Horizon Nature

The "Horizon Nature" project consists in the construction of 67 intermediary and collective housing units and 8 individual houses for a total of 75 housing units in the town of Montévrain, in a natural, green and preserved setting, near the banks of the Marne.

The developer Immobel has opted for a Global Quality approach in order to deliver a perfectly executed project. At the same time, the desire to minimise the environmental impact of the operation was integrated at each stage. CSR support provided by Velux made it possible to deliver sustainable housing, while taking into account the future experience of residents.

Comfortable accommodation

The comfort of the occupants has been considered on several aspects. On a visual level, the provision of natural light was maximised, in particular through an atypical system of Velux skydomes installed in certain buildings. These domes can also be used for ventilation during heatwave periods. For the windows, solar protection protects against high heat.

Comfort of use is another aspect that has been integrated into the approach. Various services such as connected parcel boxes are offered to buyers, for better management of their home and better ergonomics.

The search for energy savings

With a view to reducing the environmental impact of the whole, the Primary Energy Coefficient of the housing is 20 to 30% lower than the thresholds of the 2012 French thermal regulations. The building envelope is reinforced through the use of insulating terracotta load-bearing bricks, a material with lower emissions than concrete.

Heating and domestic hot water are provided by individual micro-storage gas boilers for collective housing. The first year of maintenance of these boilers is covered by the Project Owner, for better maintenance. The eight suburban houses are also equipped with self-consumption photovoltaic panels. Support by GRDF resulted inan agreement with a local farmer developing a biomethane plant, with the aim of injecting this green gas into the project network. In addition, remote control systems for the equipment make it possible to reduce energy consumption.

The injection of biogas into the network demonstrates our efforts to contribute to the emergence of a new generation of cleaner, more virtuous, more qualitative housing: the operation was therefore a real laboratory of tests and innovations!

Yves Eveillard, Residential Technical Director at IMMOBEL

Finally, soft mobility is encouraged by the provision of electric charging stations for visitors.

A respected natural setting

From the first phases of the operation, the watchword was to adapt the project to its environment rather than the opposite. For example, the sloping nature of the land was respected, which made it possible to limit pollution linked to earthworks and embankments.

The plantations have been densified and the species carefully selected so as to favor local species. This vegetation will serve as refuge areas for local wildlife, while creating islands of freshness. Insect hotels, bird nest boxes and even bat roosts placed in different locations throughout the operation help promote biodiversity.

A green construction site approach

The integration of sustainable development was also done during the construction works. Various measures have made it possible to reduce nuisance and energy consumption, such as the use of hybrid mechanical machines for earthworks. In addition, the choice of local companies for the works - six of them are located less than 15 kilometers from Montévrain - has significantly reduced travel requirements.

To raise buyers' awareness of biodiversity preservation issues, educational workshops were organised and beehives were installed during the construction phase. The honey produced was even offered to them! Visits to the biomethanization plant are also planned for the future.