As part of its sustainable development program Planet 21, which makes buildings a key priority, AccorHotels announced, at the second BBCA exhibition, the construction of the first Low Carbon Building-labelled hotel, the JO&JOE Paris.
HotelInvest, AccorHotels’ property division, will use this project to roll out and adjust the construction processes that will prove that energy transition is now an accessible reality. For example, the building will have a glued laminated timber superstructure and its energy and digital architecture will feature many innovations. The new establishment is due to open in the second half of 2018.
JO&JOE is AccorHotels’ new hospitality concept which blends the best of the private rental, hotel and youth hostel formats. This will be the brand’s first open-house in Paris. It will be located close to the rapidly developing Paris University student residence district in Gentilly, a suburb of Paris, on rue Paul Vaillant Couturier. The establishment will be spread over nearly 6,000m², offering guests 569 beds, a bar restaurant for up to 150 people as well as a large indoor garden and green terraces. Reflecting the brand’s DNA, it will feature open spaces and a seamless indoor-outdoor design that encourages mobility and exchanges between tripsters and townsters.
AccorHotels is a founding member of the BBCA (French low carbon building association). It helped draft the Low Carbon Building reference document and widen its scope to include the construction of new hotels. Yesterday, at the BBCA exhibition, the team led by architecture firm Jean Paul Viguier and assisted by Artelia, was awarded the “design phase BBCA Low Carbon Building label” CERTIVEA for the JO&JOE Paris project. The project will have to meet the label’s four criteria: sustainable construction, controlled operation, carbon storage and the circular economy (see annex below).
John Ozinga, COO HotelInvest, declared, “We are pleased and proud to have defined a low carbon label for the hotel industry with BBCA in less than one year and to launch the construction of the first low carbon hotel building. As a hotel investor and owner, our objective is to construct and operate our buildings sustainably, so we can reduce their carbon footprint throughout their lifecycle. Defining this label and putting it into practice with the first JO&JOE Paris address, represents a vital first step towards making our buildings carbon neutral, which is one of the priorities of our Planet 21 program.”
Hélène Génin, deputy CEO of BBCA, added, “The BBCA association spearheads low carbon buildings and is delighted to highlight the outstanding constructions at the forefront of this field. With this exemplary BBCA-labelled hotel, AccorHotels Group is opening the way for this label in the hotel industry.”