News

The concept of Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE) for buildings, which appeared in the early 1990s, is now a key issue for the construction industry as well as building owners and users.

Groupama is very involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR), which includes ethical, environmental and social concerns. When acquiring real estate, the Group looks for buildings that comply with HQE criteria, particularly when its employees are to work there. As for the buildings it already owns, the Group generally takes a proactive approach to the main environmental issues, in particular by taking into account aspects such as energy and the comfort and convenience of the building occupants during refurbishment. As a result of the Grenelle environment forum, measures to address energy efficiency are being carried out on a sample of office buildings.

Groupama now operates three HQE buildings:
- the regional head office of Groupama Oc, known as Premium and located at Balma in the suburbs of Toulouse, which is scheduled for handover in summer 2010
- the new head office of Groupama Banque in Montreuil
- the brand new head office of Groupama Transport in Le Havre.

Groupama Transport opened its new head office on the Quai Lamandé in Le Havre in November 2009. The 8,850-sqm building also houses offices for letting. The new head office complies with strict standards in terms of environmental integration, eco-construction, energy, water and waste management and interior comfort.

Employee support is also an integral part of HQE policy.
For the construction of the Groupama Transport head office building, the management was keen to involve the personnel at an early stage by setting up two committees each comprised of 10 volunteer employees, HR management, the architect/designer Jean Vincent Rischard from the Xolf practice, contributing his creative ideas, and Feng Shui specialist Arnaud Bertrand-Deviller. The "living space" committee was given the brief of thinking about the "non-productive" facilities (cafeteria/relaxation/snack area, chill-out area, "tisanerie" where employees can sip a calming cup of herbal tea, sports room, etc.) while the "ergonomics" group concentrated on issues affecting the workspace (desks, seating, carpets, colour scheme, etc.).

The Groupama Transport employees are proud of "their" new building and are conscious that their company's image is now associated with this symbol of modernity and social responsibility.
Through their active participation in the planning project, in particular through their involvement in committees made up of employees of all ages working in all areas of the business, irrespective of how long they have worked for the company, the employees have "made" a building that reflects the personality of the company.