French real estate developer Nexity and energy utility company Engie will partner on a project to create a sustainable eco-district in Paris, France.
The two partners will work to transform a 9 hectare plot of industrial land, in the municipality of La Garenne-Colombes, into a sustainable eco-district which will eventually house a bespoke Engie eco-campus. Nexity and Engie will combine technological and financial resources, as well as their respective expertise in sustainable cities and the energy transition, to ensure the new district is future-proof in terms of energy efficiency and emissions.
Authorities from La Garenne-Colombes and public actors will also participate in the project, which falls under the municipality’s sustainable development agenda. Mayor of La Garenne-Colombes, Philippe Juvin, welcomed the potential to transform an area that previously consisted of unused industrial land.
What will the eco-district bring to the local community?
The bespoke Engie eco-campus, which is expected to be more than 120,000m2 in size, could begin construction later this year, when the land becomes available, and is expected to be completed by 2022-2023. At this point, Engie intends to move many of its Paris-based operations to the new campus.
Juvin emphasised that beyond the Engie campus, the sustainable eco-district will ultimately become a living district with a variety of buildings contributing to a thriving urban environment: “Eventually, the overall urban project will include, in addition to the ENGIE campus, a mixed programme of offices, housing, shops and a hotel, a new PSA branch, and community facilities – a large public park, school, crèche [and] gymnasium.”
Why is Engie investing in a new campus?
For Engie, the new district offers an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment and technical expertise when it comes to smart city development. Further, it will allow the company to lead the energy transition by making its own operations more sustainable.
Pierre Deheunynck, Executive Vice President of Engie, explained: “This project will be… part of an environmental approach contributing both to economic and social progress that is harmonious and sustainable. Located in a wooded urban site near Paris, this future eco-campus will illustrate the expertise of Engie and its teams in building the smart city of tomorrow.”
