A major experiment on the use of fire-reinforced concrete in mass construction is launched in France
The project should show the whole country that the developed model of ecological insulation of buildings using fire-reinforced concrete can be a profitable idea. By stimulating the market, we can make this material competitive and work on the ecological transformation of the entire region.
The French construction company Maisons & Cités, specializing in the construction of social housing with the support of CD2E (a group of experts working in the field of sustainable construction, circular economy and renewable energy sources) and Öpun are launching the Pecquenchanvre pilot project, which involves insulation of 50 residential buildings in the town of Pecquencourt. The project is aimed at proving the possibility of mass use of fire-reinforced concrete in the course of new construction, as well as restoration or insulation of existing buildings.
The goal of the project is to stimulate the development of the hemp sector in the region and support projects aimed at reorienting the country's construction market towards the construction of buildings and structures from local environmental materials.
The work started this summer will last until the end of 2022. Maisons & Cités has decided that it is necessary to significantly reduce energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during construction. In search of alternatives to traditional insulating materials, as part of the renovation of the existing housing stock, it was decided to use such an environmentally friendly building material as bone concrete.
Pilot project "Pecquenchanvre"
According to a number of experts in the construction market, the € 800,000 investment pilot project “Pecquenchanvre” represents a new stage in the transition of the French construction industry to the creation of a full-fledged “green economy”. According to the business strategy developed by Maisons & Cités, 50 housing units in the town will be renovated using fire-reinforced concrete within 2 years. The scientific support of the project will be carried out by several structures at once - the Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France, the Center for Research and Expertise of Risks, Environment, Mobility and Planning “Cerema”, as well as the Catholic University of Lille (Université catholique de Lille).
According to Corinna Sevin, one of the Pecquenchanvre project participants, “Using fire-reinforced concrete as an insulating material ensures the ideal temperature in my house. In mid-November, I still did not turn on the heating. "
In turn, the management of "Maisons & Cités" claims that if the experiment demonstrates convincing results, the company plans to renovate 1000 houses in the long term using the above biomaterial.
Prospects for the construction of a regional industry for the production of fire-reinforced concrete
The regional government-backed 'Pecquenchanvre' investment pilot initiative is part of a more global approach called 'Hauts-de-Chanvre', which tends to initiate the creation of a production sector as well as the massive use of fire-reinforced concrete in the French region of Verde-de-France over the next 5 years. According to officials, the development of the hemp sector will become one of the main vectors of economic development of the entire region.
In the mining basin of France, the emergence of such a sector of modern industry should be accompanied by the development of local industries, which implies the creation of new jobs and the revival of this depressed region.
According to Jean-François Campion, President of Maisons et Cités, “The project should show the whole country that the developed model of ecological insulation of buildings using fire-reinforced concrete can be a profitable idea. By stimulating the market, we can make this material competitive and work on the ecological transformation of the entire region. ".