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Interview of Bruno DELPECH, manager of Batimob, a company located in Egat (Pyrénées-orientales)

Batimob is a company specialized on the design and the construction of wooden frame houses. Created 25 years ago by Antoine Morales and now managed by Bruno DELPECH, the company employs around thirty persons.

PNRPC: Are the houses that you build sustainable?

Batimob: our construction system is based on the valorization of a natural resource, the wood. We try to promote the local resource. We work with a sawmill from Ariège (a neighboring department) which exploits forests nearby here. Wood wastes are also transformed for the manufacture of wood fiber boards for insulation. For the rest of our needs, we also use with wood from the Massif Central. This process of construction, subjected to technical advice and suggested to our clients, focuses the energy efficiency of our buildings through the integration of several insulation materials, including cellulose wadding and wood fiber, the nature of materials depends on the customer request and the air tightness. Energy requirements are defined in collaboration with a thermal engineer. In the design of our construction, we also promote passive solar gains to minimize the need of energy production.

PNRPC: Does the new thermal regulation (RT 2012) change your activity or modify your building technics?

Batimob: We used the same technics since 10 years. Our buildings were in accordance with this regulation before its implementation! Some of our buildings reach the requirements of “energy plus building” standard, a means to anticipate the next thermal regulation. On air tightness issues, we have accentuated the coordination with buildings companies and craftsmen we work with in order to avoid bad results during control tests.

PNRPC: On this territory we can observe that there are few sustainable public buildings (new building, extension or renovation). How can you explain that?

Batimob: Several reasons could explain this situation. First, there are very few opportunities to build new buildings. This is mainly small renovations. In this case, architectural design and energy efficiency are not dealt with in priority. We can also note that the project manager (architect or others professionals) does not always promote sustainable building. Although, municipalities are the decision makers, project manager has an important role in terms of advices, information and technical propositions. It’s necessary that professionals promote sustainable construction if we want to develop such buildings. Regarding our activity, up to now, public authorities were not very sensitive about timber frame constructions. However, this situation is changing.

More information on: http://batimob66.com

Interview made by Laetitia TEYSSIER and Cécile COPIGNY

Interview de Bruno DELPECH, gérant de l’entreprise BATIMOB, installée à Egat (66)

BATIMOB est une entreprise spécialisée dans la conception et la construction de maisons à ossature bois. Créée il y a 25 ans par Antoine Morales et reprise depuis peu par Bruno Delpech, cette entreprise emploie près d’une trentaine de salariés.

Le PNRPC : est-ce que les maisons que vous construisez sont des maisons durables ?

Batimob : Le système constructif proposée par notre entreprise repose sur la valorisation d‘une ressource naturelle, le bois. Nous essayons autant que possible de privilégier la ressource locale. Nous travaillons d’ailleurs avec une scierie ariégeoise qui exploite des forêts proches de chez nous. Les déchets de bois sont d’ailleurs revalorisés pour la fabrication de panneau de fibre de bois par la scierie. Pour le reste de nos besoins, nous travaillons également avec du bois provenant du Massif central. Le process de construction, soumis à avis technique et proposé à nos clients, privilégie la performance énergétique de nos constructions grâce à l’intégration en paroi de plusieurs isolants, notamment de la ouate de cellulose et de la fibre de bois, la nature des matériaux varie selon la demande du client. Les besoins en énergie sont définis en collaboration avec un thermicien. Dans la conception même de nos réalisations, nous maximisons également les apports solaires passifs afin de réduire autant que possible les besoins en production d’énergie.

Le PNRPC : Est-ce que justement la RT 2012 a changé votre activité ou modifier vos techniques de construction ?

Batimob : Les techniques que nous mettons en œuvre dans toutes nos réalisations datent d’au moins 10 ans. Nos constructions étaient donc conformes à la RT 2012 bien avant sa sortie ! Certaines atteignent d’ailleurs facilement les exigences du BEPOS, un moyen d’anticiper les prochaines règlementations. Sur les aspects d’étanchéité à l’air, nous avons toutefois souhaiter accentuer la coordination avec les entreprises avec qui nous travaillons sur les chantiers afin de s’assurer de la qualité des résultats et éviter les mauvaises surprises lors des tests de contrôle.

Le PNRPC : un constat sur le territoire, peu de construction/extension/rénovation durable dans le domaine public. Comment expliquez-vous cela ?

Batimob : Plusieurs raisons à ce manque. Il y a peu d’occasion de réaliser des bâtiments neufs. Se sont principalement des réhabilitations pour lesquelles la conception architecturale et énergétique n’est pas forcément abordée en priorité. On peut souligner aussi que la maitrise d’œuvre n’est pas toujours force de proposition dans l’éco-construction. Même si la demande doit venir avant tout de la maîtrise d’ouvrage, la maîtrise d’œuvre a aussi son rôle à jouer notamment en termes de conseil, d’information et de propositions techniques. Sur ce qui nous concerne plus, c’est-à-dire, le bois, il y avait aussi jusqu’à présent, un manque de sensibilité ou d’information sur les constructions en ossature bois auprès de la maîtrise d’ouvrage publique, chose qui tend toutefois à changer.

Plus d’infos : http://batimob66.com

Propos recueillis par Laetitia Teyssier et Cécile Copigny from Regional park of Pyrenees catalanes

A good local example leads the way, spreads knowledge and raises the expectations on the performance of a building. When you point out nearby examples in the region it makes people think that if my neighbour can, so can I!

To spread awareness of what can be done locally, local examples are needed. Preferably close to those you want to reach. Local object gets discussions started about what you can actually achieve right where you are, and examples close to you feel more real and attainable than those further away. A project that someone made in the neighbourhood cannot be dismissed as “Special solutions that is suitable elsewhere in other circumstances, but not here.”

Kungsljuset: New retirement homes in Borlänge, with energy consumption of < 60% of Swedish national standard (61 kWh/m², year). Solar panels for hot water production. Preheating / cooling of outside air through boreholes in the ground.

Objects that are close can easily be visited and you can have a direct discussion with those who own a building or have completed a project about their experiences. We should not underestimate the competitive spirit among neighbours, where the idea that we want to show that we are as good as them could be the spark needed to get a project going!

In Dalarna, we run a project that aims to highlight good local examples of energy -efficient constructions and renovations. While doing so, we have found that awareness and willingness to work with energy-efficient solutions is there, but also that there is still much to learn from each other.

Betesgatan: Renovation of apartment buildings i Borlänge from 1965. Reduced energy consumption by 40 % compared to before, now below Swedish national standard for new-built houses (100 kWh/m², year). LCC-analyses have guided investments for energy efficiency in order to maintain a reasonable level of rents.

We have seen that energy efficient buildings and renovations gets done, and that more and more construction companies in the area hold the knowledge about how to do it. We can also show that there is nothing strange with low energy-buildings. When a real estate company establish specifications concerning a buildings energy-efficiency, it sometimes happens that the contractor can deliver a solution that is even better.
One encouraging trend is that solutions that only a few years ago was considered quite extreme and, “suitable for passive houses”, have now become normal choices when building or renovating a building.

Lisselhagen: New apartment buildings in Borlänge, with energy consumption of < 60% of Swedish national standard (65 kWh/m², year).

Example of solutions that are getting common:

Heat recovery on ventilation in residential buildings.
Windows U-value < 1.0 (W/m² K)
Air tight buildings, air leakage through the building envelope of max 0.3 (l / s, m² enveloping area at 50 Pa pressure difference.)