In March 2022, the co-owners’ association of the Fugue Tower building, one of the tallest high-rise block of flats in Paris, approved the work programme of an ambitious energy retrofit project. The complete overhaul of the building, decided in April 2019, will upgrade the building’s safety standards, reduce its energy use by over 40% and improve comfort for residents.
A LARGE-SCALE PROJECT TO meet THE ENERGY renovation CHALLENGES
With 34 floors and 108-metres high, the Fugue Tower building is the third tallest high-rise block of flats in Paris. It is located in the heart of the Orgues de Flandre neighbourhood in the 19th district, built between 1973 and 1980 by the architect Martin Van Treeck and consisting of almost 1,950 housing units in six blocks.
Under the New National Urban Renewal Programme (NPNRU) scheme launched in 2014, the entire neighbourhood embarked on a process of upgrading its public and residential spaces. As part of this rehabilitation process, housing renovation projects were adopted for the Cantate Tower and the Fugue Tower buildings, representing a total of 464 housing units at a cost of around €10 million and €11 million respectively.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE AND STRONG INVOLVEMENT OF CO-OWNERS
To carry out the work on the Fugue Tower, the co-owners commissioned Ateliers Lion Associés and the company NEPSEN (formerly Paziaud) as the architect and the project manager. Given the complexity of the project, the co-owners’ association considered that project management assistance was necessary and this was entrusted to Île-de-France Energies and the SoliHA association.
The role of this project management assistance is to guide the project management team so that it proposes the best work programme to the co-owners given the project’s objectives and constraints: carrying out renovation work in a lived-in environment, enhancing the property value, striking a balance between technical solutions and financial constraints, and of course improving the building’s energy performance. Project management assistance to the co-owners also involves the financial engineering of the project, i.e. providing assistance with finding the grants and subsidies for which they are eligible, and then with preparing the applications for them. It also offers additional financing in the form of a loan thanks to the exception to the banking monopoly made to third-party financing companies.
AN AMBITIOUS WORK SCHEDULE WITH A 43% ENERGY-SAVING TARGET
On 29 March 2022, after a lengthy design study by the project management team, the co-owners’ association finally adopted the following works programme at its general meeting:
- Façade refurbishment with exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS)
- Re-waterproofing
- Replacement of doors and windows
- Improvements to the heating and ventilation system
- Improving the residential nature of Allée Mathis and remodelling the immediate vicinity
- Creation of a new entrance with PRM access on Allée des Orgues
- Upgrading the building to current fire safety standards
Work is scheduled to begin in 2023 and when completed, the co-owners’ association hopes to reduce energy use by more than 43%, making an estimated €90,000 saving annually. This work will also extend the building’s life and enhance its value, as well as improve comfort for residents.