Innovation in Design and Construction Methods.
Use of eco-materials
The high environmental ambitions of the project require the nature of the building materials to considered. The whole aim of the E+/C- label is to find a balance between renewable energy resources, which are often carbon-based, and carbon efficiency in the construction materials.
This is why we have carefully selected the construction products, in particular structural wood, throughout the project. For the walls and floors of the building, which represent about 70% of the carbon impact of the structure, the choice was also made to use wood, including for the vertical spaces.
In addition, we have included the project in a circular economy process that has enabled us to recover, through re-use and reconditioning, approximately 1/3 of the elements identified prior to the project, i.e. approximately 7 tons eqCO2 saved.
Reduce the pollution associated with the construction site
The implementation of a wooden structure led us to rethink construction methods in a Principality where the management of noise pollution and construction site restrictions are at the heart of the design.
We have therefore opted for optimised prefabrication of the structure and facades in the workshop, which considerably reduced the number of operations on site. Coupled with this prefabrication, an innovative self-climbing site lifting method (without crane) made it possible to create a mobile work platform that protected the wood from the weather.
The massive use of structural wood, the prefabrication necessary, and the lightness that it gives to the work will be equally useful in enabling easy dismantling, promoting the reuse of materials and minimising the impact of the building at the end of its life.
Finally, acoustic tarpaulins were deployed to limit noise pollution in the neighbourhood during the entire construction period.
Implementing an innovative energy mix
Egis has carried out extensive research and innovation work to optimise energy and carbon.
The limited footprint restricted the available roofing area for the installation of photovoltaic panels, made worse by the masking effects of neighbouring towers. So we designed an innovative energy hub that, as well as renewable resources (solar panels, geothermal probes), also combined an electric battery (Li-ion) and a hydrogen cell, both reversible.
The role of this hub is to store surplus renewable energy available in order to release it later, replacing less virtuous energy. The storage is mainly based on the photovoltaic potential of the site. Incidentally, during the coldest winter periods, the process uses the fuel cell element in clean cogeneration via a biogas supply.
