Inauguration of the archives of the European Metropolis of Lille: a model of sobriety and energy performance

The 12.000 m2 of buildings housing the MEL archives and printing works as well as the Sourcéo services are now more efficient and smarter thanks to the solutions designed and deployed by Axima, an entity of Equans France. The project also benefited from the know-how of Equans Digital, on which the Axima teams relied to create a complete digital twin of the buildings in BIM.

Within the consortium whose agent is Sogea Caroni (Vinci), with Dehaene Partenaires and Projex, the Axima experts ensured the design and execution of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and centralized technical management of the MEL archives in Ronchin. . Axima is also in charge of the maintenance of this new set of buildings for 6 years, which allows it to benefit from a global vision of energy performance. This is why it has also made commitments to optimize energy consumption and the carbon footprint of buildings.

A digital twin to optimize installations

Equans Digital has produced a complete digital twin of the buildings in BIM (Building Information Modelling) with a 3D model. The challenge is all the greater since the conservation of archives involves precise technical specificities, in particular the maintenance of a constant temperature and humidity despite the vagaries of the weather. Axima's experts have co-designed efficient and sober solutions for air filtration based on cold and hot coils to ensure dehumidification, but also on a humidification and recycling system for treatment. air.

The building's dynamic energy simulation enabled the Axima experts to determine actual consumption and to commit to achieving consumption of 278 MWh, or 87 kWhEP/m2. In addition, in partnership with the Lille start-up Octopus Lab, the impact of building materials on air quality has been modeled and taken into account.

A strong environmental ambition

If the results observed are convincing in terms of energy, the ambition of the European Metropolis of Lille also relates to a broader environmental approach. The energy performance, made possible by the preliminary studies as well as the technical achievements, is reinforced by the installation of a geothermal energy to supply the production of hot and cold essential to the conservation of the archives. Too often left in the blind spot of real estate projects, renewable energies are thus at the heart of this set of tertiary buildings.

In addition, the building, which also houses the Métropole's printing press and the services of Sourcéo – a public industrial and commercial establishment created in 2016 by the MEL to ensure its water production – benefits from 450 m2 of photovoltaic panels. A rainwater recovery system and the use of biosourced materials complete the environmental component to make the MEL archives an exemplary model.

“The teams at Axima, an entity of Equans, world leader in the energy and services sector, are proud to take real action to demonstrate that sobriety is compatible with energy, environmental and economic performance. We must continue to innovate to provide concrete and effective responses in a particular international context. The design and construction of the archives building of the European Metropolis of Lille is a model to follow which confirms the urgency of being ambitious in order to collectively take up the climate challenge. » Dominique Néel, Deputy Managing Director at Equans France.