Sustainable Construction : Wood and Straw for the Paris Fire Department
Construction of a fire station and housing for the Paris Fire Department
Elcimaï Environnement is set to begin construction of a fire station and housing for the Paris Fire Department. Located in the Arsenal eco-neighborhood in Rueil-Malmaison (92), this project will stand out for its environmental quality.
The Rueil-Malmaison fire station dates back to 1967 and consists of a complex of R2 buildings and a ground-floor hangar. The resources currently deployed at the fire station are insufficient given the growth in human activity and urban densification, particularly in the Arsenal eco-neighborhood, which will soon host a Grand Paris modal hub.
In 2007, the City of Paris acquired a plot of land measuring approximately 10,000 m² at the southern corner of the ZAC (Joint Development Zone) of this eco-neighborhood, with a view to completely rebuilding the facilities necessary for operational activities, administrative support, and training at a fire station, as well as housing for the families of Paris firefighters.
The engineering firm Elcimaï Environnement was selected to manage this project, carried out using BIM Level 2 (REVIT model by Elcimaï), from design through to delivery, scheduled for August 2024.
Project Overview
The project centers on a three-story fire station building rising above a lowered ground floor (constructed using traditional methods) and a five-story building comprising 33 residential units above a raised ground floor, featuring a wood-frame structure with straw insulation, centered around a concrete vertical circulation core. It also includes a shared parking garage for the fire station and staff housing on a single underground level, a training tower providing access to a hot smoke chamber, and a 1,070 m² training ground. Finally, a 2,600 m² land reserve borders the north side of the site.
Responsible for the mechanical and electrical systems, the building’s environmental quality (QEB), and construction economics, Elcimaï Environnement has planned particularly environmentally friendly features, such as energy recovery from greywater, rainwater harvesting—notably for washing fire trucks—and electricity generation via a rooftop photovoltaic system. The building will be connected to the ZAC’s district heating network, which will eventually be linked to the GéoRueil deep
geothermal system. “All of Elcimaï Environnement’s expertise in building environmental quality and energy is being put to use in this eco-construction project so that it serves as a model,” explains Mathilde Seguin, project manager at Elcimaï Environnement.
The housing units are aiming for NF Habitat HQE – Passeport Durable Excellent certification, the BBC
Effinergie 2017 label, and RT 2012 – 20 % compliance (the energy consumption level of the housing units, for all uses combined, will be 65
kWhEP/m² SP). The emergency response center, meanwhile, is aiming for HQE Tertiaire certification and RT 2012 – 20 %. “The Paris Police Prefecture has set a strong environmental goal with
the implementation
of a sustainable development framework starting in 2021,” explains Edgar Perez, Director of Real Estate and the Environment at the Paris Police Prefecture. “This project will be one of the first sites to apply this framework and these objectives, with the support of our partners Elcimaï Environnement,
PLAN 2, and PATRIARCHE.”
Finally, the project is notable for the presence on the site of the turquoise
grasshopper, a protected species, which will require special vigilance on the part of the teams working on the construction site.