Kaufman & Broad's first BREEAM certified building
Project Details
- Scheme & Version: Europe Commercial 2009: Offices
- Stage: Final
- Location: Boulogne Billancourt, France
- Score & Rating: 61.4% Very Good
- Certificate Number: BREEAM-0063-0426
Project Team
- Client: Kaufman & Broad
- Assessor: Bénefficience
- Investor: Boursorama Banque
- Developer: Kaufman & Broad Real Estate
- Contractor: AGB
- Project Manager: Hytecc
- Architect / Design Team: Studioninedots and Ateliers 115
- Asset occupier: Boursorama Banque
About the building
This building has been conceived as part of the joint development zone “Ile Séguin – Rive de Seine” in Boulougne Billancourt in the Paris region. The eco-district is created on a 70 hectares site, occupied by Renault factories since the beginning of the 19th century. Imagined as the head office of a new kind of company, the asset fullfils the requirements of Boursorama for whom the building is the new head quarter”
Paul-André ISNARD, Technical Director of Kaufman & Broad : “The BREEAM certification is a cost-efficient means of bringing sustainable value to the asset”.
Green Strategy
Our aim is to create buildings more performant than required by building regulations, in order to construct buildings that are always more energy saving and virtuous, comfortable and healthy.
“We chose the BREEAM certification because we wanted to invest in a foreign environmental certification to target a larger international investor base. BREEAM is the only international environmental certification recognizing French national building regulations and environmental requirements. The BREEAM certification is also the world’s most widely used environmental certification, and the international environmental certification most widely used in France. We also consider the BREEAM certification to be a good complement to the French HQE, particularly regarding how it integrates the notion of biodiversity”- Paul André ISNARD – Technical director of Kaufman & Broad
“The building occupants are sensitive to the green value of the asset and the quality of the views from their offices. Moreover their personal thermal and acoustic comfort is optimized due to the use of high-quality equipment for building services and a user-friendly and efficient building management system” – Vinci Facilities – Facility manager
Achievements as a result of using BREEAM
- Increased building value
- Anticipating and facilitating the operation and maintenance of the building
- Including a qualified ecologist in the design team
- Expand to an international occupiers and investors base
- BREEAM is easily adapted to the French context and allows to achieve an international environmental certification under good conditions
The energy performance of the building is 40 % above the level required by French building regulations. This result was achieved using a performant envelope: the façades are in majority composed of high-performance sun control windows. The heat and cooling production is provided by community heating whose energy source is in majority renewable. Distribution in the building is provided by a reversible ceiling. The hot water necessary for the staff restaurant is produced by solar panels
The largely glazed façade ensures access to high levels of daylighting in all areas, although the asset is located in a dense urban area, with shade caused by neighbouring close by assets. Performant manoeuvrable shadings, internal or external according to the façade, provides efficient protection from sun exposure and glare.
Although there is little space available, an ambitious programme for green spaces was implemented, including a green roof, nesting boxes as well as local species of plants on the accessible terraces.
A “Green building site” code of conduct applied to all works on the site. A special issue was the quality of ground water pumped of the site during works, that was released into the Seine river.
A special focus on indoor air quality allowed to implement performant filters on the air intakes, as well as to consider VOC emissions for all internal building materials employed
A large bicycle storage space is provided on the first underground level. A dedicated lift is the original means to access this space
The central waste storage space is easily accessible through three different doorways. Dedicated spaces on each floor allow efficient separation of recyclable materials
Harvested rainwater is used for the watering of external spaces
The use of a steel structure, which is quite unusual in France, as well as collaborative metal forms slabs, allowed to reduce the quantity of materials employed as well as their environmental impact. The design of the building is sober, and employs robust high quality materials and equipment which guarantee their durability