Elithis & Catella to build 100 'energy-positive' residential towers

Elithis, a French engineering and consulting group has teamed up with Sweden's Catella Residential Investment Management to launch a €2-billion project to construct 100 "energy-positive" residential tower blocks by 2030.

The towers, which will be built across Europe, are designed to generate more energy that is used by the occupants. The surplus power will be supplied back to national grids. 

Thierry Bievre, Elithis CEO, said: “For more than 10 years, we have been conceiving, designing and developing energy-positive buildings. Our energy-positive office tower delivered in Dijon in 2009 was the first of this type in the world and still outperforms industry regulatory requirements and standard certifications."

“Our landmark agreement with Catella will help us broaden our base, and further consolidate our construction expertise and ability to develop affordable residential buildings incorporating a virtuous energy and carbon emission cycle,” he continued.

The two companies will begin development of three residential towers in 2020, located in the French cities of Dijon, St Etienne and Montevrain, which plans to launch three more schemes in the country soon after.

Catella, which has assets totalling over €4-billion in nine countries, says the towers will comprise affordable rental apartments.

Xavier Jongen, managing director of Catella, said, “Major European cities are facing an affordability housing crisis, particularly for younger people flocking to the big urban centres for education and work, because residential supply is nowhere close to meeting the huge demand.

“We believe that Catella’s partnership with Elithis offers a blueprint for one potential solution to this crisis, which is fragmenting the social fabric of our cities, while also addressing the other great challenge of our times in global climate change.”

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