The Saint-Gobain Multi Comfort Sustainable Habitat

This low-consumption, positive-energy house reflects the Group’s strategic commitment to asserting its position as the global benchmark for sustainable Habitat. Built in the municipality of Beaucouzé (France) according to the owner’s preferences, this house blends perfectly with the ‘sustainable’ goals of the Pays de la Loire Region in which it is situated. The house will be officially unveiled following the completion of construction work in July 2011.



A RESPONSIBLE LIFE CHOICE

Positioned at the forefront of the 2020 generation of buildings as defined in the French Grenelle Environmental Forum, the Saint-Gobain Multi-Comfort House is a response to a concerted life project: the practical choice made by a family to build in a housing estate, a house that meets their very real demands for comfort, aesthetics, environmental and health quality.





A CONSTRUCTION MATCHING THE ‘SUSTAINABLE’WITH THE ‘ENJOYABLE’

The Saint-Gobain Multi-Comfort House takes up the sustainable construction challenge. It proves that tomorrow’s habitat is being thought out and built today:

• a high-energy performance house: the house manages to generate more energy than it consumes thanks to extremely efficient insulation, a bioclimatic architectural design and a combination of technical equipment using renewable energy (earth-air heat exchanger to deliver cool new air, thermal solar panels to produce hot water, and photovoltaic panels to generate electricity)




• an environmentally-friendly house: the house can justifiably claim to be ‘non-polluting.’ The materials used for its construction tend to minimize any environmental impact from their manufacture through to their end-of-life. The site waste is sorted and collected for recycling.

By reconciling energy performance with aesthetic appearance, architect Laure Levanneur has brilliantly pulled off this eco-construction challenge: tomorrow’s house loses its monolithic compactness to evolve toward harmonious volumes. The ‘bridge’ between three construction systems and the Group’s symbol, the glass atrium is a prime illustration of the approach adopted. In becoming the signature of this extraordinarily light house, it also highlights its contours.

An admirable ‘showcase’ for the Group, this model of architecture is an ingenious fusion of creativity, sustainability and accessibility.





A ‘MULTI-COMFORT’ SOLUTION

How comfort is perceived varies from one individual to another and his or her ability to adapt to variations in scientific parameters surrounding this perception: temperature (of the ambient air, walls and partitions, etc.), sources of radiation (radiators, sun, etc.), humidity, and rate of air renewal. The ‘Multi-Comfort’ House ensures the well-being of its occupants:

• Thermal comfort: highly efficient insulation for optimum comfort in summer and winter




• Visual comfort: harmonious integration of the photovoltaic solar panels, aesthetic quality of the external renders, large openings to take maximum advantage of the sun and light




• Health comfort: detailed evaluation of the concentration of pollutants in the habitat coupled with efficient ventilation and air tightness




• Acoustic comfort: acoustic insulation and correction to protect again noise pollution




• Modular comfort: an evolving house (growing family and special needs for senior citizens). Solutions that adapt to specific requirements.

162 SQM OF SAINT-GOBAIN EXPERTISE

Fifteen Saint-Gobain Group brands have worked on the construction of the Saint-Gobain Multi-Comfort House demonstrating that it is already possible to achieve a high level of performance using existing solutions available on the market: Adfors, Cédéo, EuroBéton Industrie, Glassolutions, Isover, Lapeyre, Les Menuiseries Françaises, Placo®, Plafometal, Point.P, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain PAM, Saint-Gobain Solar, Sevax, and Weber.



FOLLOWTHE CONSTRUCTION ON LIVE!

Each of the stages in the construction of this house can be viewed online on the www.saintgobain.com and www.mamaison.tv. The videos provide an opportunity to follow the construction process while also extending awareness of sustainable construction methods.Several episodes can already be viewed online.





About Saint-Gobain.

Located in 64 countries with nearly 190,000 employees, Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet growing demand for energy efficiency and for environmental protection. A multi-activity structure, Habitat France pools the expertise of the Group’s various companies working in the area of Habitat adopting a sustainable development approach to deliver comprehensive solutions.