Europe to get 100 ‘energy-positive’ towers

French engineering and consulting group Elithis and Swedish company Catella Residential Investment Management have launched a €2 billion project to build 100 ‘energy-positive’ residential towers by 2030.

Built across Europe, the towers are being designed to generate more energy than their occupants use, with the surplus power being 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.”

Elithis and Catella will begin with the development of three residential towers in 2020. They will be located in Dijon, St Etienne and Montevrain in France, with a plan to launch three more schemes in the French market soon after.

According to Catella, which has total assets of almost €4 billion in nine countries, the towers will comprise affordable apartments for rental.

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.”