A real showcase for RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Electricité, leader in high-voltage electricity transmission, French transmission system operator and responsible for the public network) through its bold architecture and its environmental and energy performance, this international training, research and innovation campus covers an area of 30,000sqm. Its occupants will occupy the premises from January 2021.
Eiffage Construction's teams in the Rhône region, working in synergy with Eiffage Energie Systèmes and Clévia, have taken up the challenge: they have just delivered this major €49 million project in less than two years.
More than 250 workers on site have been mobilised over the last few months, with more than 17,000 hours of professional integration. Emblematic for RTE, this project is composed of :
- Nine "thorn" buildings in timber frame and connected wood-concrete floors, with more than 900 wood facade panels with connected concrete facing that required Atex (Experimental technical assessment).
- Two sets of exterior passageways called "streets" with their "lanterns" for access to the "thorns", made of metal framework supported on large wooden "V" posts forming an architectural nod to the sinusoid of alternating current.
- Two buildings in steel frame and metal cladding " Reception " and " Museum ".
AIA LIFE DESIGNERS designed the project with an audacious architecture combining wood, concrete and metal. Its exemplary nature in terms of sustainable development, notably due to the use of these wooden elements (façades and frames), is attested by numerous energy and environmental labels and certifications:
- HQE Sustainable Building Certification
- Bio-sourced Building Certification - level 3 (equivalent to 36 kg of bio-sourced materials / m² of floor area)
- BEPOS Effinergie 2017 - E3C1 Label
- Biodivercity Label
- Eiffage wood label approach: initiated by the Eiffage Group's Sustainable Development and Transversal Innovation Department, this forest origin label establishes the origin of the wood used and provides a clear view of the entire wood processing chain.
The Energie Systèmes and Clévia teams, working in synergy, carried out the technical work packages: High and Low Voltage Electricity, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
RTE was able to start its move-in work at the beginning of November with a view to the arrival of users at the beginning of January 2021. The campus has more than 370 workstations and will accommodate more than 7,000 trainees per year.
At the beginning of January 2021, phase 2 will be launched by some of the teams already present: it consists of the restructuring of the existing site and adjacent to the new project.
Many thanks to all the teams who took part in this great challenge!
Photo credits: Vincent Ramet