Zen Modular appoints Emmanuelle Carlier de Bussy as Chief Executive Officer

With this appointment, Zen Modular is structuring itself with a view to realizing its approach: offering a digital platform for project owners and architects to enable them to construct buildings from pre-designed modules, manufactured by a network of certified manufacturers spread across France.

For Pascal Chazal: "Three years after its creation and two successful fundraising rounds in 2023 and 2024, Zen Modular is now entering a new phase of its development. 2025 will be the year of realization for us, and Emmanuelle will bring all her expertise to bear to bring our project to fruition and become a 'game changer' in the construction market. »

To achieve this, as the housing shortage worsens in France, Zen Modular now offers three modular room concepts: the "J-Room" for student residence real estate projects, the "C-Room" for healthcare buildings, and the "M-Room" to allow companies to accommodate their mobile employees. The startup aims to deploy 10.000 modules per year by 2027.

More than 20 years of experience, between complex project management and entrepreneurship

An engineer by training (ENTSA) and holder of a Master's degree in urban planning from Sciences Po, Emmanuelle Carlier de Bussy has twenty years of experience in project management and entrepreneurship. She began her career at GEOMOD in 2006 as an R&D engineer. She then became a project manager for Bordeaux Métropole before serving as project manager and then project director, respectively for RLB SQA and Quelleville. In 2016, she co-founded Buildrz – a generative AI engine for the eco-design of housing projects – with three partners and served as its director of operations before selling the company in September 3 to an international group committed to decarbonizing the construction industry.

Emmanuelle is now taking the helm of Zen Modular alongside Pascal Chazal, founder and president, to accelerate its development. This will include the emergence of new modular room concepts, the upcoming launch of the digital platform, and the completion of the startup's first construction projects.

For Emmanuelle Carlier de Bussy: « I am delighted to join this human adventure and contribute to the necessary transformation of a sector in the midst of a crisis. Our ambition is clear: to transform the construction industry through an Object-Oriented Construction approach. Our solution combines carbon excellence, quality of use, and remarkable financial performance. This is an exceptional opportunity to democratize modular construction to meet the sector's many challenges. »

“Products” to effectively respond to the housing shortage, with seniors and students in particular

With the signing in 2024 of strategic partnerships with four leaders in modular construction (AlphaM.3D, Habitat 3D, ModuleM and Ossabois), the Dutch startup Sustainer and the Thebault Group, the complete Zen Modular ecosystem offers its customers unprecedented design efficiency and a catalog of 100% French wooden modular rooms intended to be integrated by architects and project owners into their real estate projects.

Designed based on usage as real "products", manufactured in the factory with a very high level of finish and directly integrating all the elements (bathroom, electrical and plumbing systems, fittings, etc.) that compose it, these rooms - guaranteed without reservation at the time of delivery to the construction site - make it possible to build high-quality low-carbon housing up to twice as fast. In a "Design Thinking" approach, they offer an optimal experience for residents and easier operation for the manager. They accelerate and secure real estate operations, while considerably reducing - by up to 40% - their carbon footprint.

Among the concepts developed by Zen Modular, the "J-Room"—a prototype of which can be visited in Chavanoz—is aimed at student residence project leaders. Two new rooms have now been added to the range. The "C-Room"—freshly unveiled—meets the needs of Healthcare and Residential Facilities for Dependent Elderly People (EHPAD). Its specifications are based on a rigorous approach that includes in-depth research into user needs, a tailored value proposition, ergonomic and functional design, and prototyping to evaluate the selected solutions.

For Emmanuelle Carlier de Bussy: « The healthcare sector, and particularly the nursing home sector, faces numerous challenges. An aging population, a shortage of healthcare staff, increased regulatory requirements, and the growing expectations of residents and their families are all factors that complicate the management and organization of these facilities. Our 'C-Room' provides a solution by combining comfort, security, and practicality to improve the quality of life of residents and caregivers, as well as the working conditions of caregivers. »

As for the M-Room, it provides a housing solution for employees on the move, regardless of the length of their assignment. It's a real asset for any company keen to nurture its employer brand.

For Pascal Chazal: « Major construction projects, like major sporting or cultural events, require quality accommodation for the professionals who make them a success. They also encourage us to rethink temporary solutions, even for the long term, and to ensure the durability and reuse of our modules in order to further advance our eco-design approach. »