The Best Construction Site in France competition, organized by ESTP students, returns for its 4th edition

Applications for the 4th edition of "Best Construction Site in France" (LMCF) are now open, and around fifteen companies have already applied. In just a few years, this national inter-company competition, organized by the student association Passion BTP, has established itself as a benchmark in the construction sector.

Building on the success of previous editions, the student association of ESTP - Grande école des ingénieurs de la construction, continues its ambition: to introduce future engineers and engineer-architects to exceptional construction sites throughout France, to highlight the know-how of construction companies, and to encourage good practices in innovation, safety, environment and working conditions.

A recognized competition, evaluated by ESTP students

Open to major companies as well as mid-sized and small businesses, the "Best Construction Site in France" competition is based on a unique principle: allowing ESTP students to discover construction sites through supervised visits, in order to evaluate them based on rigorous criteria updated annually, reflecting the challenges of the sector. The competition is structured around two categories, execution and design, to reflect the diversity of professions and approaches.

In 2025, the IDEC Group won first prize in the construction category for Sisley's new cosmetics production site in Vendôme, praised for its environmental and technical performance. Kaufman & Broad received first prize in the design category for the Tour Silva construction site in Bordeaux, one of the tallest timber towers in Europe, recognized for its architectural excellence and low carbon footprint. These two projects demonstrate the diversity of construction sites and the technical, environmental, and organizational challenges analyzed on-site by the students. The winning companies also had the opportunity to present their projects again to the students at a conference at ESTP in January 2026.

A 4th edition already well underway

For this 4th edition, the evaluation criteria have been adjusted to strengthen field observation and deepen the analysis of construction site practices. In the Construction category, the questionnaires now more clearly distinguish between the specific characteristics of building and public works, while maintaining equivalent weighting. This change aims to reduce the proportion of overly general questions, promote more open-ended questions, and encourage direct observation of construction site practices, in relation to the current challenges facing the sector. Furthermore, prevention and safety issues, already integrated into previous editions, remain a key focus of the evaluation.

Registration will close at the end of February. The first visits began in January and will continue until spring, both in the Île-de-France region and in other regions.

Passion BTP, a key player in the school-business link

Founded in 2018, Passion BTP is a professionalizing student association at ESTP, based on the Cachan campus, and comprised of 22 students dedicated to organizing site visits and events. Since the start of the academic year, 245 students have already participated in 12 site visits (excluding the LMCF competition), confirming the association's experience and ability to manage large-scale projects in real-world conditions and to foster exchanges between students and professionals.

As part of the "Best Construction Site in France" competition, it also demonstrates its ability to bring together professional stakeholders of all sizes around this project. The 4th edition thus benefits from the support of strategic partners such as Syntec-Ingénierie, the FNTP, Batiactu, Atlas, and Concepteurs d'Avenirs, guaranteeing high-level organization and professional project evaluation.

The new Passion BTP team, appointed before summer 2025, is chaired by Raphaëlle Guinnepain, a third-year student in a dual engineering-architecture degree program at ESTP. Continuing the work of previous administrations, the aim is to further develop the competition and strengthen its visibility among industry stakeholders.

According to Raphaëlle Guinnepain, president of the Passion BTP 2025-2026 association: “The Best Construction Site in France is the culmination of a year of site visits conducted with companies and committed students to provide a concrete understanding of the construction industry. My goal, with the new team, is to continue this momentum while expanding the competition on campus, in order to reach as many students as possible.”

Join us on May 19th for the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony for the 4th edition will be held on May 19th at the SMA BTP premises in Paris 15th. It will bring together at least 300 participants, including students, companies, partners and institutional players in the sector.