New materials in logistics real estate

Logistics real estate players are fully aware of the role they have to play in achieving the carbon-neutrality target France has set for 2050. « When we adopt a low-carbon approach, we naturally seek out new materials, for construction that is more environmentally friendly as well as for less impactful use throughout the building’s lifetime », says Christophe Ripert, Deputy Managing Director of Quartus Logistique. The Quartus Group became involved in raw-earth construction at an early stage. In 2017, Quartus joined  Cycle Terre as a partner in the initiative, alongside, among others, Université Gustave Eiffel, Sciences Po, the City of Sevran, Grand Paris Aménagement and Société du Grand Paris. The initiative aimed to reuse uncontaminated excavated soil from construction sites in the Paris region, particularly those of the Grand Paris Express. In this capacity, Quartus was the project owner and investor in the Cycle Terre Factory in Sevran (93), producing raw-earth construction materials. Three Type A ATEx approvals had been obtained to guarantee the structures built. Raw-earth blocks from the Sevran factory were used, in particular, for interior walls at the “Arena Grand Paris” event and sports complex, inaugurated in September 2024 within the Aerolians Paris development zone in Tremblay-en-France. « Unfortunately, this project, designed as a short supply chain, had to be halted at the end of 2024, Christophe Ripert regrets. But the Quartus Group has not given up on this new material and plans to use it as part of a new project for office areas and technical rooms ».

The term “low-carbon concrete” is also appearing increasingly often in logistics real estate companies’ brochures. Builder GSE uses it for the floor slabs of all its construction projects, and also offers « a timber structure for offices, ranging from a simple timber post-and-beam structure to one that may also include timber-concrete floors, timber-frame walls and roofs », explains Marc Esposito, GSE Group Innovation Director. « Low-carbon concrete is made up of industrial cement supplemented with mineral compounds such as calcined clay, fly ash or blast-furnace slag. Depending on the proportion of these additions, it is possible to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint by nearly 70% », according to Bouygues Construction’s website. « The cement we used on one of our projects in Lyon, CEM III 3A, also required less energy to produce, especially as it came from a plant near the construction site, says Salvi Cals, Managing Director of Panattoni France. The same applies to low-carbon steel, ArcelorMittal’s XCarb, which we selected for this project: it is produced with a higher proportion of recycled steel and heated in a furnace powered by renewable energy ». According to Salvi Cals, it is nevertheless necessary to use proven materials that do not jeopardize the project’s economic viability. « For a freight terminal currently under construction in Lyon, GHG savings are around 25% during construction compared with average emissions for a traditionally built project of this type. At the same time, the low-carbon approach implemented on the project represents 3% of total construction costs. That remains reasonable for a speculative project ».

While implementing new, low-carbon materials is not always straightforward, things are gradually changing. « Barely 10 years ago, LED lighting (low energy consumption) was the exception; today, it is the norm », Christophe Ripert points out. The trend is similar when it comes to using wood in logistics real estate. « But it is sometimes more appropriate to use more “traditional” materials, Salvi Cals recalls. We have the example of a building requiring beams with a 42-meter span. In wood, the required thickness would have made no sense. Steel was the most appropriate solution ». He also advocates a gradual building-improvement approach, without any major revolution, but with a pragmatic approach tailored to the characteristics of each project, while still using new materials once they have been validated, such as, for example, « cladding made from wood shavings on our project in Moissy-Cramayel ».

The innovation increasingly seen in logistics real estate probably lies not in the materials themselves, but in their supply chain. « Factories nearby, as with low-carbon concrete, or the use of materials from other construction sites... , Christophe Ripert cites. What matters is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a standardized assessment method for producing a multi-criteria, multi-stage environmental assessment of a system throughout its life cycle, rather than only of the finished product ». He also notes that the quest for the most efficient possible operation necessarily influences the choice of materials. In the same spirit of economics and common sense, material reuse appears to be gradually gaining ground. « Reused products are assessed as having zero carbon, Marc Esposito recalls. We therefore have several test sites for finishing products, which pose no insurance issues. Some steel structures can also be reused without any obstacles from insurance companies ». The GSE Group is also working with Rockwool to find the ideal channel for reusing rock wool insulation. « The main obstacle to developing reuse in our businesses is primarily logistical: who removes materials from one construction site, stores them, and then delivers them to a second site ?, Marc Esposito points out. Digital platforms for connecting stakeholders have certainly emerged in recent years, but they will only be sustainable if more structured logistics than exists today are put in place».

This effort to reduce a building’s carbon footprint therefore meets regulatory and economic expectations on the one hand, but also « those of financiers and investors who want liquid buildings, and therefore the highest possible environmental certifications, enabled in part by new materials, says the Deputy Managing Director of Quartus Logistique. Large international companies are also seeking this approach, particularly for their CSR reporting ». On the other hand, real estate players observe that this approach is also championed by local authorities, which include it in the specifications for their local urban plans.