Eiffage Construction has signed a contract for a major industrial project for innovation in healthcare: the J.POD® plant in Toulouse, the first biopharmaceutical production unit of its kind established in Europe by Just – Evotec Biologics, a subsidiary of the German group Evotec.
A new generation industrial building
Located on the Curie Campus in Toulouse, the J.POD® factory is developed around a building of approximately 15,000m² composed of three sections: a vast production area, offices and research laboratories, as well as a logistics hub.
Built on piles, and with a production area set up on stilts, the structure is designed to withstand the floods of the Garonne and allow the natural flow of water.
Outside, the site includes a 350 m² steam boiler room and 144 parking spaces equipped with photovoltaic canopies.
A demanding environmental approach
Committed to responsible construction practices, the project aims for LEED® Silver certification. Several key actions have been implemented:
- reuse of site accommodation furniture on other construction sites in the region,
- donation of the remaining furniture to reuse organizations,
- study which led to the preservation of trees frequented by bats, the maintenance on site of trunks and branches to promote biodiversity and the removal of invasive exotic species.
The synergy of the Eiffage group
The project represented the strong synergy between the different Eiffage entities with the collaboration of Eiffage Construction, the lead contractor, Eiffage Énergie Systèmes and Eiffage Route.
This organization helped to gain the trust of an American client, who was looking for a solid company capable of carrying out his first European project.
The schedule was particularly ambitious with 16 months of construction for the group, a challenge brilliantly met by our teams!
A factory ready to support the industry of tomorrow
Already present on the Curie Campus, Evotec is taking a new step in Europe with this state-of-the-art unit. J.POD® brings together two strategic and complementary activities on a single site: biopharmaceutical production and the design and development of innovative processes.
The factory starts with two production lines and about 150 employees, but it could eventually reach six lines and up to 250 employees.
J.POD® in figures:
- 15,000 m² total surface area
- 50,500 hours of structural work
- 90 companions at the peak
- 4,000 m³ of concrete poured, of which more than 90% is low carbon
- 144 photovoltaic parking spaces
- More than 50 Eiffage site supervisors on the project
- 400,000 hours worked in the field, excluding management
The project stakeholders:
- Client: Just - Evotec Biologics EU
- Project management: PM Groupe, INGEROP, BRUNERIE & IRISSOU
- General contractor: Eiffage Construction
- Other entities within the Group: Eiffage Energie Systèmes and Eiffage Route
