Architects, clients, engineers… Six expert construction professionals were present at the Saint-Exupéry complex in Draguignan as a jury of volunteers.
An event that is part of the commission” BDM approach“, initiated by the Marseille association “Mediterranean sustainable buildings “. The target? “To judge the ecological and social aspect of housing projects and express opinions and criticisms for the continuation of their construction, comments Jean-Marie Haquette, architect, who specifies. The approach is benevolent, the goal is to guide project teams in the right direction, providing valuable advice. It’s an exchange first and foremost.”
For an entire day, therefore, the commission sifted through twelve housing projects presented in the various phases of their development: design, construction and use.
The BDM association organizes several of these conferences every year with the aim of possibly awarding a bronze, silver or gold label. A guarantee of quality and seriousness on the commitment of the teams for a habitat that is more respectful of the environment and its users.
‘The construction industry will have to adapt’
“Given the specificities of the Mediterranean climate and the resulting climate change, it is certain that the construction sector will have to adapt”, anticipates Jean-Michel Cohen, director of Saiem de construction. BDM is indeed an organization that cares about accompaniment in this adaptation. “We follow many projects for six to seven yearsexplains Vincent Bottelin, an employee of the association. The label is proof that there was a real following, it’s not just a nice note to make a good impression. “
Concretely, the jury pays great attention to the management of energy, water and the place left for biodiversity. “We have favored passage corridors to allow air to circulate naturallyunderlines Dominique Seni, architect of the Etienne-Garcin residence, built on a former brownfield site in Draguignan, which won the BDM silver medal. The two boilers installed are collective, and we have reserved many places for the development of the systems. ” The social aspect is also taken into account. “The 20 lodgings of the residence are considered social, their price is therefore more accessible “.
“Nothing is ever perfect”
Without the language of wood, Dominique Seni raises the complexity behind such projects “ atypical “.” Every decision made always leads to a cascade of subsequent consequences. No action is neutral, He explains. For example, we say to ourselves: great, we will make roof gardens! But forgetting that you need a whole network of pipes to handle water, thinking about the type of materials that will adapt to the ground for plants, etc. “
“Nothing is ever perfectadmits Sophie Gentil, project guide on behalf of BDM. But the residence generally lives up to its promises in terms of ecology and user comfort, despite the compromises that have been made on some non-biosourced materials, for lack of a bigger budget.“
Because, in reality, few BDM projects lead to the use stage, the guide reveals. “On paper, the project may look very promising, but once we get to the heart of the matter, the practice cruelly catches up with the theory. “.
“There is a lot of educational work to be done on individual behavior”
Although the construction sector still accounts for 43% of France’s annual energy consumption and generates 23% of the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a note from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy Transition last October, the user also weigh on the balance. Especially with regard to habitats labeled BDM.
“We can make every effort in the world to get a sustainable and ecological habitat, if the inhabitants don’t follow the approach in their behavior, it’s useless”launches Sophie Gentil, employee of the association for sustainable construction of the Mediterranean.
“Some put the heat too high”
With the permission of the inhabitants, readings of temperature and water consumption were taken for almost an entire year. And the results speak for themselves. “It has been observed that several apartments have a relatively high temperature, above 25-30 degrees”, point Dominique Seni, architect.
The cause? “Even if the thermal insulation is good, some put the heating too high in the winter, or leave the window open during the day in the summer and close it at night. However, you have to do the opposite, otherwise the heat gets in“, Sophie Gentil details.
“There is a lot of pedagogical work to be done on individual behaviors, we need to take this topic into our own hands”, she adds, disappointed not to see users “fully” grasp the potential of their home.
“By opening on both sides of their apartment, the air will be renewed very quickly thanks to the through corridors, lowering the temperature. But for reasons of privacy or fear of burglary, most never open on the corridor side”.
However, BDM was pleasantly surprised to see residents installing ceiling fans, which are very useful in case of extreme heat. “We thought about putting some in, then finally we thought the optimized air circulation would be enough. Next time we’ll put some in”.
