Bouygues has opened a 2,500 sq m innovation centre near Paris to test and approve construction materials, equipment, methods and technologies in conditions designed to replicate live projects.
The facility, known as ScaleOne, is in Chilly-Mazarin and includes separate environments for new-build and renovation work. It also contains a FabLab for rapid prototyping, a concrete 3D-printing facility, a robotics training area and a flexible space for co-working.
Trials focused on productivity and carbon
Projects currently being trialled include Akhantas, an artificial intelligence-based approach to waste management, and a concrete 3D printer intended to create optimised structures while reducing material use. Another project is focused on using voids in materials to reduce consumption and associated carbon emissions.
The centre is also being used to trial B-Slicer, a system for structural works at nuclear power plants that is designed to support the assembly of prefabricated concrete walls. Roby2, a drilling robot, is intended to reduce physical strain and musculoskeletal disorders among site workers while improving work quality.
Woodoo is developing Stack at the site, a structural system using augmented wood that aims to provide the strength of reinforced concrete and steel with a lower carbon footprint. Saint-Gobain is trialling building-integrated photovoltaic cladding, which incorporates solar modules directly into a building’s exterior to generate electricity.
Testing support for the wider sector
Pierre-Éric Saint-André, chief executive of Bouygues Construction, said: “Accelerating the innovation process will speed up the transformation of our sector. Scale One allows us to create the conditions for testing solutions that the sector needs in real-world settings, ensuring their reliability at an earlier stage and rolling them out more widely. Our clear ambition is to reduce the time between an idea and its effective implementation in the field.”
Plans for the centre were first announced in 2023. Bouygues said ScaleOne is available to organisations across the construction sector, with support ranging from innovation consultancy and prototyping to ergonomic assessments and access to testing facilities.