or act"

Faced with the challenge, regulations are becoming stricter for new buildings, with the application of the RE 2020 environmental regulations.“In the face of global warming, we can remain fatalistic, or we can act. At CDC Habitat (38,000 social and intermediate housing units in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine), we act by thinking about how to build, with which materials”, explains Jérôme Farcot, South-West interregional director of CDC Habitat, referring for example to a recent program built in stone. Michel Capra, director of real estate operations at Promologis (Action Logement), is leading an ambitious urban transformation project in the heart of Nîmes.

Philippe Guigon, Envirobat Occitanie

“I have a soft spot for the new primary school “Les bergers des étoiles”, in Argelliers, in Hérault, built from wood and straw. The project, supported by the municipality, has sparked opposition from parents. And now that it has become a reality, everyone is very satisfied. Another exemplary sustainable building is the new Synox headquarters (internet of things), in Castelnau-le-Lez (designed by Zuo Architecture).
Sustainable building also means taking water resources into account. We must continue to de-impermeabilize soils. Well-maintained lawns are not an end in themselves. Grass can be allowed to grow freely. The main thing is that the soils of cities become sponges, and not funnels."

Laurent Romanelli, president of M&A, recalls the importance of common sense rules.“The foundations of sustainable building are immutable: orientation, insulation, use of ventilation, blocking out the sun…" With this in mind, CDC Habitat has managed to lower the temperature by three degrees in its homes in the summer by painting the roofs of buildings in Saint-Georges-d’Orques and Castelnau-le-Lez white.

​​​​​​​Michel Capra, Promologis

“In the hypercentre of Nîmes, near the SNCF train station and the arenas, Promologis will transform the 7,000 square metres of buildings formerly occupied by AXA into 125 student housing units and 700 square metres of offices. The construction site will be officially launched on 4 October, with an opening planned for the start of the 2025 academic year. The project has a triple virtue. It contributes to the Zan objectives (zero net artificialisation), by reusing an existing strategic building. Furthermore, the building will undergo a major thermal renovation. Finally, many materials present on the site will be reused, in a circular economy approach: partitions, desks, doors, false ceiling tiles, carpets, etc. They will be put back on the market, or reused on site. Like the glass panels, recovered as headboards in student housing. The project was entrusted to the GCC Group and the Charrière and Jacob architecture firm, which specializes in student housing. Excluding the acquisition of the building (carried out by the Foncière de Transformation Immobilière, ActionLogement), the investment amounts to 10.5 million euros."

Envirobat and Idealys as scouts

To disseminate good practices, the Envirobat resource center, supported by Ademe and the Occitanie Region, supports public and private project owners. For example, the construction of colleges supported by the Departments of Hérault (Juvignac college in particular, scheduled for the start of the 2025 school year) or Haute-Garonne, which are aiming for the “Sustainable Buildings Occitanie” label. Originality of the approach of Envirobat, which has 300 members in the region: “The projects are presented to an open assembly, at different stages of their life: design, works, then after two years of operation. Then, a jury of professionals completes the rating. After 20 years, I continue to learn and draw innovations!", smiles Philippe Guigon, vice-president of Envirobat Occitanie, and manager of the Netallia design office (10 employees), in Castelnau-le-Lez.

Jérôme Farcot, CDC Habitat

“While the Pinel tax exemption scheme is being phased out for new real estate, new tax levers are emerging in the renovation of old buildings. For acquisition-improvement operations, VAT is now reduced to 10% for intermediate rental housing, provided that two energy classes are gained. It is one more solution, which meets a very strong need for housing, particularly for the middle classes. And it goes in the direction of sustainable building."

Avoiding additional costs

For its part, the proptech Idealys (Montpellier and Paris) is positioning itself as a connected building operator, using digital technology to improve building performance. The applications are numerous: bioclimatic management, maintenance prediction, guarantee of the best energy rates for consumers… "We also need to support users, insists Michaël Lalande, CEO. This involves energy coaching and raising awareness of eco-friendly actions." Idealys, currently in the fundraising phase, is diversifying into tertiary and logistics buildings, to deploy its technical management and consumption monitoring solutions, as well as its dashboards helping with better management.

​​​​​​​Laurent Romanelli, M&A

"There is the Nutri-Score on food packaging. Why not a ‘Bâtiscore’ in the building industry, as an extension of the environmental and health declaration sheets (FDES), which apply to construction products ? This would provide a global vision of the true carbon impact.
M&A anticipates the sustainability of its operations. We are conducting experiments: positive energy buildings (Villa Laurès), cooling student housing without using air conditioning but by night ventilation… Sometimes, without additional cost and with common sense solutions, we achieve convincing results. If a solution generates additional costs, we weigh up the increase in charges against the decrease in bills."

There remains a crucial issue for sustainable construction: remaining accessible. "Of course, we must be virtuous in the way we build and operate buildings. But people must be able to buy or rent to find housing. Be careful not to be out of touch with the market, particularly in terms of co-ownership charges", warns Laurent Romanelli.

Next Lab Immo on November 14, 2024 on the theme "When the ZAN pushes to rebuild the city on the city".