SPIE chosen by IFREMER for its “BATIMER” research building

Saint-Denis, 7 September 2021 – The Tertiaire division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire and SPIE Facilities, French subsidiaries of the SPIE Group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, are combining their expertise to support the French Institute for Ocean Science (IFREMER) in the creation of its “BATIMER” research building dedicated mainly to microalgae, which is based in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique, France).

As part of its new strategic approaches, IFREMER, a key player in ocean preservation, is implementing a plan to update its property portfolio which includes the new “BATIMER” complex. Mainly dedicated to microalgae research, this structure set up in Nantes and scheduled for completion by 2022 will cover an area of 3,700 m2.

The two subsidiaries of SPIE France were selected by IFREMER in a consortium led by the Legendre Group, alongside TLR architectures and EGIS Bâtiment Centre Ouest in a global public performance contract. This allows IFREMER to combine design/execution, installation and maintenance with the aim of meeting calculated performance objectives.

“The “OneSPIE” dynamic, combining the skills of the Tertiaire division and those of SPIE Facilities has allowed us to win this new contract. The involvement of the two subsidiaries is a real asset that allows IFREMER to benefit from innovative and effective technical solutions from project design to project maintenance” explains Franck Babu, Grand-Ouest Climate Engineering Marketing Director for the Tertiaire division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire.

Further proof of SPIE’s environmental contribution

The Tertiaire division of SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire deployed its “macrolot” approach allowing for an overall understanding of the execution of technical consignments in electrical engineering and climate engineering. The SPIE teams will roll out a certain number of solutions enabling the optimisation of the building’s energy performance. For example, the Tertiaire division is going to install two 200-kW units with “4th generation environmentally-friendly HFO refrigerants” to produce chilled water. The building’s heat generation will be provided by the low CO2-emission district heating network (0.024 kg/kWh) and the lighting of the premises will be provided by LED equipment.

SPIE Facilities has taken part in the “BATIMER” programme since its study phase. It will provide site operation and maintenance, adopting an approach of optimising the building’s energy consumption and operating costs, with a performance commitment of 5 years.

“One of the main challenges was managing to transfer the new teams of scientists while providing them with long-term solutions for energy efficiency and respecting each team’s technical requirements and constraints,” concludes Mathieu Gau, Operations Director at SPIE Facilities.

This contract with IFREMER, a key player in the protection of the environment, is in line with the strategic activities managed by SPIE, which has made the energy performance of its customers one of the pillars of its policy for addressing global warming.