Innovation and sustainable construction
Coquelles, France Environment and Resource efficiency
Description
The innovation management covers every aspect of sustainable construction:
▶ Designing and constructing buildings that are simple in terms of energy needs, even positive-energy buildings.
▶ Reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life cycle of the buildings.
Each project requires an incubation phase of varying duration to draw lessons and evaluate the reproducibility
of the solutions deployed. Feedback is based on various criteria:
▶ Environmental impact: energy consumption, environmental benefit etc.
▶ Financial impact: extra cost, reduced bills for residents etc.
▶ Maintenance and operating conditions
▶ The behaviours and habits of residents
Context
Habitat 62/59 Picardie has engaged in a proactive effort aimed areducing its environmental footprint and obtained ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system in 2006.
The aim of the environmental policy is to strengthen the action on climate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while addressing the social issue of combating deprivation among the poorest households by reducing energy bills. Habitat 62/59 Picardie collaborated with property owners, members of the Habitat Réuni social housing cooperative association, to develop a baseline for the situation of the rental stock and to draw up a benchmark scenario targeting the achievement of Grenelle Environment by 2050. This scenario combines interventions on existing building structures and installations, seeking the best return per euro invested, and actions on new builds.
Actors involved
- Habitat 62/59 Picardie
Results
The development of exemplary and innovative operations is a driver of differentiation for both the property owner and the local authority, while it offers an opportunity to enhance the corporate image. Monitoring the consumption in Passivhaus certified buildings shows that consumption is in line with the aims defined at the beginning. Habitat 62/59 Picardie has identified the issue of billing and the communication of consumption to clients as an area for improvement. Meter reading systems are developed in the current project that give feedback to the client in real time.
To ensure that the performance of these buildings is sustained over time, there is a need to improve support for residents while introducing new habits and behaviours with the new installations. Training and information for staff on marketing and management of the housing stock also seems essential
if this approach is to be promoted in the long-term.
Why it works
✚ Reduction of the environmental footprint through buildings
renovation to low energy or positive energy.
✚ Use of triple glazing, PV panels, renewable heat technologies
in the renovated estates.
✚ It is a comprehensive strategy applied to different housing
estates.
Scale
local
http://www.habitathdf.fr/