Bruno Kloeckner, Managing Director of XPO in France, Johann Bizouarn, Project Manager of Groupe Bleu Mercure, and Frédéric Billier, Director of VINCI Construction subsidiary Novelige, today planted the first tree at the future site of XPO’s new offices in France. Also present: Pierre Jouvet, President of the community of communes Porte de DrômArdèche, Aurélien Ferlay, Vice-President of Porte de DrômArdèche in charge of the economy, employment and digital, Gérard Oriol, Mayor of Saint-Rambert-d'Albon and Guillaume Grange, Associate General Manager of AA Group Lyon. 

Summary of key project features 

• A new site in the Drôme, near the A7 freeway 
• 2764 m² of low-carbon, three-story offices with a 100% wood structure, including posts, beams, floors and walls manufactured off-site
• 262 parking spaces covered with photovoltaic shades
• The E+C-® label, level Energy 4 and Carbon 2, obtained for the design phase
• A BREEAM® ‘certification level objective of “Very Good”

XPO and the region 

XPO was keen to continue its long history with the Drôme region with a landmark new headquarters that aligns with its commitment to environmental protection. The new building will accommodate the nearly 300 employees of XPO’s current site in Beausemblant (26) and has been designed according to strict criteria for energy performance, technology and quality of life at work for the company’s employees. The design is in harmony with the development of the AXE 7 Business Park, which is intended to be ecological and sustainable, with green spaces, renewable energies, bicycle lanes and carpooling areas. XPO is known as a sustainability leader in the transport and logistics sector for its long-standing commitment to reducing the environmental impact of all its business activities through responsible strategic initiatives.  
 
By locating its headquarters in the AXE 7 Business Park, managed by the Porte de Drôme-Ardèche community of municipalities, XPO benefits from a strategic position in the heart of the Rhône Valley. Located in the north of the Drôme, the business park offers large plots of land, facing the A7 freeway, adjacent to a future half interchange planned to be built soon. From XPO’s new headquarters, the journey to Lyon is less than 1h00 and Marseille can be reached in 2h30. 
 

Low carbon footprint building 

From the design stage, each construction product was carefully selected for its low carbon footprint and energy efficiency. The post and beam structure and floors of the 2,764 m², three-story building are made of wood. The site is part of a circular economy approach, favouring reused, recycled or bio-sourced materials such as Rockpanel® compressed mineral fibre panel cladding, which gives a wood effect on the first floor and a stone wall effect on levels 1 and 2. In addition, the off-site manufacture of the wood-frame walls reduces environmental impact at the construction site, with significant reductions in the transportation of materials, noise pollution for local residents and the quantity of waste produced, while facilitating recycling.  
 
The project includes 5,292 m2 of green space, or 41.5% of the site’s land area. A parking lot with 262 parking spaces covered with photovoltaic shades will be built behind the building, on the north side of the plot. The parking lot will be completely hidden by the building and the landscaping, with one tree planted on the property for every four parking spaces (65 trees). A total of 106 high-stem trees will be planted or preserved; i.e.; one high-stem tree per 50m² of green space.  
 
The work carried out by Novelige, a subsidiary of VINCI Construction, began in June 2022 and will be completed in September 2023. 

High environmental performance 

XPO’s new headquarters has been designed with an ambitious environmental approach that aims to achieve the “Very Good” level of BREEAM® certification and a performance at Energy 4 and Carbon 2 levels of the E+C-® label. In February 2023, the E+C- label level 4 and Carbon 2 was obtained for the design phase.  

Key information 
 

• Project owner: Groupe Bleu Mercure
• User: XPO 
• General contractor: Novelige, a subsidiary of VINCI Construction
• Architect: AA Group
• E+C-® label level "E4/C2" in the design phase obtained on 3 February 2023 – new tertiary energy and environment building standard
• Objectives of E+C-® label level "E4/C2" and BREEAM® certification level “Very Good”
• Project start: June 2022
• Start of the structure: January 2023 
• Estimated project completion: September 2023