BDNA approach, a unique support tool

For C.Philipponeau, President of Odéys, “Public commissions enable the spread of good practice and the upgrading of skills in the sector.”

The time for great speeches is upon us! The dozen or so projects registered as Sustainable Buildings of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Bâtiments Durables Nouvelle-Aquitaine or BDNA) are soon to be presented to the evaluating committee. This initiative is led by Odéys, the regional hub for sustainable construction and development, with the financial support of the Region. It was launched in early 2020 and is a tool to support project leaders and evaluate buildings (1). “Our aim is to make building construction or renovation projects, whether of a building or a whole district, increasingly virtuous in terms of both the environment and also social responsibility,” explains Elsa Nauleau, BDNA project leader at Odéys. “The initiative calls for collective intelligence, and encourages quality upgrading in the operations and skills upgrading of the personnel. It is done by and for the players involved!” The aim is to make sustainable projects as simple as ‘traditional’ projects.

Participatory Guarantee System

Christine Lecerf is the manager of Ailter, the eco-responsible construction engineering agency located at the Arkinova Business Generator in Anglet, and she spoke as an expert at Odéys about how the initiative was developed and rolled out: “It’s a local initiative with the aim of developing the expertise of businesses and the economy of Nouvelle-Aquitaine around matters of sustainable development, for example by appealing more widely to the wood, hemp and straw sectors, and also by encouraging the diversification of energy sources and limiting energy consumption for every purpose: heating, ventilation, lighting, domestic hot water, etc.”

The BDNA initiative is neither a label nor a certification, and is based on a Participatory Guarantee System for the region’s new or renovated buildings, which in particular ensures transparency in the evaluation methods of projects and the participation of all the volunteer professionals. The way it works is structured around three pillars. First, an evaluation grid contextualised for Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a real reference point with over 300 criteria spread over seven themes (project management, territory & site – urban forms and quality of life, social solidarity & economy, energy, water, resources & materials, comfort & health). Then there is a leader trained to steer the initiative. And finally an inter-profession evaluation committee at the three key stages of the project: design, production and use.

The ESS hub goes for gold!

This hub evaluates the sustainable coherence of the project, allocates points for innovation and validates the level of recognition obtained, according to the aims and constraints of the project, by awarding medals (CAP [vocational qualification], bronze, silver and gold).

The Communauté Pays Basque and the City of Bayonne are actively committed to the BDNA approach. As joint contracting owners, they will present to the committee, in the first quarter of 2022, their project for the social economy and solidarity hub (ESS) intended to be located in the Place des Gascons, in Bayonne. This very ambitious project has one simple aim: to win the gold medal, the very highest level of acclaim!

In addition to her role as expert at the Odéys cluster, Christine Lecerf is supporting two pilot projects: the creation of a residence for young workers in Bordeaux by the developer Covivio and the renovation pf a university in Poitiers. As a designer and engineer she is also one of the voluntary members of the committees, organised as sessions open to the public. Peer evaluation and goodwill are elevated to key values.

‘Direct’ feedback

“These committees act as training opportunities for all the players in the construction sector,” she observes. “The presentation of the projects is an opportunity for the players involved to provide direct feedback. It also gives the people participating the chance to benefit from the advice that may be given to project leaders by experts.”

The initial progress report of the BDNA approach shows there are already over 40 trained supporters and is causing great interest in the sector. “Some developers want to get involved in BDNA approaches in areas that want to build new districts,” says Christine Lecerf. “They have realised that there is something here that can make a real and valuable difference for them. It’s also one of the main environmental approaches used by architects, who can be the supporters of their own projects. They feel they are stakeholders in the approach, and that it gives them a certain freedom.”

(1) There is also a BDNA approach in the Paca (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) region, in Occitanie and in Ile-de-France.

Link: https://demarchebdna.fr