Southface Journal Summer 2006 -Les maisons écologiques:What about green buildings in France?

Les maisons écologiques: What about green buildings in France?

By Marie Weis, Southface Intern

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries, such as France, that ratified this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases. Some 141 countries, accounting for 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the treaty, which pledges to cut these emissions by 5.2 percent by the year 2012.

In France, the building sector is responsible for 19% of the national atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and is therefore a key area of concern as France tries to control greenhouse gases. The realization about the greenhouse effect led France in 1992 to develop standards called the Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE) or translated as high environmental quality.

It is not a regulation, but a volunteer approach for all stakeholders who want to take into account the environmental quality in their building projects. HQE® is a registered trademark that belongs to the Association HQE, an organization created to exchange information and develop sustainable practices and covers all structures, from individual houses to educational buildings.

The HQE practice focuses on comfort and the environment and is aimed at building safe, comfortable buildings for which the environmental impact, evaluated along the Life Cycle, is reduced as much as possible. HQE includes 14 criteria that effect efforts to optimize the energy performance of the building, improve environmental quality and reduce the health impact of the building.

The following table provides the 14 environmental issues of concern:

Compared to the EarthCraft House criteria, HQE criteria seem broader and more inclusive, but are also more vague and less detailed. In particular, the energy efficiency, which is closely managed for the EarthCraft House program is not as restrictive for HQE.

The HQE approach also involves setting up an Environmental Management System (EMS), which includes an examination of the site, the objectives of the operation and the needs of the future users. The building owner elaborates on the construction plans and the scheduling of the building, the implementation and the oversight of the construction, in order to manage the quality of the processes. The EMS is periodically internally evaluated in order to make sure the operations are linked with the goals. It aims to provide a framework for builders and provide tools for decision making.

The HQE practice looks at the environment from a global point of view with the goal of helping stakeholders prioritize the 14 issues and define the means to reach them, for each individual project. Therefore, the system is flexible, allowing for the possible inclusion of innovative solutions. Furthermore, this practice aims at mobilizing all participants concerned with the project: homeowners, architects, contractors and manufacturers.

Behind this practice is the idea that there is a link between the high environmental quality and the concept of high social quality. To improve the social conditions of a building means choosing an appropriate site, insisting on safety, cost efficiency, the comfort and health of the building. These targets match up with the 14 HQE issues, underlining the link between high social and environmental quality.

A new development for HQE is the implementation of a certification process, much like the United States’ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The French certification process, which began only one year ago, is aimed at bringing more credibility to HQE and promoting environmental quality. Although the certification exists, there are many builders who currently build to HQE standards, but do not have their building certified. All requirements and documents are public and can be used by homeowners and commercial buyers to investigate the quality of existing buildings. It is believed that the number of HQE projects to date are negligible compared to standard buildings, but the diversity of these projects are noticeable. Seventy-five percent of the HQE projects are in public buildings such as schools and low income housing and are located all over the country.

The French approach to green building is concerned with the same issues as environmental organizations of other countries, but follows a different logic. For example, the American system has a standard, which uses a general evaluation form mainly based on quotations and evaluations. This system, easy to implement, can be applied to a large number of buildings, making the process quick and efficient. On the contrary, HQE looks at each project individually, detailing the specific process and issues. HQE may be recent compared to other countries’ approaches in terms of use and certification, but it takes a more thorough approach. France is not late in the reflection phase, but more in the realization one, especially compared to her Northern neighbors.