What is the concept and history of Moasteelhouse?
I am a structural engineer, specializing in structural steel for over 30 years. In 2008, I decided to build my own offices for my design office, and to show our skills, I developed a construction system based on metal frames and walls. After a year I realized that in real consumption my offices already complied with RT 2012, and I said to myself: why not build houses.
To date, we have built around 30 energy efficient houses, which are doing very well. Now we need funding to distribute this system on a large scale. We have obtained the international Solar Impulse seal, created by Bertrand Piccard, the inventor of the solar plane that has traveled around the world.
What are the construction problems today in relation to environmental issues?
In conventional housing construction we find first of all everything that is made of concrete, block and brick, with which we still do 90% of the constructions. Even with insulation or bio-based concrete, it is still extremely polluting. And then there is wood, which represents 10% of the buildings in France. In the context of threatened forests, cutting down trees to replace them with small shoots is not neutral for biodiversity. And then, to make the wood rot-proof, the machines use chemicals and fossil fuels.
In greenhouse gas emissions, building represents 15% for construction, 10% for transportation and 12% for consumption. With our Moasteelhouse system we act on three parameters: we produce houses that consume 200 euros in heating per year, and that require ten times less material by weight.
What are the ambitions of this project?
If we develop our Moasteelhouse system, we will be able to save CO2 during construction, and especially during use. In addition, steel is an infinitely recyclable material, without loss of mechanical characteristics.
In France, the new regulations will prohibit the artificialization of soils, so it will be necessary to build on existing soils or on existing foundations. With Moasteelhouse we have a construction system fixed on existing slabs or with metal piles, which allows it to settle on all types of soil and which responds to certain terrains made up of embankments, clay, mud or peat.
We make beautiful, modern greenhouses that can help fight global warming. The facade cladding is guaranteed for 30 years, and we have filed numerous patents to reduce thermal bridges. We integrate a maximum of innovative and bio-based materials, such as Gramitherm, insulation made from grass with a positive carbon balance, but also recyclable and recycled plasterboard from Saint-Gobain, or even Xcarb carbon-free steel from ‘Arcelor.
This content was produced with SCRIBEO. The BFMBUSINESS editorial team was not involved in the production of this content.
Source: BFM TV
