Bouygues to construct new eco-friendly hospital

A consortium of three Bouygues Construction subsidiaries , DV Construction, GFC Construction and GTB Construction, has won the € 202 million contract to build a new hospital in Orléans, France.

Located to the south of the city, it will be the first regional hospital in France to be awarded the HQE (High Environmental Quality) label.

The new 170000 m² building will house the 42 units of the Orléans Regional Hospital's main two sites, La Source and La Porte Madeleine.

It will offer 1376 beds - compared with 800 at present - and it will boast "ultra-modern" technical facilities, including 22 operating theatres, six specialised labs and two interventional radiology rooms. It will also have an underground car park with 700 spaces.

Designed by Groupe 6 architects, the hospital will be granted the HQE label. The new building will be equipped with sun screens in coloured glass and 70% of its facade will be timber-framed with air-permeable aluminium window frames.

In a statement from Bouygues it said, "In view of the building's substantial air-conditioning and ventilation needs, eco-responsible energy management has been developed, incorporating the use of new energies, such as wood heating, deep geothermal energy and solar energy."

The company added the project complies with bioclimatic architecture - which includes the use of passive solar energy, sun blinds and external thermal insulation.

Apparatus and accessories have been chosen with regard to their energy efficiency (argon filled double glazing, triple glazing with integrated sun shades, heat pumps, LED lights).

The foundation stone was laid last week at a ceremony attended by Roselyne Bachelot, French Minister for Health and Sport, Serge Grouard, MP and mayor of Orléans, and Jean-Pierre Gusching, chief executive of the Orléans Regional Hospital.

Construction of the new hospital is scheduled to last five years with the first patients due in early 2015.