FEAT, four sustainable, responsible and zero-carbon buildings

The Citylights building, like a torch, represents fire. Sources, erected near the Seine, represents water. Horizons, with its glass roof in the clouds, symbolises air. Botanic, nestling in the greenery, is in tune with the earth. All linked to the environment. An observation that makes perfect sense when you consider that these buildings in Boulogne are exemplary in terms of decarbonisation. By combining a strict environmentally-friendly approach with the offsetting of their low CO2 emissions, all four are net zero carbon, in line with the commitments made by the Gecina Group, a forerunner in sustainable development, back in 2008.

The four buildings have all obtained official national and international environmental certifications, which support the ecological commitment of the building industry: BREEAM, HQE, BBC, Biodivercity Life, etc., at the highest levels. But Gecina's commitment to the FEAT programme is even stronger. Here are just a few examples to illustrate the scale of this commitment. The four buildings are all supplied with energy from renewable sources, green electricity or biogas, with an impact that can be measured in figures. They emit far fewer greenhouse gases than the 13 kg of CO2 per m² per year average for the French property market. Citylights emits less than half that, with 5 kg of CO2 per m² per year. Horizons and Botanic emit even less, at 2 kg of CO2 per m² per year. Sources is even the leader in FEAT buildings, with just 1 kg of CO2 per m² per year. These levels have also been achieved thanks to the design choices made by Gecina. For example, operating waste from Horizons, Botanic and Sources is 100% recycled. In addition, the materials and equipment used in the Horizons building have been selected from among the lowest CO2 emitters. The proximity of the Sources and Botanic buildings to wooded parks, and their green roofs and terraces, add to their environmental benefits. And that's not all, since the residual greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings are fully offset by funding carbon sinks in France, in a forest in the Loiret region, close to Hauts-de-Seine. As a result, all FEAT office buildings are now zero-carbon, the first in Boulogne-Billancourt.

The commitment made to the four FEAT buildings is by no means an isolated initiative on the part of Gecina. It is rooted in the company's strong commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. For example, in order to limit the amount of land artificialisation, Gecina favours refurbishing buildings rather than building new ones. All its property projects begin with in-depth environmental studies and promote energy efficiency, the circular economy and biodiversity. This approach extends to the operation of its portfolio. In particular, Gecina has introduced an ISO 50001 energy management system for all its properties, which has helped to reduce energy consumption by 10-20%. There are many examples of Gecina's involvement, all aimed at accelerating the low-carbon trajectory of its portfolio (CANOP-2030), launched in 2017. The FEAT buildings in Boulogne, with their minimal CO2 emissions, are contributing to the success of this plan to achieve zero-carbon operations by 2030. An example to follow!