Four Weeks to Think and Act Sustainably

A look back at the Sustainable Development Weeks, during which Patriarche structured its engagement around four major contemporary challenges. The goal? To share our approaches, methods, and actions with all our employees. Each week: one theme, one project, one voice. A way to illustrate how architecture can be a powerful driver of ecological and societal transformation, offering everyone concrete tools to take action.

Week 1 | Energy Efficiency: Renovate to Consume Better

This first week focused on the energy renovation project of the headquarters of the Villefranche Beaujolais Saône Urban Community (CAVBS) in Villefranche-sur-Saône. It showcases a comprehensive and ambitious approach aimed at improving the building’s thermal performance while enhancing its existing architecture. Façade insulation, boiler room renovation, mechanical ventilation installation, smoke extraction, and thermostatic valves: all these interventions help reduce energy consumption by 36%. The project embodies a form of sobriety supported by the client, integrated from the design phase, to sustainably reduce the energy footprint while improving user comfort.

Week 2 | Biodiversity: Integrating Life into the Project

During the second week, a colleague from the Prefiguration department shared insights into a sensitive and integrated approach to biodiversity in architectural projects. Considering biodiversity becomes a design driver. Observing local ecological dynamics, integrating green corridors, and promoting endemic species are all gestures that allow architecture to engage with living systems. This approach reflects a respectful cohabitation logic, where the project becomes part of a full ecosystem, capable of regenerating environments and creating synergies between human uses and natural systems.

Week 3 | Planetary Boundaries and Circular Economy: Reuse to Transform

Through an online conference, the third week highlighted the rehabilitation of the Breguet building at CentraleSupélec (Gif-sur-Yvette). A flagship project of Patriarche’s reuse strategy. This 1970s building, partially asbestos-contaminated and energy-intensive, is undergoing a complete transformation. The agency chose to preserve the existing structure as much as possible, avoiding unnecessary demolition and integrating reused and bio-based materials. The project targets BBC Effinergie, BBCA Renovation, and BiodiverCity labels, aiming to cut the building’s energy consumption by a third. A central hall fosters social interaction and enhances the original architecture. This project demonstrates that circular economy can be a lever for performance, creativity, and sustainability.

Week 4 | Mobility: Rethinking Our Journeys, Imagining Our Cities

To conclude the cycle, Patriarche spotlighted the work of artist Jan Kamensky, whose “Visual Utopias” videos reimagine cities by removing cars to make space for pedestrians, cyclists, and nature. His animations transform congested streets into peaceful, green, and welcoming spaces. This poetic and bold vision challenges our relationship with mobility and public space. It resonates with the agency’s reflections on sustainable cities: how can we design spaces that promote soft mobility, reduce nuisances, and make cities more breathable? Utopia becomes a projection tool, an invitation to rethink our journeys and territories.