The National Ready-Mixed Concrete Union awards the prizes for its “Concrete and Building RE2020” competition

While the 2020 Environmental Regulations (“RE2020”), which came into force in January 2022, reinforce the requirements for results in terms of building design, comfort and energy consumption, the ready-mixed concrete sector ( BPE) intends to reaffirm that it is meeting the new regulatory deadlines of 2025, 2028 and beyond.

This has been achieved with the “Concrete and Building RE2020” competition, which highlights low-carbon works currently in progress, with the aim of demonstrating through proof that ready-mixed concrete is able to meet the requirements of regulatory requirements in the years to come.

The competition is also an opportunity to recall that - as part of the multi-criteria approach desired by the profession - concrete has real advantages: resistant, durable, 100% recyclable and local material, it plays a key role in the energy transition as a constituent of wind turbine bases, dams, soft transport infrastructures… without forgetting the construction of high buildings limiting urban sprawl.

4 projects promoted across France

After deliberation, the competition jury – made up of professionals from the sector – wanted to highlight 4 particularly exemplary projects, among the twenty projects examined. The winning projects all allow gains of around 40% in terms of carbon footprint compared to conventional concrete:

• The company EQIOM, for its participation in the construction of the “Ilot fertile” district in Paris (75). This 34.000 m2 urban project brings together, in an entirely pedestrian environment: 126 mixed housing units, 164 student housing units, more than 6.000 m2 of offices, 129 hotel rooms and 228 youth hostel beds, 6 shops including 1 restaurant, as well as a sports complex of 3.500m2. Of the 22.000 m3 of concrete used for this project, the EQIOM company used 80% low-carbon concrete, allowing a 40% reduction in carbon impact compared to conventional concrete. The fertile island is therefore resolutely pioneering in its design, and is worth the award of the “low carbon” prize in the competition to the EQIOM group.

• The SEBM company, for its involvement in the construction of a training and accommodation center for the Compagnons du Devoir and Tour de France association, in Brignais (69). The 10.000 m2 construction will accommodate 450 young people from the vocational training organization. The project uses biosourced materials, as well as a mixture of low-carbon concrete and hemp concrete, for a total of 6.000 m3. The work and the SEBM company were awarded the “Mixity” prize in the competition.

• The Lafarge group, for the construction of the “SymphonIA” experimental building, in Sophia Antipolis (06). This virtuous project consists of producing, on the former DOW Chemical site, two office buildings with a surface area of ​​9 m644. The project, designed in compliance with the RE 2 environmental standard, is the first building in Sophia-Antipolis to be built with 2020% low-carbon concrete. This represents a saving of 1 tonnes of CO100, or a reduction in carbon emissions of 900% compared to traditional concrete. This “green site” won the RE 2 prize in the SNBPE ​​competition.

• The EDYCEM company, for its work on the new Talmont Saint-Hilaire college (85). The establishment has made numerous efforts to offer an exemplary building in view of environmental standards. Photovoltaic panels, natural ventilation, and redesigned thermal insulation were added to the new construction composed of a mixture of biosourced materials and 3.000 m3 of low-carbon concrete. These concretes offer a 40% carbon footprint reduction on the entire site compared to traditional concretes. The project was also awarded the RE 2020 prize in the competition.