The testing ground, known as ScaleOne, offers a range of test environments. Two zones recreate construction site environments: one for new build, another for renovations. A FabLab is dedicated to rapid prototyping for construction site accessories, and a 3D printing facility specialises in concrete. There is a training area for robotics. And an open and flexible reception area allows for co-working.
Pierre-Éric Saint-André, CEO of Bouygues Construction, said: “Accelerating the innovation process will speed up the transformation of our sector. Scale One allows us to create the conditions for testing solutions that the sector needs in real-world settings, ensuring their reliability at an earlier stage and rolling them out more widely. Our clear ambition is to reduce the time between an idea and its effective implementation in the field.”
The plans for the innovation centre were first announced in 2023, and a series of ideas are currently being trailled. These include Akhantas, an AI-based approach to waste management. Two projects aims to reduce concrete and other materials use, which can help cut carbon emissions: a 3D printer, used to print concrete into optimised structure, and a system for making use of voids in materials.
OneSpark is also being used to trial B-Slicer, designed for structural works at nuclear power plants, facilitating the assembly of pre-fabricated concrete walls. Roby2 is a a drilling robot, designed to reduce strain and musculoskeletal disorders for site workers, while improving the quality of the work
The site is being used to develop Stack, from Woodoo, a structural system using augmented wood, which aims to offer the strength of reinforced concrete and steel with a lower carbon footprint, Saint-Gobain is using the site to trial BIPV photovoltaic cladding, which integrates solar modules directly into the building skin to generate electricity.
The site is available to stakeholders across the sector, offering lexible support, ranging from innovation consultancy to assistance with prototyping, ergonomic evaluations and access to testing facilities.