Bouygues Immobilier lays the foundation stone of L'Ilot Vert development in Grenoble - 07 May 2010

On 7 May 2010, François Bertière, Chairman and CEO of Bouygues Immobilier, and Michel Destot, Mayor of Grenoble, laid the foundation stone of L'Ilot Vert in Grenoble.

Close to the city centre, the project is located in the Blanche Monier mixed-use development zone in the Ile Verte neighbourhood. A pilot scheme, it will be the first eco-neighbourhood in which all the buildings have low-energy certification. In response to the wishes of the Grenoble city authorities, the neighbourhood will combine accessibility with energy efficiency, controlled construction costs, different types of housing and a mix of activities.

An urban regeneration project, it anticipates by two and a half years new regulations under which new buildings as of 2013 will have to have BBC low-energy certification.

Designed by the architect Philippe Meunier, the Ilot Vert low-energy development is a 43-unit apartment building that inaugurates the new eco-neighbourhood. The project illustrates Bouygues Immobilier's commitment to sustainable development. The building's bioclimatic design has been optimised to cope with the considerable variations in temperature typical of the region. Dual internal and external insulation will ensure real comfort in summer and winter alike. 95% of the apartments have an east-west or north-south orientation and all of them will have low-emissivity argon-filled double glazing. Thermal solar panels will provide at least 40% of domestic hot water, while photovoltaic panels will supply the building with renewable energy to reduce common charges.

Compliant with low-energy standards, L'Ilot Vert is remarkably energy-efficient: estimated primary energy consumption for the building is less than 51 kWh per sq metre of net floor area per year, compared with a conventional primary energy consumption level* in the region of 60 kWh per sq metre per year. It is a forerunner of the new generation of buildings launched by Bouygues Immobilier this year. Over 6,000 housing units with the low-energy BBC Effinergie label will be marketed in 2010.