Hybridizing skills to optimize building energy renovation

Interview with Bruno Ladevie, director of training at IMT Mines Albi and teacher-researcher specialized in energy.

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bruno_ladevie_-_c_13.jpg, par jfages

Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activity into the atmosphere take a heavy toll on the climate, and the effects are becoming increasingly visible. To curb this phenomenon, the international community has set carbon neutrality goals. Various reports issued by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) highlight just how urgent these measures have become, especially in light of the pressing needs resulting from the current energy crisis. France aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As the country’s 2nd largest GHG emitting sector, the building sector is a key lever for achieving these objectives.  Bruno Ladevie, Director of Training at IMT Mines Albi and research professor specialized in energy, provides an update on the challenges involved in the energy efficiency of buildings.  

 

 

Achieving carbon neutrality will require significant improvements in energy efficiency in buildings. How should this process be carried out?

In France, buildings account for nearly half of the country’s energy bill and generates nearly 25% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although all buildings built since 2020 are required to produce more energy than they consume, new buildings account for just 1% of built stock each year. The energy renovation challenge therefore targets the remaining 99%. Initially an environmental priority, this lever of action has now become an economic and social imperative due to the current energy pressure we are experiencing. Today, the challenge is not only to reduce GHG emissions to achieve carbon neutrality, but to do so while maintaining constant energy prices. This has signaled the end of any prospect of a return on investment from energy renovation. Our societies must now bear the costs. Now more than ever, the energy renovation of buildings is therefore subject to a performance obligation. The best way to achieve this is to approach renovation from an energy perspective.
 

Why is it so important for us to make energy the priority?

First of all, prioritizing the energy issue does not mean taking only this single issue into account, but rather integrating it into all the other renovation aspects. The goal is to maximize energy savings. When building renovation is approached with a global perspective, it becomes possible to achieve optimal efficiency in terms of consumption, energy costs, as well as comfort. Building envelope design (roof, windows, etc.), technical equipment (heating, hot water production, etc.), the choice of energy or the introduction of information systems must all be connected. This becomes even more evident when we consider renovation for a wider area. From a city-wide perspective, for example, we can integrate the issue of mobility, by storing energy produced by buildings in vehicles and using it later. This represents major gains since energy storage remains a key challenge for the research community.

 

Does this mean that the energy renovation of buildings calls for a systemic approach?

A systemic approach is indeed the only way to respond effectively to the environmental, economic and social ambitions of energy renovation. This approach relies on three levers. The first is to promote projects with a renovation approach that goes beyond the scope of a single building (including its integration in the city, living environments adapted to uses, integration with networks). The second is to connect areas of skills that are not often coordinated (civil engineering, climate engineering, renewable energies, energy companies). Finally, the third lever is to implement a circular building economy that integrates the production of eco-responsible building materials, frugal construction methods, recycling and waste recovery.

 

Buildings have social and economic functions. Are these factors included in the energy renovation process?

Many different concerns are involved in energy renovation, including economic, living environment, sociological, engineering, and architectural issues. In France, these areas are not often connected. Some countries, like Switzerland and Belgium, have architectural engineering schools that teach all the engineering skills needed to design a building. In France, this training is more compartmentalized. Engineering and architecture courses are taught in separate schools. There is a real need to bring these areas of expertise together to meet the energy transition challenges for our buildings and cities. Some hybrid training programs are now being introduced to respond to this need. One example is the specialized Master’s program on Energy-Plus Buildings with the “Renewable Energy, Sustainable Production and Construction” option that is now part of IMT Mines Albi’s engineering program. This type of training program really makes sense given the social and energy issues buildings represent.

 

What do you see as the ideal building for the society of the future?

One that is reliable, livable and simple.

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