In the fifth of a new series of blogs discussing Schneider Electric’s approach to Responsible and Responsive real estate, we talk to Bedeir Rizk of Paragon, Dan Drogman of Smartspaces. Darren Lovelock of Lloret about how to create future-proof spaces for occupants. Watch the two videos interviews conducted by both, Cormac Crossan, Global real estate business development director, at Schneider Electric, and Westley Thurley, European segment leader, digital energy, at Schneider Electric, here:

What can you do if employees simply don’t enjoy going into your office? For Bedeir Rizk, the entrepreneur behind Egypt’s Paragon Developments, a lot of his firm’s smart thinking was born out of a sense of “hating going to work”.  The business, which prides itself on helping develop workplace communities that grow and thrive, is currently revolutionising the commercial sector in Egypt with a little help from Schneider Electric and its EcoStruxure platform, which comprises cutting-edge smart building solutions.

We decided to think outside the office and outside the box that’s called the building – Bedeir Rizk

Adds Bedeir: “How many times do you go to your office feeling like you don’t want to go? And is it possible to create different experiences around that, in that case?”  Bedeir suggests that “what we call the work-life balance doesn’t work”. He explains: “So, we decided to think outside the office and outside the box that’s called the building. We asked how we could create unique experiences within the workspace, and by doing that, integrate work and life together.”

Schneider Electric’s Global real estate business development director, Cormac Crossan, thinks that the office experience has never been a hotter – or more urgent – topic. “There’s currently a huge existential question around workplace and hybrid work,” he notes. “While we’ve all emerged from Covid, a lot of remote working has persisted, and there’s been a lot of reduction in overall footprint for corporate occupiers.

I think the way we experience spaces is a key component of that conversation, that is not often talked about. Is work something that we can only do remotely or from the office? What’s the role of the office from a tenant perspective? – Cormac Crossan

Bedeir is ready to answer that question. “The office is dead, thank goodness,” he says. “That gives us an opportunity to recreate different work experiences. Today, 20-40% of office buildings are vacant in the US and I think, rightfully so. There’s no point in trying to force people into spaces that they don’t want to go to. But there are new experiences that are created in different areas of the world, like workspaces on the beach, in the mountains.”

I think the future of work is still ahead of us. And this is why we are doing our experience experiments – Bedeir Rizk

For Bedeir, that throws up a more interesting question – “why are offices not attractive anymore?” He answers it with a further observation about seismic changes in the urban experience. “Why do we move to cities? And the short answer is, because we want to get better work opportunities. And it is striking now that you don’t need to move to a new city to work in that city. If the basic foundation of a city is no longer the office, then the purpose of the city shifts. So why would I now move to Paris, Berlin or New York?” Exploring the remote work trend further, he argues that forging new friendships and personal relationships has become harder. He concludes: “I think the future of work is still ahead of us. And this is why we are doing our experience experiments.”

These “experiments” have translated into something called the Paragon Hub, an amenity space which is designed to take up about 10% of each Paragon development.  While this includes the obvious like bookable meeting rooms and coffee spaces, it also goes much further in serving occupiers. “We also focus on art and culture, there’s a gallery and art exhibition; there’s a focus on wellbeing, and a nursery catering for the whole office and surrounding developments, so you have access to your kids, plus a healthy food offering and a gym. We also actively think about the tenant mix from day zero. Ultimately, we design these spaces to really cater for the tenants and surrounding buildings.”

Backed by Schneider Electric technology, Paragon’s projects use smart infrastructure to simplify and enrich the occupier experience. Cormac notes that tech today can both make life easier for tenants as well as driving sustainability gains, all of which help defend against “tenant churn”. Yet when tenants do want to move on, Schneider Electric is also working on a circular approach to the hardware used in fitouts to preserve its use beyond the first tenant with some simple software reconfiguration solutions.

Other key partners for Schneider in the office revolution include proptech innovators Smart Spaces and building management systems specialist Lloret, both experts in the tenant experience arena. Dan Drogman, CEO of Smart Spaces, describes how their tech was crucial in the early days of the firm when working for clients who were rolling out business parks. “Business parks have to attract occupiers out of cities, which can be a tougher sell, so you need to offer a lot of amenity, and need to be able to deliver that and measure its use. Quite quickly after deploying our apps and systems, property investors could target what was working, rather than having to take a sporadic approach. Central London landlords started calling us after that.”

You can’t just have technology for the sake of technology – it’s about getting the balance right between technology and culture for human interaction in the building – Westley Thurley

Westley Thurley, European segment leader, digital energy, at Schneider Electric agrees that while apps have become quite commonplace in the building experience, there are often vast differences in quality. “You can’t just have technology for the sake of technology – it’s about getting the balance right between technology and culture for human interaction in the building.” Any tech deployed in this way needs to consider both the requirements of occupiers and of those tasked to maintain and operate the building, he says.  “When you are trying to encourage the adoption of an app, if people understand what it can achieve and the why, it will be used to the greatest effect.”

Darren Lovelock, managing director, Lloret, observes attitudes changing around how user technology is deployed in buildings as occupiers gain a greater understanding of its potential. He notes: “It’s a market that is changing from conventional engineering to a more IT based engineering; you need to know about IP addressing, and know about coding. A range of protocols are becoming more and more of a requirement across projects, and that really does need a different level of skillset. In turn, our teams need to prioritise early engagement with the building occupier.”

He adds: “We are also seeing a big move towards the wellness aspect, and that is really driving a lot of the revolution around signage: the more information you can give, the more comfortable users feel. The diffusion of the WELL standard is contributing further to this, as end-users become more experience savvy.”

Schneider Electric: Enabling Responsible and Responsive Real Estate

The real estate sector faces the urgent challenge of minimising its carbon footprint to comply with government regulations, reduce operational costs, and satisfy the evolving needs of occupants and stakeholders. Download our eGuide to explore how our solutions deliver real impact for our customers across key focus areas: sustainability acceleration, energy management, asset and operations performance, user experience and portfolio strategy. Find out more about Schneider Electric here.

De stagiaire à CEO, Marie-Laure Leclercq de Sousa a gravi tous les échelons chez JLL, l’une des plus grandes entreprises de conseil en immobilier d’entreprise au monde. Elle dirige désormais les activités pour la France, la Belgique, le Luxembourg et l’Europe du Sud. Elle nous reçoit dans ses bureaux à Paris, 40 rue de la Boétie.

Vous avez rejoint JLL France à la fin des années 1990, qu’est-ce qui vous avait donné envie d’intégrer le secteur de l’immobilier ? 

Quand on discute avec des professionnels de l’immobilier, on se rend compte que pour beaucoup, nous ne sommes pas arrivés dans ce secteur par vocation. Les enfants rêvent d’être astronautes, pompiers ou médecins… mais pas de travailler dans l’immobilier ! Pourtant, aujourd’hui, de plus en plus de jeunes rêvent de transformer le monde et de préserver l’environnement. Je n’irais pas jusqu’à dire que l’immobilier est ‘le’ secteur qui va sauver la planète mais il peut y contribuer. Et ce n’est pas rien ! Si on est intéressé par les enjeux environnementaux… mais aussi par les enjeux juridiques, sociétaux ou encore financiers, alors l’immobilier est l’un des secteurs qui permet de toucher à ces différents aspects, de rencontrer des personnes très différentes et de changer leur quotidien, de rentrer dans la stratégie des entreprises, d’être dans le concret et d’exercer sa curiosité. Je vous avouerai que pousser une porte cochère qu’on a toujours vue fermée, avoir accès à un patrimoine incroyable, c’est tout simplement passionnant. Cela fait 20 ans que je suis dans ce secteur et j’ai l’impression d’être arrivée hier.

Qu’est-ce que cette nouvelle génération va apporter au secteur ?

Cette génération a des super pouvoirs. Des super pouvoirs d’ouverture sur le monde. L’accès au web, à la culture, aux études… C’est un bouleversement par rapport à ce que ma génération a connu. La plus grande richesse de cette génération, c’est d’avoir le choix. Quand ces jeunes ont envie et qu’ils utilisent les outils qui sont à leur disposition à bon escient, leurs super pouvoirs, ils les déclenchent partout !

Chez JLL justement, vous avez un parcours dédié pour les jeunes ?

Nous avons mis en place un parcours de formation continu, donc tous les collaborateurs de l’entreprise, et pas seulement les jeunes, bénéficient de formations sur des thématiques fortes comme le développement durable appliqué à l’immobilier, avec la mise en place d’un « Sustainability Pass », ou encore sur les nouvelles technologies avec le « Tech Pass ». J’ai lancé la JLL Academy qui a permis la mise en place d’une université intégrée dans l’entreprise où les seniors apprennent aux juniors, partagent leurs connaissances, avec des présentations, des réunions, du mentorat au quotidien. C’est la possibilité de se former, grâce à ses collègues, sur un autre métier, une expertise, et surtout d’ouvrir son esprit et le champ des possibles. Par ailleurs, nous avons la chance d’être un groupe international qui compte près de 110 000 collaborateurs sur tous les continents, nous encourageons donc naturellement les mobilités internationales.

En août 2023, JLL a annoncé le lancement du premier modèle d’IA générative dédié à l’immobilier commercial. Quelle est votre vision de l’IA et de l’innovation ? 

Nous avons embrassé l’intelligence artificielle il y a maintenant presque deux ans en créant notre propre GPT, c’est « JLL GPT ». Notre richesse, ce sont les données de nos clients mais aussi ce que nous devons préserver par-dessus tout. Il était donc hors de question de mettre des informations sur n’importe quelle IA ou plateforme ouverte. Nous avons créé notre outil qui se nourrit lui-même. Les 110 000 collaborateurs de l’entreprise ont accès à JLL GPT qui a été créé par nos équipes en Californie. L’intelligence artificielle est conçue pour aider nos collaborateurs, pour leur faire gagner du temps de qualité. Mon rêve, ce serait que chacun de nos collaborateurs gagne 20% de son temps sur des tâches chronophages et sans valeur ajoutée pour se former, continuer à se développer et échanger avec ses collègues.

Vous avez une vision « européenne » de l’immobilier, quelles sont les différences en matière de culture, de pratiques et d’attrait pour le secteur avec d’autres pays voisins ?

 JLL est implantée sur tous les continents et est organisée par ligne de métier. Notre siège mondial est à Chicago. De par mes responsabilités (France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Europe du Sud), je suis confrontée à la diversité des marchés et des cultures. Et expliquer la diversité de l’Europe, c’est un challenge ! C’est expliquer les différences culturelles, le global et le local. Pour faire de l’immobilier en Europe, il faut beaucoup d’écoute pour comprendre les autres. Le Français veut aller vite, ce qui peut heurter la sensibilité des Anglais, frustrer les Allemands qui aiment avoir un plus vaste champ des possibles… Je caricature un peu mais les différences sont importantes.

La richesse d’un groupe international, c’est d’abord d’avoir des collaborateurs compétents et soudés. En en cela, mon expérience de plus de 25 ans au sein de JLL illustre bien cette valeur clef qu’est le travail d’équipe. A titre d’exemple, j’ai été confrontée à un sujet managérial cet été. À minuit, j’ai appelé mes pairs dans tous les pays d’Europe pour trouver ensemble la meilleure solution. Le lendemain midi, on était tous dans une capitale européenne. J’avais le meilleur expert en juridique, en finance, etc… Et ça, c’est quelque chose qui est exceptionnel.

Les crises successives dans le secteur depuis les subprimes sont-elles une tâche pour l’image du secteur ou au contraire, une occasion de montrer que l’immobilier sait se réinventer ?

En France, l’immobilier n’a pas forcément une bonne image parce qu’il est associé à des métiers transactionnels. Mon souhait serait, qu’à la fin de ma carrière, nos métiers soient mieux perçus. Aujourd’hui, on revient aux fondamentaux : l’humain et la ville.

Qu’est-ce que vous avez appris au début de votre carrière qui vous sert encore aujourd’hui ?

L’humilité. Dans nos métiers, la valeur ajoutée, c’est le service au client : s’effacer à leur profit et au service de leurs projets. J’ai appris à me regarder dans la glace tous les matins en me disant que j’allais m’amuser. Et effectivement, lorsque vous êtes passionné par ce métier, vous pouvez beaucoup vous amuser et beaucoup travailler. Et en l’occurrence, j’ai beaucoup travaillé et j’ai été accompagnée par ma famille pour le faire. J’ai appris que pour pouvoir tout faire, il faut gérer ses priorités, savoir où est l’essentiel et surtout ne jamais oublier ce qui vous anime au quotidien.

C’est dans les bureaux de Grand Paris Aménagement du 19^ème arrondissement que nous rencontrons l’une des personnalités préférées des professionnels de la fabrique de la ville. À La Défense, Bordeaux-Euratlantique ou dans le Grand Paris… Stéphan de Fay est un homme tout terrain en quête de dialogue.

©Raphaël Ruegger

Ressentez-vous encore de la défiance des acteurs   publics vis-à-vis du privé ?

J’ai souvent entendu des acteurs publics dire d’un promoteur ‘c’est scandaleux il va gagner de l’argent’. Ça m’a toujours surpris car c’est quand même l’objectif d’une entreprise de réaliser des bénéfices, c’est même inscrit dans le Code de Commerce. J’aime bien demander à ces acteurs publics ‘Est-ce que cette opération contribue à ta propre mission ? Et est-ce que toi tu perds de l’argent dans cette opération ? Si ce n’est pas le cas alors c’est une bonne nouvelle. Chez Grand Paris Aménagement, nous avons beaucoup développé la co-promotion et la coopération avec les acteurs privés. L’une des principales raisons a été de casser la défiance qui pouvait exister. Ce n’est pas incompatible de générer de l’utilité publique et de créer de la valeur économique. Au contraire, cela fait partie de notre mission. L’aménageur qui met en œuvre une vision politique ultra-descendante avec un zonage et un calendrier sur 25-30 ans, c’est terminé. Le dialogue avec les citoyens, les entreprises et les acteurs de la société civile doit désormais primer pour simplement bâtir des villes adaptées à leurs besoins.

« Nous sommes tous d’abord des citoyens et des citoyennes. »

Comment casser cette défiance justement ?

Nous sommes tous d’abord des citoyens et des citoyennes, il faut qu’à un moment donné il y ait une rencontre. Ce sont les dispositifs humains et organisationnels qui permettent de créer de la confiance durable. Chacun doit pouvoir se regarder dans un miroir et se dire, ma raison d’être à moi, c’est ça. Et si m’allier avec un autre acteur permet d’atteindre cette finalité alors j’y vais. Et je dois dire qu’un acteur public, seul, ne sait pas faire. Le public seul, ou le privé seul, ne savent pas construire un morceau de ville durable. Nous avons besoin les uns des autres. Le développement de la co-promotion immobilière est un choix ultra rationnel, et chez Grand Paris Aménagement on a pris un parti : ce sont les équipes qui font de l’aménagement qui font aussi l’opération de co-promotion, ce qui permet de renforcer les liens humains entre nos équipes et celles des partenaires. Et c’est la même chose en matière d’aménagement. Nous conduisons par exemple des opérations de co-aménagement avec Eiffage Aménagement, notre concurrent direct certes, mais avec lequel nous partageons un réel socle de valeurs commun.

Dans cette logique de dialogue entre acteurs, vous présidez l’ « Association Filière Hors-site France», comment avez-vous réussi à fédérer les acteurs ?

Cela ne coulait pas de source. Je me rappelle une des premières réunions, les architectes étaient méfiants. On était à la tour Montparnasse au Conseil national de l’Ordre des Architectes, chaque mot était pesé au trébuchet ! Les questions décoiffaient : ‘Vous voulez tuer l’architecture ? Vous voulez revenir à la préfabrication de masse des années 60 ?’ Le sous-entendu étant ‘je ne veux pas juste mettre mon nom pour faire joli’. Il s’agissait d’un dialogue exigeant.
Au XXIème siècle, il faut entièrement repenser la manière de coopérer des acteurs impliqués dans l’acte de construire. La baisse structurelle de la productivité dans le monde du bâtiment
(-10% de productivité en 15 ans vs. +100% dans l’industrie dans le même temps) nous a poussé à nous plonger dans la question du hors-site. Il y a peut-être d’autres leviers mais c’est pour nous le premier qu’on voit pour essayer d’inverser cette tendance, de répondre aux enjeux de construction du secteur, sans sacrifier à la qualité.

Être aménageur aujourd’hui, c’est ça le cœur de métier : créer des alliances ?

Ma prévision, c’est qu’en 2050, pour des raisons d’abord démographiques, on arrêtera de construire en France. Ce qui veut dire que nous, aménageurs, on a 25 ans pour nous transformer radicalement. Alors soit pour constater qu’on ne sert plus à rien. Dans ce cas il faut fermer. Soit on considère qu’on sert encore à quelque chose et pour moi l’aménagement aujourd’hui c’est surtout accompagner les collectivités dans la mise en œuvre d’un projet politique de transformation physique de leur territoire. Ça veut dire inventer des nouveaux métiers et pour certains d’entre eux réinventer une manière de les mener en associant complètement différemment les acteurs privés et les acteurs publics. Je vais prendre deux exemples très différents.

Le premier, c’est sur le pavillonnaire. La prochaine crise, elle est démographique. Dans les cinq ans qui viennent, on aura un doublement de la population française de plus de 85 ans. Or 85 ans, c’est loin d’être neutre, c’est le seuil statistique à partir duquel il n’y a plus de capacité à rester dans son logement de façon totalement autonome. Des tissus pavillonnaires, et plus largement les grands logements, vont se vider, il y aura donc beaucoup de logements libres, qui plus est souhaités par les Français. Il y a une super opportunité pour redynamiser des villes et les quartiers entiers. Aujourd’hui hélas,  à chaque fois qu’on intervient à l’ancienne sur ces tissus, on rase 5-6 maisons pour faire un collectif… Déjà ça ne correspond pas aux souhaits des Français. Donc on a détruit un habitat qui existe, qui correspond à la demande, pour créer quelque chose qui ne correspond pas à la demande et on imperméabilise les sols. Le pavillonnaire, quand il existe, il a au moins une vertu c’est qu’il y a des jardins et des îlots de fraîcheur naturels. Notre métier doit être d’accompagner ces mêmes propriétaires pour qu’eux-mêmes valorisent leur patrimoine. Exemple : ma maison s’est vidée parce que mes enfants sont grands, je peux créer un escalier extérieur pour pouvoir louer de façon indépendante mon premier étage à des étudiants. Les particuliers ne sont pas des professionnels de l’immobilier, on peut et on doit les accompagner tout en étant vigilants sur la cohérence d’ensemble de ces mutations avec le projet politique porté par les élus. Cette approche est d’ailleurs également transposable aux zones d’activités économiques.

Il y a une évolution de nos métiers qui vont vers la facilitation urbaine. L’état d’esprit est toujours le même, c’est comment est-ce qu’on accompagne un acteur privé (particulier ou entreprise) pour qu’il se rende compte de la pépite qu’il a et raisonner non pas sur de la valeur économique mais sur de la valeur d’usage.

Et le deuxième ?

C’est la coopération avec les territoires eux-mêmes. Nous avons récemment lancé une coopération foncière entre les villes d’Aubervilliers en Seine-Saint-Denis et Saint Dizier en Haute-Marne. À Saint Dizier le problème est que cela fait 40 ans qu’il n’y a pas de logement neuf non social produit en centre-ville. Pour un promoteur, se lancer dans une telle opération est risqué. Pour encourager les promoteurs à prendre du risque, nous jumelons la vente du terrain à Saint Dizier avec celle d’un terrain dont nous sommes propriétaire à Aubervilliers. En réalité, c’est très simple. Mais le plus intéressant n’est pas là. Je me souviens du jour où nous avons présenté l’un à l’autre les maires des deux villes, lors du MIPIM 2023. Ils se sont bien sûr partagé leurs ambitions pour leur ville, puis la discussion sur le portage a duré deux minutes, et ensuite ils ont embrayé sur les multiples opportunités de coopérations entre les deux villes autour du sport, de la musique, etc. Autant de projets qui désormais deviennent réalité. Je crois beaucoup à ces alliances entre des territoires complémentaires car très différents.

In the fourth of a new series of blogs discussing Schneider Electric’s approach to Responsible and Responsive real estate, we talk to Mathilde Petriat of GRESB and Stefano Corbella of Coima about tackling the challenges around compliance

Firms trying to take a responsible and responsive approach to real estate are facing a bewildering panorama of standards and requirements that often change in different geographies and even alter annually. “The fact that much of the industry is playing catch-up when it comes to sustainability in real estate doesn’t help,” says Julian Tharsis, global sustainability reporting, compliance & analytics director, Schneider Electric.

Sustainability is increasingly a compliance issue, not just a matter of staying competitive. So it’s important to get clear on how to measure a building’s performance, and stay on top of the guidance and legislation – Julian Tharsis

As a compliance specialist, Julian knows that the issue can be a less popular aspect of an ESG strategy. “People breathe a collective sigh when compliance comes up, it feels like nagging,” he says. “The term implies duty, it implies work. But there are multiple benefits to facing reality and being on top of it.”

Mathilde Petriat, chief customer success officer of benchmarking firm GRESB, says that GRESB was born out of a desire to “define a common language to assess sustainability issues and bring transparency to the markets”. She adds: “This reporting can obviously be a burden, sometimes, but reporting can also be a great tool to really engage between investors and managers.

We see especially in the very challenging markets, that access to capital for instance is easier for those who have a lot of transparency around their sustainability strategies – Mathilde Petriat

“So we really believe that we are an actor of change in the way that we can promote what’s really happening in a very standardised, harmonised way, and a very accessible way to investors.”

Adds Julian: “With programmes such as GRESB, the important thing at first is just to take part. You don’t have to be at the highest level, but only once you start can you understand your strengths and weaknesses and make improvements.”  He notes: “Your first report might not look great, but having the information about how to grow, which data needs to be better, is vital.”

Stefano Corbella, sustainability officer of Italian real estate firm Coima adds a landlord’s perspective. “The data parameters are growing fast across the E, the S and the G. It isn’t really a level playing field, and data collection can be very fragmented and at times, difficult to access. For example, as a landlord, we have full access to own consumption figures, but we have to ask the tenant for their data.  Maybe in the future we will be able to collect that information without continually asking, but until then, it’s a challenge. Other EPC data is also affected by access issues, or building age.”

If we provide an efficiently managed building that will save money, tenants will stay in the building much longer compared to other properties – Stefano Corbella

Once the data has been acquired, other issues emerge around data analysis, Stefano notes. “There is no common quantity of data that is collected, so you have to dedicate some resources to that if you want to completely understand what is happening in your property and drive efficiency across your portfolio,” he remarks.

“Last year, energy price spikes in Europe led to lots of conversations with tenants about their bills going up five-fold. Then attention around energy consumption increased a lot. We found ourselves going through the data with tenants, and sharing actions to improve efficiencies.” This kind of approach benefits both landlord and occupier, Stefano says. “If we provide an efficiently managed building that will save money, tenants will stay in the building much longer compared to other properties. Our strategy therefore involves putting ourselves at the forefront of managing buildings in a very efficient and professional way.”

Mathilde is sympathetic to the challenges facing landlords today. “For GRESB, it is different as we simply get the data reported to us. But we see the challenges that participants face in getting hold of this data,” she notes. However, as the data recipient, GRESB has developed ways to share good practices, such as “those who have installed smart meters, who have building management systems in place, which can really help track data live, and simplify tasks rather than filling in spreadsheets by hand”. Furthermore, she notes that “those who have an API connection directly to the GRESB platform see the data stream truly automated which is a huge win for them.”

These kinds of efficiencies encourage greater adoption and in turn, improvements, she concludes. “We want people to spend more time analysing the data, in order to take action, than on collecting it.

“At GRESB we are actively working on building new dashboards and insights based on the vast amount of data that we have, to provide market participants with actionable insights for improving the quality of their portfolios.”

Adds Julian: “Having the right technology to facilitate these processes is crucial. We are here to help our customers spend less time collecting and reporting data and more time taking action. We are constantly striving to improve that data flow.”

AI is the new topic of debate with the industry weighing up its pros and cons – Stefano Corbella

In terms of future technology, although real estate owners already have many efficient tools at their disposal, interest remains in what might come next. Says Stefano:  “AI is the new topic of debate with the industry weighing up its pros and cons. We are testing it out in some properties, aligning it with the building management systems we have to help automatically analyse data.”

Stefano thinks that AI “will not replace but support other technological systems” in the long run. He adds: “Correlating data with financial outcomes is what makes it valuable. There are learning curves everywhere but I believe that this will be the focus of the next 5-10 years to really drive the industry forward.” He compares the automotive industry, which has been “going through digitalisation process much faster than the construction industry, for example”.

For Mathilde, the next frontier for compliance will be the speed of regulatory change. “The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive might enforce a common digital database where you have the energy consumption of everybody in the building. That would really help streamline this process.” She adds: “Sometimes we lack this regulatory push to make sure that everyone feels that they have to do it. That would really help managers so they don’t have to run after tenants.”

Adds Stefano: “Regulation can be a positive thing – the EU taxonomy made a difference. These kinds of common goals help us to have useful conversations with our investors about using capital to drive sustainability and future proof their investments.”

Schneider Electric: Enabling Responsible and Responsive Real Estate

The real estate sector faces the urgent challenge of minimising its carbon footprint to comply with government regulations, reduce operational costs, and satisfy the evolving needs of occupants and stakeholders. Download our eGuide to explore how our solutions deliver real impact for our customers across key focus areas: sustainability acceleration, energy management, asset performance and operations, user experience and portfolio strategy. Find out more about Schneider Electric here.

In the third of a new series of blogs discussing Schneider Electric’s approach to Responsible and Responsive real estate, we talk to Marcus Moufarrige of Ility and Andrew Loudon of Sidara about the benefits of robust operations

Businesses which think outside the box when it comes to organising operations can steal a march on the competition, recent case studies show. And the benefits are even more impressive when firms can automate such processes across buildings, operations and people.

Marcus Moufarrige, founder and CEO of operational efficiency specialists, Ility says: “The way buildings are run has changed so much. Today landlords are focused a lot more on the building’s financial performance because they’re worried about its valuation, as opposed to the actual operations and the revenue that’s coming from the tenants. As a result, they often outsource that part of the business to third parties.”

In order to tackle that, you really need automation – it’s not just a nice to have at this point, it’s a must have – Marcus Moufarrige

However, these third parties need to be highly specialised to tackle the complexities of everything from ESG to F&B, or simply trying to create an environment that attracts employees, incorporating flexibility, services, amenities and more, Marcus says. “In order to tackle that, you really need automation – it’s not just a nice to have at this point, it’s a must have. From my experience, automation in a multi-tenant environment really drives profitability. It makes an amazing difference, and we’re showing that already with some of our customer results.”

Adds Brett Spindler, global director enterprise software, Schneider Electric: “The more manual a company’s processes are, the more expensive it is and more open to failure you are. If you can automate something, your speed of transaction, your predictability of delivery and your cost of delivery all radically change.” However, he warns that some operational improvement technologies just create more to do, by prompting a plethora of recommendations. “Instead, we want to create self-healing or autonomous buildings. If I can enable a property to understand how it is operating, how it should operate, then the building can look at what’s happening, determine what is to be done, and take the action.”

Brett explains that one of Schneider Electric’s priorities with interior architecture is making sure the business, the people and the operations all benefit from the application of technology.

When this works, Marcus notes that “you not only reduce costs, but also the need for people to do a lot of manual and mundane tasks. That means they can have a better work experience than entering data into a report.” He underlines that the benefits are “not just about removing friction – but about removing bad friction and enhancing good friction.”

Marcus explains: “Good friction is creating an environment where you can get your employees to be in the right place at the right time to create productive friction. And bad friction is anything that gets in the way of that.”

Sidara is another firm exploring the benefits of smart buildings for better operations – this time for its own processes. The 20,000-strong design management and consulting firm recently collaborated with Schneider Electric on its new UK headquarters. Sidara UK managing director Andrew Loudon explains: “We developed a new, multi-million-pound building in the centre of London – we were uniquely placed as the developer, owner, and designer of the building. The vision behind the project was to create a place that bringsall our brands together under one roof for the first time, and exploring what that could bring.”

For the project, Sidara used Schneider Electric technology, from intelligent energy management systems, all the way through operational systems and building systems. “That means from a performance perspective, and a people perspective, that we can generate a lot of interesting data and information,” Andrew notes.

The space is all about collaboration, understanding how people work and interact together, and encouraging firms to come together – Andrew Loudon

The resulting building has created synergies for the firm in terms of creativity and productivity, as well as driving cost savings, Andrew says. “The space is all about collaboration, understanding how people work and interact together, and encouraging firms to come together. We have an atrium with a staircase that links all the floors, and we wanted to encourage the different teams to work together without forcing them. Data shows us that that interaction is happening.”

He adds: “When we started out, we took a kind of blue-sky approach to think about how technology could help us operate better. As a consulting firm, we wanted something different, so our clients and customers could see all this when they come to visit. So we decided to push the boundaries of what we could do.”

The results were surprising at times. “What has been interesting in the first year is being able to truly look at how the space is being used, thanks to data,” he adds. “We were developing the building during the pandemic, so we were trying to understand how to attract people back to the office. Surprisingly, we saw that people were coming back very quickly. Partly, this was due to the appeal of a nice new environment, with high air quality, daylight and connectivity, but we also learned other things about building use.”

Andrew notes that Sidara will probably retrofit some spaces over the next year after looking at usage patterns. “Meeting rooms aren’t being used efficiently,” he notes. “Client floor rooms are being used 70% of the time with just three or four people in them. So, thanks to the data, we will probably repurpose some of that space to use with greater intensity and make it more fit for purpose.” He adds: “We also decided to not open the restaurant on Fridays, after seeing footfall data.”

In conclusion, Andrew says: “It was so important for us to get a lot of young people back into the building post-Covid. Young people need to be mentored at the early stages in their career. We also now have an asset to attract talent, and even involved younger people in making decisions about how to put the building together.

“We have lab type incubation spaces in the building and a lot of customers are keen to come in and use that space, even if they aren’t meeting with us. And we have set up a digital advisory business within the firm to offer consulting for other firms on this kind of project.”

Schneider Electric: Enabling Responsible and Responsive Real Estate

The real estate sector faces the urgent challenge of minimising its carbon footprint to comply with government regulations, reduce operational costs, and satisfy the evolving needs of occupants and stakeholders. Download our eGuide to explore how our solutions deliver real impact for our customers across key focus areas: sustainability acceleration, energy management, asset performance and operations, user experience and portfolio strategy. Find out more about Schneider Electric here.

In the second of a new series of blogs discussing Schneider Electric’s approach to Responsible and Responsive real estate, Karin Teichmann, spokeswoman of the board for EUREF, discusses driving tenant success in the face of energy volatility. 

Soaring energy prices across Europe over the last two years have spiked costs for commercial tenants and increased leasing risks for landlords. Yet there has been an unexpected upside: much more engagement and interest in driving energy savings, as well as greater discussion around the creation of energy via renewable sources.

“Commercial real estate landlords traditionally haven’t paid much attention to the energy equation,” says Cormac Crossan, global business development lead for commercial real estate at Schneider Electric. “But now it has become a core topic for asset managers. War in Europe and matters of energy security have altered the game completely.” He adds: “The risk profile of a building is being affected, and you need to mitigate risk. Tenants also need to know what their options are.” According to Cormac, Schneider Electric can help “build in” energy strategies for a building’s current and future needs – even if those needs rapidly evolve.

One such project involving Schneider Electric is the EUREF campus in Berlin, an energy-independent business park which is also being replicated in Dusseldorf. The firm behind both projects is EUREF AG, a creative developer of real estate, whose buildings are optimised in terms of energy and the environment. The company was founded in 2007 by Reinhard Müller in conjunction with the acquisition of a 5.5-hectare area surrounding the gasometer in Berlin-Schöneberg. A new city district has subsequently arisen as a symbol of the shift to renewable energy in Germany.

EUREF has shown that it is feasible to build sustainable buildings, to lease them and make money from them – Karin Teichmann

Karin Teichmann, spokeswoman of the board at EUREF, explains: “EUREF Berlin is a true campus with a mix of universities and businesses. It is fully leased with a long waiting-list of potential tenants!” She adds: “EUREF has shown that it is feasible to build sustainable buildings, to lease them and make money from them.”

The site comprises LEED Platinum certified new buildings and listed old buildings, characterised by innovative and energy-efficient building technologies. It benefits from a CO₂-neutral energy supply through biogas cogeneration plant and locally generated renewable energy from photovoltaics and wind power. Furthermore, there is smart-grid technology and smart metering across the campus.

Finally, guided tours of the campus, company visits, and informative projects such as an Energy Workshop have expanded its function as a forum and information hub. Says Karin: “We have up to 100,000 visitors per year, many of whom are also trying to learn from what we have built. They see it as a case study for the future – we are both a laboratory and a showcase.”

Adds Cormac: “EUREF is an incredible example of what happens when you put energy at the core of your proposition. If you move into the campus you have to be involved in energy security because they are trying to create a thinktank of minds.

“So much energy in buildings is wasted; this is a huge opportunity to free up capital, serve tenants and keep occupiers in the long term.”

The next project for EUREF is a campus in Düsseldorf, which will take some inspiration from Berlin, but also develop its own methodology based on the local terrain and environment. Schneider Electric has signed up to become the anchor tenant of this exciting project. Says Karin: “One thing we learned from Berlin is to get everyone around the table from the beginning.”  This me eting of minds has created a raft of innovative ideas for Düsseldorf, as she explains. “The aim is to supply the campus in a CO₂-neutral and safe manner. And this with an annual building energy demand of 2.4 gigawatt hours for heat and 2.7 gigawatt hours for air conditioning.

“This is achieved through the thermal use of the adjacent Lichtenbroich quarry pond, a gigantic heat reservoir that supplies both heat in winter and cold in summer through highly efficient heat pumps.

“Another innovatively used energy source is the sun, which provides electricity for self-consumption all year round with the help of PV systems on the roof and façade of the Innovation Campus. The ambient air is also used to cool the building and dissipates excess heat via a hybrid cooler.”

These approaches are important not only for the challenges of today – but to anticipate what Cormac calls the “tectonic shifts” of tomorrow. “The overall energy landscape is shifting as the whole world moves towards electric mobility,” he underlines.

“We have predicted that 88% of all electric vehicle charging will happen in buildings – so all the hydrocarbons used in the world will have to become electrons that are channelled through properties. That will mean 30-40% more electricity running through buildings.”

In turn he asks: “how can these assets become the filling stations of tomorrow?” He notes diverse issues in play, especially with older buildings – considering that some 50% of today’s properties will still be standing in the year 2050. All in all, he concludes, the issue needs to be discussed right now.

The only limit is the imagination – the technology is already here – Cormac Crossan

“If you deploy energy efficiency measures in your buildings, you can save 30% of the energy that you’re currently using and repurpose that to charge electrical vehicles. Ultimately, that can create an additional revenue stream for buildings. Plus, you can create additional services as they do in filling stations today, where you can get coffee, or use a vending machine. The only limit is the imagination – the technology is already here.”

For companies that don’t know where to start when it comes to sourcing additional, clean energy, Cormac also notes that “Schneider Electric is the world’s largest broker of decarbonised energy, we have a marketplace to connect customers with suppliers. It is key for corporates to know that they can access decarbonised energy when they are moving into an office or a logistics asset, as it affects their risk in the long term.”

Equally, for companies who are unsure about accessing the capital for energy projects, Cormac notes that strategic joint ventures can benefit a range of parties in the industry. By way of example, Schneider Electric often matches real estate owners with roof space to renewable energy firms for a win-win situation. “Take the US, where a lot of energy infrastructure is quite dated and subject to power outages,” he notes. “We helped set up the largest solar array in North America at JFK Airport, through a joint venture strategy. They supplied the roof space and we added the technology and the infrastructure. The result is the largest installation we have ever done – and 100% uptime for the airport in terms of energy supply.”

Schneider Electric: Enabling Responsible and Responsive Real Estate

The real estate sector faces the urgent challenge of minimising its carbon footprint to comply with government regulations, reduce operational costs, and satisfy the evolving needs of occupants and stakeholders. Join our upcoming exclusive LinkedIn live together with Brookfield and Arup, to know more about Enhancing property investments: How ESG and data combine for solid returns.

Download our eGuide to explore how our solutions deliver real impact for our customers across key focus areas: sustainability acceleration, energy management, asset and operations performance, user experience and portfolio strategy. Find out more about Schneider Electric here.

On the middle day of MIPIM 2024, an important question was posed regarding the future of city centre retail as an asset class on the London Stand Stage. The ‘City Centres – Do or Die’ session explored the ever-increasing issue of vacant retail units across the capital. The seemingly perpetual rise of online shopping, coupled with the rebound from COVID lockdowns, has given retail a rather gloomy backdrop. However, there remains optimism and hope for the future, as discussed amongst the panellists, with several key points raised throughout the session as to how city centre retail can be revitalised.

Firstly, there is universal agreement that for city centre retail to successfully compete against online retailers, shops need to be magnetised. Experience-led retail can effectively entice shoppers back to city centre retail, with inspiration taken from the hospitality sector regarding shop layouts and fronts.

Delivering these experiences requires collaboration, which is most effective when all stakeholders are pulling in the same direction. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the capital have successfully cemented public and private sector relationships, with the New West End Company, represented by their CEO Dee Corsi on the panel, playing a key role in this. The New West End Company is the UK’s largest retail and leisured-led BID, responsible for London’s key shopping districts, including Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, and representing over 600 businesses. The BID levy payers benefit from a multitude of place marketing activation activities that attract customers, increase spend per head and dwell time. Examples of this include art installations celebrating the King’s Coronation and annual Christmas celebrations and collaborations with the Royal Academy of Arts.

Photograph from New West End Company

Moreover, it is agreed that strategic use of the public realm will attract and increase dwell time. Granting licenses to vendors of F&B outlets to utilise al-fresco dining along with creating attractive spaces for people to meet, socialise and shop has been a successful recipe for Argent’s major King’s Cross and Gasholders mixed-use development. Other events, such as the annual King’s Cross Summer Sounds music festival, increase footfall and spend along with awareness of the area. It is also highlighted that a varied tenant mix is important so that there is appeal to a wide variety of consumers and to prevent one type of retail having an overbearing effect.

Photograph from Four Communications/PA

Overall, the session provided optimism for the retail sector with clear examples as to how new life can be breathed into city centres.

Written by Tom Osborn, Real Estate Student at the University of Reading

In the first of a new series of blogs discussing Schneider Electric’s approach to Responsible and Responsive real estate, we talk to Juliette Medana from JLL about reducing carbon emissions

Tackling carbon emissions in real estate has become a “race against the clock” for landlords and occupiers, according to the latest expert findings. “We have a global consensus that carbon emissions are triggering catastrophic and irrevocable climate change,” says Cormac Crossan, global business development lead for commercial real estate at Schneider Electric. “Increasing global temperatures will undeniably have devastating effects on the current ecosystem and biosphere, making joint action essential.”

We have a global consensus that carbon emissions are triggering catastrophic and irrevocable climate change – Cormac Crossan, Schneider Electric

While there are signs of collective effort, from the Paris pledge to the emergence of tools such as the carbon risk real estate monitor (CRREM), Cormac notes that individual businesses have a huge role to play. “A great deal of the pressure and momentum behind ESG and the climate emergency is filtered through governments, but it’s a now a very real and tangible risk factor for corporations, who occupy the lion’s share of real estate,” he notes.

The latest data speaks for itself. While buildings account for 37% of global CO2 emissions, some 90% of properties will become a financial risk if they fail to decarbonise. Stranded assets risk seeing their value fall by an average of 30%, according to data compiled by Schneider Electric. Moving forward, some 50,000 companies in Europe will need to disclose their energy and carbon figures under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), a regulatory framework established by the European Commission.

Faced with navigating an increasingly complex environmental, social, and governance (ESG) environment, expert partners are stepping into the breach.

Juliette Medana, head of sustainability consulting EMEA at JLL, sees an opportunity to use the lever of regulation to achieve positive change (click to watch the recording of the MIPIM session). “We are still in a very complex environment, but we see progressive alignment at a global level with global standards,” she notes. “Meanwhile, at a national and city level, we are seeing more and more regulation around businesses and building performance, that place pressure on investors but progressively also on occupiers,” she notes. Against this, macroeconomic headwinds are clouding the picture. She points out that “barriers to improvement” have included the high interest rate environment of recent years and low capital market activity.

We are still in a very complex environment, but we see progressive alignment at a global level with global standards –  Juliette Medana, JLL

“The good news is that if you look at the global commitment, it’s now moving at scale,” she adds. ”Some 66% of Fortune 500 companies have committed to climate change, and this is  translating not only to their core business activities, but also to their real estate portfolios, with ESG performance requirements progressively being integrated much more.”

This in turn is having a very real impact on leasing markets, she notes. “In 2025, we have calculated that 30% of the demand for low carbon buildings by corporates will not be met.” The market is being undersupplied due to the current pace of retrofit, which is about 1% each year, she explains. “Looking to 2030, that current rate of retrofit will create a 70% gap in supply and demand. So, this is a tipping point, signalling to investors a potential value shift and change in asset liquidity as corporate location strategy progressively integrates this requirement. Ultimately, it creates a shared incentive between investor and occupier to take action.”

Mike Kazmierczak, CMO digital energy, Schneider Electric, adds: “Some 50% of the buildings that exist today will exist in 2050, which is a huge opportunity to act now. 2050 is also the date and target for most organisations’ net zero ambitions. This is a motivation to act fast, starting with existing buildings which represent a huge amount of emissions, both embodied and operational.”

Some 50% of the buildings that exist today will exist in 2050, which is a huge opportunity to act now – Mike Kazmierczak, Schneider Electric

According to Mike, retrofitting generates about half the emissions of a new build construction, and about one sixth of the emissions of an existing property. “That means huge potential to look at existing stock, and see how we can help our customers renovate with sustainability in mind,” he notes. “We also need to think about how to accelerate in this area. Because we need to go about three times faster to hit 2050 targets.”

A key tool in the battle is technology, which implies low upfront carbon emissions, and an opportunity to get a quicker return on investment, compared to a deeper renovation. In fact, Mike suggests that light interventions for compliance, or medium retrofits, essentially looking at electrification and renewables, are often the most cost- and time-effective route. Deeper renovations, which usually tackle the envelope of the building and can only be done in the absence of tenants, are slower and more disruptive, implying a lower return on investment.

“Some 42% of operational emissions can be reduced by just taking the first steps of light interventions,” he explains. “That means looking at building management systems and power management systems, addressing energy consumption and monitoring, before you get into the next phase of looking at how you manage that to decrease emissions.”

He adds: “Medium retrofits add another 28% of reduction in emissions, which gets us to 70% total emissions that can be reduced through technology alone.”

Notes Juliette: “What is key to understand is that there is no one solution for all. You have to go building by building, examining what the materials are and what systems are in place to determine the proper renovation to move forward.”

Adds Mike: “Getting started today with a quick return on investment and finding the right partner is extremely important, to help you progress on that journey. You have to identify the right assets to tackle, and then move forward on building the action plan and the solutions that will help with reducing the emissions.”

All this is part of a wider, holistic approach to sustainability in the built environment, which Schneider Electric calls “responsible and responsive real estate”. Says Cormac: “Being responsible is something that we can all understand and get on board with. Across real estate there are common goals around driving down energy consumption, to use less carbon, report better on what we do, and with carefully curated data, be able to justify what we’re doing and in turn tackle commitments. Responsive real estate is about achieving portfolios that can respond to adverse conditions in the environment. It’s also an aspect of resilience in the face of climate change, and can include approaches to energy security or cyber security.” He concludes: “We can do all this and more with digital technology, to enable positive outcomes in real estate.”

Schneider Electric: Enabling Responsible and Responsive Real Estate

The real estate sector faces the urgent challenge of minimising its carbon footprint to comply with government regulations, reduce operational costs, and satisfy the evolving needs of occupants and stakeholders. Download our eGuide to explore how our solutions deliver real impact for our customers across key focus areas: sustainability acceleration, energy management, asset performance and operations, user experience and portfolio strategy. Find out more about Schneider Electric here.

The Housing Matters discussion commenced with a compelling conversation among well versed panelists about reinventing housing to an urban landscape. Moderator as well as CEO of Cutwork, Kelsea Crawford, was accompanied by panelists Olivier Durix (Executive Vice-President of Bouygues Immobilier), Sonia Lavadinho (Founder and CEO of Bfluid & Recherche & Expertise), and Michal Mlynar (UN Assistant Secretary, General and Acting Executive, Director United Nations, Settlements Programme, UN Habitat).

The cities we shape today will ultimately define the quality of life for those to come and it is crucial we pave the way for sustainable, vibrant, urban futures. There is an immense need to redefine the urban areas of today. Crawford develops an intriguing conversation with the panelists touching on four crucial areas of housing: current global demand for housing, lack of access to affordable housing, innovation needed to adapt to the new demands of housing, and the affordability and sustainability paradox of housing.

What is the global demand for housing today?

Mlynar explains that on a global level, there are roughly 2.8 billion people experiencing housing inadequacy and this number may rapidly increase if we do not address it. An even more increasing challenge is trying to mitigate the 1.1 billion people who live in the slums. These issues are not only prevalent in developing countries, but countries such as Europe and America who are struggling with homelessness and the increasing challenge for young individuals who represent the minority on a socioeconomic level to find affordable housing. According to Mlynar, to address the global housing challenge, we would hypothetically need to build around 96,000 housing units a day. While this number is extremely unrealistic, there are viable delivery models that can address the current housing crisis.

There is an increasing need for government agencies to redefine urban policies and look at housing as a priority. Political change can be a driving force and greatly influenced by partnerships within the real estate sector – combining all essential actors in both public (national and local governments) and private sectors (banks, investors, professional organizations such as construction companies, developers, architects, and urban planners). The overall focus should be to strengthen these partnerships and alignment among organizations, and MIPIM is a great way to influence these collaborations.

How can we solve the lack of access to affordable housing?

Affordable housing remains a prevalent topic of debate as interest rates and prices continue to rise making it difficult for developers to meet current housing demand. As Durix mentions, France’s main efforts have been centered around increasing people’s access to residential living. Post COVID, the market is an entirely different landscape with an immense lack of demand for office space, increased need for residential space, coupled with rising interest rates. France has began converting office buildings into multi-family developments and incorporating new business models such as co-living developments to mitigate the rising interest rates.

How do housing products need to change to meet the new needs of housing?

According to Lavadinho, inadequacy in housing innovation is largely due to the real estate industry failing to evolve alongside new life expectancies and the “in-betweens” people experience in their lifetime.  Lavadinho defines the two main movements in our life in terms of housing patterns as “aloning” and “togethering.”  We spend our twenties and thirties attempting to live alone, but today’s prices limit many to do so. While the second movement of life, “togethering,” occurs after marriage and growing a family. However, many individuals go through these “aloning” and “togethering” phases multiple times in their life span due to factors such as divorce, moving, marriage, etc; and these transitional periods account for roughly 10 years of an individual’s life span.

To address these “in between” demands, Lavadinho suggests the incorporation of nearness dynamics. Unfortunately, we see divorce as an increasingly common trend in today’s world and it has an immense impact on kids in these family situations. Rather than forcing the kids to move from home to home, Lavadinho suggests the development of homes that allow for flexibility and separation among the parents and kids, allowing each parent to have time with their children without the partners seeing one another. On an urban scale, nearness dynamics should be encouraged as it lessens the need for people to leave their neighborhoods they’ve grown to love. It is essential for government officials and investors to heighten their attention towards nearness dynamics and invest in properties that share similar qualities.

From a user perspective, lifestyle and relationships move quickly, but the housing market is lagging.  As the traditional family dynamic undergoes significant changes, it’s clear that housing hasn’t adapted adequately. It’s imperative for the housing market to address these transition periods effectively.

How can we implement sustainable development initiatives while also staying cost conscious?

We are seeing a pattern of increased legislation and higher costs for sustainable development alongside a consistent demand for affordable housing. It’s an affordability and sustainability paradox. According to research collected by the United Nations,

Cities generate approximately 17% of global carbon emissions, yet 80% of global GDP is produced in urban settings.

While there lacks balance between sustainability and developing affordable living, it brings upon a challenge and great opportunity to transform the current housing market and introduce new social and economic innovations that consider climate challenges, decarbonization, building with new materials, among others. Mlynar explains “it doesn’t have to be rocket science; we need all the actors in the real estate sector to work together.” We have an opportunity to improve our lives and our futures, and we must be open to these new potential solutions.

Written by Haley Carangelo – University of San Diego Master’s of Science in Real Estate

Cannes, March 14, 2024 – Five major economic attractiveness agencies – Provence Promotion, Choose Paris Region, Hello Lille, Invest in Lyon, and Sophia Antipolis – joined forces to organize a special “Choose France” session highlighting France’s appeal for international investments, particularly in the real estate sector.

According to the latest data released by Business France, France maintains its attractivity for foreign companies, with 1,815 investment decisions and the creation or preservation of 59,254 jobs over a three-year horizon. These figures, coming from 56 different countries, testify to a continued attraction to the French market, especially from European companies, which account for the overwhelming majority of projects and jobs created.

However, despite this strong attractiveness for foreign direct investment, France currently ranks third in real estate investments in Europe, behind Germany and the United Kingdom.
The “Choose France” session at MIPIM presented key opportunities to attract international investors in the real estate sector by highlighting the unique advantages offered by France, focusing on growing segments such as logistics warehouses, biotech laboratories, industrial workshops, and new office models, highlighting its potential as a diverse and innovative real estate market.

Five foreign companies that have chosen France for their investments, have illustrated the attractiveness and vitality of the French market:

• EP Group, a British company based in Birmingham and a European leader in packaging, has decided to establish its first production unit on the continent, at the Port of Marseille Fos, to address post-Brexit challenges and reduce its carbon footprint. The investment amounts to 47 million euros, with the creation of 200 jobs in the long term.
• Symphony, an American fintech unicorn, has established its main R&D site in Sophia Antipolis Technopole, with nearly 150 employees dedicated to secure web technologies and financial operations management.
• H-Hotels AG, one of Germany’s largest private hotel groups, is undertaking an ambitious project by transforming the Pleyel Tower in Paris into a 4-star hotel with 700 rooms, accompanied by a 10,000-square-meter convention center. This project represents the most significant hotel development in Paris in over fifty years.
• Charles River Laboratories (CRL), an American group specializing in life sciences, is strengthening its presence in France with the establishment of a new unit in Lyon’s Bio District, with an additional investment of 25 million euros.
• KSB, a German industrial group, is investing 13.35 million euros in its Sequedin site in the European Metropolis of Lille, aiming to decarbonize its new-generation pump manufacturing processes.

France also stands out for its commitment to decarbonizing real estate. With the National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC) aiming for near-total decarbonization of its key sectors by 2050, France is emerging as a global leader in this field. This approach is supported by ambitious regulations and leading actors, such as Ivanhoé Cambridge, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.

Next year, the Choose France Session will come back to underscore once again the country’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, essential values for shaping the future of the French and global real estate market.