Builders Engineering School and Vendée company Alegina sign a licensing agreement on permeable paving stones made from oyster shells

BUILDERS Engineering School has for many years integrated the challenges of sustainable construction into the heart of its teaching and research programs. Its laboratories have thus developed a draining paving stone based on shell co-products, providing a solution to three major problems: the preservation of non-renewable natural resources, rainwater management and the fight against heat islands in urban areas. This project resulted in the filing of a patent.

ALEGINA, created in 2018 in Vendée, transforms oyster shells into innovative materials and products, ranging from a unique and prestigious porcelain equipping the beautiful tables of France to a complete range of permeable low-carbon shell paving stones, suitable for all types of traffic, already distributed throughout France.

For several weeks, the inhabitants of Maulévrier have been able to walk on an innovative surface, deployed over an area of ​​900 m², on the Emilie Chacun public square, capable of draining rainwater and restoring freshness in the event of extreme heat thanks to the use of permeable and cooling paving stones.

A sustainable and innovative material covered by patent FR3029199 filed in June 2015 by BUILDERS Lab with the INPI under the title "manufacture of concrete construction elements containing crushed shells, self-draining and mechanically resistant". This patent gives rise to a licensing agreement for France through which ALEGINA and BUILDERS Ecole d'ingénieurs intend to accelerate the emergence of sustainable construction materials and products. The agreement comes at the conclusion of discussions initiated between the two parties around this patent and its exploitation.

Develop the marketing of paving stones containing crushed shells

With this signature, ALEGINA recognizes the work invested by BUILDERS Ecole d'ingénieurs by setting up a license, the starting point for a collaboration intended to be "constructive, efficient, balanced", respecting the interests of each party and promoting the development and deployment of sustainable construction products. For its part, BUILDERS Ecole d'ingénieurs recognizes the quality of the R&D conducted by ALEGINA, its industrial know-how and its ability to meet the exponential needs in terms of permeable urban soils, and sees its intellectual property strengthened by sealing a partnership likely to promote the concrete implementation of its technologies.

Beyond the BUILDERS Engineering School patent and the licensing agreement, the two partners are laying the foundations for a broader collaboration in their research, innovation and development activities, by mutually opening up their training and teaching needs and resources, and their networks of stakeholders and partners.