The construction quality agency (AQC) publishes the Reversibility of buildings report

Intended for all professionals, this report comes with the brochure Reversibility of buildings - Good practices which synthesizes in an educational way the main sensitive points raised in the report.

These documents can be downloaded from the website of the AQC.

In view of the environmental issues in the field of construction and the evolution of urban uses, more and more real estate programs are considering the reversibility of their buildings. One of the most emblematic examples is the athletes' village for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: it will accommodate accommodation for athletes during the competitions before giving way in the legacy phase to a sustainable district with offices, housing, shops. and public facilities.

A study carried out on the basis of a bibliographic analysis and surveys of professionals already involved in reversible operations has yielded many lessons. Among the major points:

• the regulations (acoustics, fire safety, accessibility, etc.) are not the same depending on the destination of the work, which can represent a barrier. To guarantee the reversibility of a building, it is therefore important to take precautionary measures to ensure a possible subsequent upgrade,
• the innovative nature of the construction of reversible buildings involves reorganizing roles and working methods to guard against non-qualities,
• it is essential to study the assemblies of the constituent elements of the building while ensuring the independence of the layers and systems (building grid, dismantling, construction systems, columns, beams, etc.).

Finally, the report also insists on the importance of having qualitative, precise and usable documentation throughout the life of the building and on the risk of overlapping responsibilities and guarantees.

This study was carried out by AQC, accompanied by Ville Aménagement Durable (VAD), with the support of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.