A new university building is under construction on the campus of BUILDERS École d’Ingénieurs in Caen, with completion planned for 2027/2028. The project, partly funded by the Normandy Region and CCCABTP, demonstrates a strong regional commitment to sustainable and circular development. It aims to serve as a model for integrating environmental responsibility into academic infrastructure.
The 3,100 m² facility will accommodate around 1,250 students and include 1,600 m² of teaching spaces, 1,200 m² for extracurricular activities, and 1,000 m² dedicated to research and development, including the Living Lab. The project has a total budget of €17 million and targets an E3C2 energy classification, featuring photovoltaic energy production, district heating connection, and a low-carbon structure and insulation system.
A Building Information Management (BIM) approach supports the entire design and construction process. Material passports for both new and recycled materials are linked to the BIM system to ensure traceability, facilitate maintenance and reuse, and enable lifecycle assessment. The building will also be instrumented with sensors to monitor material performance and energy efficiency over time, with data feeding directly into the BIM model.
To foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, BUILDERS has established a Local Circular Construction Partnership (LCCP) that brings together local authorities, architects, companies, and academic partners. Joint workshops with architectural offices and technical partners are guiding the implementation and phasing of the Living Lab, aligning it with the broader campus development. The initiative is further strengthened through engagement activities with educators, researchers, and students, promoting circular and digital practices in higher education.
Images © BUILDIERS
BUILDERS with its curriculum programme ‘engineers for the construction sector’ offers expertise in “Expert in SMART Construction", "Expert in Eco-Materials and BIM Design" and "Expert in Maritime and Port Works" and "BIM Project Design". The BUILDERS research lab is specialized in building eco-materials based on recycled resources (natural ibres, recycled aggregates, shells, earth, etc.) that meet specific technical specifications. The laboratory has an extensive expertise in the design, development and characterisation of eco-materials for construction, with a specific focus on the sustainability of materials in their environments, applied and tested in marine applications and the specific conditions of the sea. We have already carried out many projects related to the analysis of biodiversity in the marine environment, in connection with the composition of materials, that will be brought to this project and its application in urban environments.
BUILDERS acts as the regional pilot coordinator for Caen Municipality, and develops a methodological and technical design of a Living Lab. Based on a real project on building extension, the pilot aims to experiment with innovative building methods & materials, and to monitor environmental impacts during construction & exploitation phases.