GSE Design and Build

Precise knowledge on the impact from the thermal flux generated by a building fire is essential to better control risk of fire, better adapt the infrastructures, adjust the heat shields and determine the safety distances required around the installations.

During the recent fire test campaign, the only one of its kind in Europe, an 860-m² warehouse built by GSE was deliberately set on fire, on 26 September 2008, on the site of the future European Environmental and Safety Technology Research Center (CERTES), in Oise (France).  The large-scale fire test followed several medium-scale studies conducted throughout 2007, and served to validate the reference calculation method for thermal effects and for evaluating distances affected by a warehouse fire.

Partners and stakeholders in the fire test operation, Jean-Claude Bossez, president of AFILOG (opposite, on the left), and Stéphane Duplantier, manager of the Ventilation Fire Unit at the Accidental Risk section at INERIS (on the right), answered our questions.

Annoying, stressful and detrimental to health, the noise factor in our working environment – and even more so in the industrial environment – has to be taken into account right from the design phase onwards. Though some ambient noise comes from outside, most of the decibels the senses perceive are generally related to the business activity itself.

Good building means clear understanding of the sounds inherent in the operations conducted in the future building – whether it is an office building, an industrial site or a hospital, among many others. The well-insulated building entails tailor-made design which pinpoints solid-borne sound and vibration phenomena.

Interview with Olivier Pradines, Project Director, Industry, at GSE.

The construction industry in China is one of the most active in the world, and has experienced exceptional growth for over 10 years now. This activity has, of course, been closely followed by Western companies.

With China more than ever in the spotlight – due to the Olympic Games of course – GSE China Ltd Business Development Director Arnaud Sebban casts new light on certain conventional truisms and describes the fast-changing corporate real estate market, where the issues include administrative steps, sustainable development and new territories.

The problem in management of rainwater on real estate projects has required new techniques known as “alternatives” for some time now. The principle of these techniques is to reproduce existing phenomena to the natural state from both a quantitative viewpoint with control of flow, and a qualitative viewpoint with treatment of waste-polluted water.

Using the forces of nature rather than artificial means, living with water rather than having it disappear at any price, is surely a very environmental attitude that leads to efficiency, safety and sustainable development. Stanislas Grassien, Head of R&D at GSE, gives us the key to a principle that tends to develop itself.

The opening of the European Community has meant free circulation of people, goods, capital and services. However, it is clear to all that European countries are far from having harmonised the liability and insurance issues that face the construction industry.

A brief overview with Jean-Christophe Gaston, in charge of insurance for the GSE Group.

Since time immemorial, builders have sought new ways to build and techniques have constantly evolved. So why are we continuing to emphasise research in 2008? Is there still room for improvement in construction?

Improve solidity, safety, height and light, lower costs, tighten deadlines… With each new day, builders, architects and engineers have always pushed back the limits and challenged the concepts and techniques used in building their structures, seeking to innovate. The only certainty is that changes in the world of construction are far from finished and that they are more likely to accelerate. In particular, added pressure is coming from the direction of sustainable development, and from productivity.

Given this perceptible acceleration, and the introduction of these new criteria for assessing performance, Research and Development activity is actually an increasingly essential component of the GSE General Contractor concept. GSE R&D director Stanislas Grassien tells us why.

In the building business, construction scheduling is crucial to a successful operation. The notion of building cost is of course essential to the Client. However the overall length of construction time for his project can also be a decisive factor in his choice of a contractor.

Michel Gambassi, Quality manager for GSE, describes the methods which have been defined, time-tested and proven. Application of the GSE methods saves time. 

By now, just about everyone knows the approximate energy consumption their car requires, which in France is expressed in the number of litres of gasoline it takes to drive 100 kilometres. This information is a crucial element in a car-buyer’s decision-making process. This issue however is not systematically considered in building operations. Yet a building – or a home – consumes a lot more energy than a car, and the building is kept a lot longer than a car.

In this month’s newsletter, Sébastien Degorre, in charge of the Energy Department at CCR, subsidiary of the GSE Group, discusses a few key figures with us, and describes some solutions to significantly reduce energy consumption in the office.

Although offshoring, which describes the relocation of business processes from one country to another, often raises fears on the job market in the “Old World“, it is responding to companies’ new strategies for development and adaptation to competition and market conditions.

A brief overview of the current situation with Robert de Marchi, Director of Key Export Development for GSE.

In Europe each year, construction stands out as one of the riskiest industries as judged by the number of fatal accidents or accidents causing significant handicap. A wide range of risks is present in the building and construction working environment. Danger lies everywhere on a construction site, and it is not always a perceptible danger.

To limit accidents, GSE Group Health and Safety Director Michel Gambassi, and Safety Manager Jonathan Meikle, explain how to lead the fight against accidents, particularly through greater awareness, accounting for risk, and risk analysis. A two-pronged interview.

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Control a company’s environmental impact, integrate it harmoniously into its surroundings, create better living spaces respecting the interests of all… these are the objectives of the ISO 14001 standard.

Gérard Passera, managing director at the GSE Group, tells us how the ISO 14001 standard can reconcile environmental protection and pollution prevention with socio-economic constraints and needs.

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Many different players are involved in a construction project: investors, users, suppliers and sub-contractors… But on the actual site – who insures what?

As the designer and builder of turn-key buildings, GSE is accustomed to proposing global solutions for its clients, solutions which cover the technical aspects and related administration, financial and legal concerns. With respect to the insurance dimension of the project, GSE also proposes complete management. Jean-Christophe Gaston, Risk Manager for the GSE Group, tells us more about this aspect...

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In professional buildings, especially construction for the logistics, industrial and commercial sectors, slabs are often one of the most sensitive points in the entire construction. The bigger the surface areas, the harder it is to control the risk of problems. Settling, cracks, rising, joint problems, shrinkage… the potential problems are many.

To solve any defects occurring to the slabs, whether the slab is new or old, GSE has sometimes turned to the solution of the magnesite topping, as explained by Lauris Deslex, GSE Project Director.

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Whenever renewable energy is discussed, photovoltaics always come up. Just what is photovoltaic energy and how does it work?

Answers from Marie de Cabissole, engineer in charge of photovoltaic development at GSE.

The added value created by after-sales service comes from the service provided above and beyond the legal and contractual guarantees. But, in actual matter of fact, just how does after-sales service work ?

Alain Di Biagi, Director of GSE’s after-sales service department, explains what happens in the context of the delivery of a turnkey professional building.

On 1 July 2007, the reforms applying to the building permit and zoning authorizations in France will go into effect.

The objective behind these reforms is to facilitate construction, ensure scheduling and deadlines, simplify the processing of building permit applications, and streamline verification of conformity at the end of the construction.

Patrice Roger, Legal Director at GSE, explains the major points of this reform.

With the concern about greenhouse gases and climatic change, the finger is being pointed at heating, a major energy consumer. How can we heat better?

After looking at the many different ways of heating installed in professional buildings, GSE Technical Director Alain Ribière informs us about the heating regulations in place currently, and warns about the risks we run if we don’t act now to preserve the planet for tomorrow.

What we need to do, according to Alain Ribière: go beyond what is required by law...

The association GSE-quality is a top priority for GSE. With over 30 years of experience in the Design & Build field, GSE clearly sees that the successful development of its concept is widely due to the constant search for the best solutions for delivering quality buildings to its clients.

Tangibly speaking, what does the “Quality Approach” adopted at GSE, mean? How is it applied ? What were the results in 2006?

An update with Michel Gambassi, Director, Quality, Health & Safety for the GSE Group: "For GSE, quality in the field is obtained by applying our “Quality Assurance Plan”...

Today platforms are no longer designed for a single activity or a single customer. Flexibility and upgradeability now guide design and construction of warehouses. The key players in the warehouse sector face several questions, and now is the time to take stock of the situation: How have warehouses evolved in the recent years? What changes can we expect in the future?

Michel Hugues, Managing Director of the GSE group, gives us the answers.