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| Bouygues Construction wins contract for positive-energy building Bouygues Construction subsidiary Norpac, operating in northern France, has won a contract for construction of one of the first positive-energy buildings in France: an archives building for the Nord administrative district. To be carried out under a design-and-build contract for a total sum of 30 million euros, the project is for the Conseil Général du Nord and is located in Lille. The building was designed by architects Pierre Gilbert (Zigzag Architecture) and Jérôme de Alzua. In addition to archives rooms, its total floor space of more than 13,000 sq. metres will include extensive work areas. A positive-energy building is one that produces more energy than it consumes. The seven-storey building will be clad with a material that has the appearance of papyrus. Its bright stainless-steel design means it will be self-cleaning through the action of rainwater runoff. An ecoroof will protect the building from outdoor weather conditions and enhance its durability. All the construction materials have been selected for their superior performance in terms of temperature and humidity as well as their durability: concrete post-and-beam framing (to keep the structure light and minimise foundation works), Monomur blocks (insulating wall infill), and concrete hollow-core slabs for floors (in order to extend floor spans and thereby reduce the number of supporting columns). The project is currently at the design phase. Construction will start in the first half of 2009 and will take two-and-a-half years (handover in October 2011). write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Construction News :: home page |