Xella constructive solutions participated in the “On the way to school” project in Montbrison, which won a gold medal at the LCA-FFB Challenge

 "On the way to school" is an ambitious project carried out in the heart of Montbrison (42) in the Loire, for which the company Société Construction du Forez (SCF) was selected by the municipality to rehabilitate the former listed school while building 41 collective housing units, a public car park and premises dedicated to professional activities. A true technical feat both in terms of thermal and energy, this 3812 m2 real estate program on 4 levels is ahead of the future energy regulations, RE2020, since it is labeled E+C- with an E2C2 performance level in zone H1C validated by Promotelec. From the choice of materials to the equipment, everything has been implemented to achieve the best energy performance.

Daniel Dumas, head of SCF and a fan of Ytong cellular concrete, naturally chose this construction solution for the building envelope. The thermal performance, ease, and speed of implementation of this material make it an ideal solution to meet the constraints of this type of R+3 collective housing project.
Xella, which contributed to the energy performance of this atypical, low-carbon project, is delighted with the gold medal won by its partner SCF in the "Remarkable Developer Achievements" category in the 2020 innovative housing challenge of LCA-FFB (the organization of Builders and Developers of the French Building Federation).

“On the way to school”...

Daniel Dumas, head of Société Construction du Forez (SCF), is behind the "On the Way to School" project. Inspired by the school in Montbrison, his childhood home, he wanted to give it a new lease of life by creating a group housing complex, a public car park, and premises dedicated to the liberal professions.

For Daniel Dumas, the gold medal won at the LCA-FFB 2020 Innovative Housing Challenge is a wonderful reward. This is recognition from the profession for what we've been doing for over 20 years now. We maintain a policy of sometimes ambitious projects, but always prioritizing quality and occupant comfort. We work on the construction system, which allows us to achieve more than attractive performance levels in terms of both carbon and energy. »

A positive energy building with a low carbon footprint

Architect Jacques Didier, who worked alongside Daniel Dumas, designed a new building to complement the school, connected by a footbridge. Symbolizing the link between past and present, this footbridge runs along the facade of the old school.
Cascading staircases lead to the 4th floor, which is topped with a large, elegant glass roof. Positioned at the ridge of an airplane-shaped roof, it floods all the common areas with light, right up to the ground floor.

The SCF company has combined the best materials and equipment to achieve exemplary energy values: -15% on the Cep level and -50% on the Bbio level compared to the RT2012 requirement.

These results were first obtained by a high-performance building which combines Ytong Verti 25 cellular concrete insulating masonry with glass wool, Thermal insulation from the inside selected by the builder. This thermal envelope was combined with a 100% electric "Joule effect" system, radiant floor heating and thermodynamic hot water production coupled with VMC. The occupants of the accommodation thus benefit from particularly reduced energy consumption with an estimated bill of less than 300 euros including tax/year for a 3 m72 T2.

Cellular concrete, a material with high thermal performance...

The obvious choice of material for this project comes from Daniel Dumas' long experience with cellular concrete. We've been using it for a little over 10 years. We started with Ytong walls in single-family homes. Then, we wanted to use this material for apartment buildings. The Xella teams confirmed to me at the time that we could build four-story buildings. Since then, all our buildings have been built 4% from cellular concrete, particularly with the Ytong Verti range. »

This choice ultimately allowed SCF to position itself as an innovative company. Our choice of materials sets us apart. We were the only ones in the industry to offer them. We built homes that were much better insulated than any other! It was easy to boast about its thermal performance... Today, more and more customers are concerned about thermal and energy issues.. "

...which offers great comfort of life

With Ytong products, the SCF company also guarantees owners a healthy and efficient building, which offers them greater living comfort and significant energy savings. Moreover, summer comfort is also a strong argument. Heat enters their home less quickly than in a cinder block house. They stay cooler, which is important especially with the heatwaves that keep coming. »

and which has a future

Daniel Dumas therefore intends to remain faithful to cellular concrete: “ I know we're performing well, and this highly demanding project has proven it. By obtaining this E+C- label, we're moving much closer to meeting future thermal regulations. That's the goal; we must continue to move forward. This way, we'll have less effort to make to comply with the new regulations. »

Indeed, using Xella's healthy and sustainable construction solutions means being ready for the future and the implementation of RE2020. The thermal and environmental performance of Ytong Verti walls allows you to qualify for E+C- certification, which gives you the right to the building bonus.

Simplicity of implementation

Another advantage is the ease and speed of installing Ytong blocks. It's quite simple, it doesn't require any special equipment. Before, with concrete blocks, it was more tiring, we needed more equipment... Cellular concrete has allowed a significant saving of time and in terms of cutting, with the saw, we achieve a perfect job. This lends itself very well to the construction of custom-made houses which sometimes include angles, Y-shapes, and unusual shapes. " explains Daniel Dumas.

The block format allows for a time saving of around 30%. Installation is made easier by the lightness of the blocks, less than 20 kg, and their ease of handling.

Advantage of Ytong Verti cellular concrete

• Solid, load-bearing material across the entire support surface, allowing for construction up to four levels. The walls can withstand the ravages of time while maintaining their performance over the long term.
• Environmental performance: meets the E+C- label.
• Fire-resistant properties: REI 180 min fire resistance, Rcn mechanical resistance of 4,50 MPa and freedom of choice of insulation up to R+4.
• 3-in-1 thermal efficiency with high-insulation masonry, an R from 1,43 up to 2 with integrated thermal break, and excellent airtightness before the exterior coating is applied.

The Ytong Verti construction system consists of 3 essential elements: handle blocks, vertical chaining and horizontal chaining.