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HQE®: the French seal of environmental excellence ?

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13/01/2025

HQE®, a trusted certificate

As investors try to do their part for the planet, the race continues for environmental certificates and labels that are the mark of a greener building. Among these, the French Haute Qualité Environnementale (High Environmental Quality) certificate, or HQE for short, stands out by its comprehensive and rigorous approach. For a general contractor, getting a project HQE-certified is more than a way of ensuring a high level of environmental performance and meeting the client’s demand for eco-responsibility. It also provides recognition and a competitive advantage that helps attract investors.

A 2020 survey of environmental certificates for buildings in France revealed HQE’s dominant position on the market – particularly in the commercial sector. Around 71% of certified buildings in all sectors were HQE®-certified, and 88% of offices.

As of 31 December 2023, 125 million m² of residential and commercial buildings in France and elsewhere had been HQE®-certified: a total of 692,000 buildings in 27 countries, including 620,000 in France.

What’s HQE® certification?

The aim of Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE®) certification is to attest to a building’s environmental performance through a series of rigorous criteria covering its entire lifecycle – from design and construction to operation. For commercial buildings (including industrial and logistics facilities), the HQE® certificate is issued by Certivea, based on precise standards that assess buildings’ environmental footprint, comfort and energy performance.

A building can be certified to four levels: Performant, Très Performant, Excellent and Exceptionnel, depending on the number of points and stars obtained. The current market is seeing many projects certified as Très Performant or Excellent. The Exceptionnel rating remains very ambitious, making it possible to push the boundaries of sustainability and certify a truly exceptional building.

The standards are regularly updated to address new issues, adapt to current challenges and anticipate future regulations. The version of the standards is fixed at the date when a project is registered with Certivea.

There are two families of certificates: Building (HQE-B) and Sustainable Building (HQE-SB). How do they differ?

HQE® Building or HQE® Sustainable Building? Learn the differences

CERTIVEA offers two approaches to HQE® certification for new buildings and renovations. Both were developed with the HQE-GBC Alliance and aim to improve a project’s environmental, social and financial performance – as well as the governance and management of the operation. However, each “family” covers a different range of issues.

HQE® Building in Construction or Renovation

This approach is based on 15 key sustainable development themes: indoor air quality, water quality, electromagnetic waves, temperatures & humidity, acoustics, visual comfort, transport connections, energy, water, waste, carbon, adaptation to climate change, adaptability, construction work, and project governance.

HQE® Sustainable Building in Construction or Renovation

This approach goes beyond HQE®-B Construction with seven additional themes: inclusive design, services, lifecycle analysis, biodiversity, cost control, local economy and commissioning. More ambitious, HQE®-BD in Construction or Renovation covers a wider range of subjects. Primarily intended for commercial property developers, this certificate is perfectly aligned with GSE’s Green Buildings approach.

GSE’s commitment to green commercial real estate

GSE’s solutions aim to create projects tailored to each context and each client – and to make commercial property greener. We address three complementary issues : 

These themes cover the characteristics of a green building: a smart design, a minimal environmental footprint, and frugality and user-friendliness in operation.

For each project, we simulate the future impacts to propose effective solutions and monitor environmental performance. Our team of green building engineers is on hand every step of the way, ensuring rigorous compliance with environmental standards.

By offering an HQE certification service, GSE is asserting its commitment to the planet. We are also addressing the expectations of a market that is increasingly aware of the urgency of sustainable development. It demonstrates how we actively help to build a sustainable future – thanks to high-performance, environmentally responsible real estate solutions.

HQE certification: the stakes for GSE

For a general contractor such as GSE, environmental certification involves a number of challenges – both technical and strategic.

The technical challenge

Implementing the HQE® certification process requires an in-depth understanding of sustainable construction techniques. The general contractor must use environmentally-friendly materials, optimise energy consumption and manage waste sustainably. This involves close coordination with the various contractors and continuous adaptation to technological and regulatory change. GSE’s R&D Innovation Centre, dedicated to emerging and future innovations, works closely with the Green Buildings department to support this eco-responsible approach.

A 360° strategy and a long-term vision for stakeholders

An HQE certificate is a seal of quality for our clients and investors. It recognises best practice in sustainable construction. It also provides access to specific markets, such as high-end commercial and residential buildings, where environmental criteria play a key role in decision-making.

Increased asset value

HQE®-certified buildings generally command higher prices on the real estate market. Environmental performance is a major selling point, attracting buyers and tenants who are keen to reduce their carbon footprint.

Lower operating costs

Thanks to optimised design and high-performance materials, HQE®-certified buildings have lower energy and maintenance costs. This translates into significant long-term savings for property owners and managers. Our renovation team, in particular, focuses on cost reduction through meticulous planning and informed choices.

By selecting high-quality, durable materials, we can avoid frequent repairs and costly replacements over the long term. Reusing existing components or buying recycled materials can also reduce costs. 

More on the circular economy.

Committed to Corporate Social Responsibility

Offering an HQE® certification option is part of a general contractor’s policy of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Indeed, environmental certificates go beyond mere legal obligations and reflect a deep commitment to sustainable and ethical construction practices.

In this perspective, a business can also decide to become a purpose-driven company, defining and publishing its social and environmental goals. Under French law, a société à mission specifies in its articles of association the objectives it intends to pursue for the benefit of the community. It can then organise its actions around these objectives, improving transparency and accountability to its stakeholders. Adopting this approach strengthens the company’s brand image as a stakeholder committed to the environmental transition, while adding value to its real estate projects and attracting clients who are sensitive to environmental issues.

The key HQE® certification steps of GSE’s Green Buildings department

The HQE® certificate is a seal of excellence in sustainable construction. It attests to a commitment to practices that respect the environment and maximise energy efficiency and occupant wellbeing. GSE’s Green Buildings department follows a series of precise and rigorous steps to ensure that each project meets the highest standards. These are the essential stages of the process:

1. Feasibility study

Our Green Buildings team assesses the feasibility of HQE certification. We check the prerequisites and draw up the certification profile, based on the targeted rating. This enables us to identify the environmental surveys we need to carry out and to anticipate the works required.

2. HQE® design

During the design phase, environmental surveys enable us to define the technical solutions needed to meet all the requirements of the HQE® standard. Our Green Buildings experts are on hand to coordinate our external partners and find the best solutions to reconcile environmental ambitions, project financials and planning requirements.

This phase culminates in the design audit, during which the surveys and tender documents are reviewed by an external auditor appointed by certification body Certivea. The audit reveals gaps that must be corrected before the HQE® design phase certificate can be obtained.

3. Implementation of HQE® criteria

During the construction phase, it is important to ensure that the technical solutions planned during the design phase are duly incorporated on site – so that the standard’s specifications are met right through to the end. This requires meticulous planning and rigorous monitoring of the works to ensure compliance at every stage.

4. Final audit and certification

At the end of the project, a final audit is carried out by the same auditor as in the design phase, commissioned by the certification body to check that all the requirements of the HQE® standard have been met. If so, the final HQE® certificate is issued.

5. Cost

The cost of HQE® certification varies according to the project’s size and complexity. However, you can expect to disburse between €15,000 and €20,000 for a surface area of 10,000 m². This covers certification fees, environmental surveys and construction site supervision – excluding the technical solutions deployed and depending on the size of the project and the duration of the works.

By following these steps, a general contractor can ensure that their project meets the stringent requirements of HQE® certification, offering clients and investors a guarantee of quality and environmental performance.

Our expertise in sustainable construction: a project certified HQE® Sustainable Building to the Excellent level

McPhy, in collaboration with ESSOR, commissioned GSE to design & build its new 22,000 m² factory in Belfort, near Mulhouse, based on a turnkey engineering contract. This electrolyser production factory incorporated BIM technology to maximise the efficiency of its layout and operation.

The facility’s design, drafted by architects Unanime in partnership with GSE, stands out by its dynamic & innovative architecture incorporating materials such as metal and wood, and emphasising environmental performance and employee wellbeing. The site includes green features such as a hybrid boiler, solar panels and landscaping – with a meadow and a vegetable garden contributing to the local ecological network.

Thanks to these initiatives, the factory received the HQE®-SB Excellent certificate and the E3C1 label, demonstrating its strong commitment to the environment and its low carbon footprint in both the construction and operation phases.

More information on the project here.

For a French general contractor, HQE certification is an undeniable asset. It demonstrates the company’s commitment to protecting the environment, while meeting the growing expectations of a market that is increasingly aware to the urgency of sustainable development. Committing to HQE means investing in the future by creating buildings that are more efficient, more comfortable and more respectful of the planet. This certification strengthens the company’s competitiveness and reputation as a stakeholder committed to the environmental transition.

*Source : certivea, Alliance HQE, Cushman & Wakefield, Arthur Lloyd

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