Construction and building consulting

Reducing excavated soil and waste production from building construction by recycling and recovering them is of more and more interest to contractors as it responds to two major challenges in terms of environment in the sector: reducing the carbon footprint of construction and saving non-renewable resources. However, this reduction requires considering new production and distribution channels for these geosourced construction materials.

We supported one of our clients, an industry leader in building construction, to identify the best possible position on the value chain to develop their activity. We helped them to:

• Define different offers and possible positions around manufacturing geosourced construction material
• Evaluate the level of interest of different players in their sector for the imagined offers
• Select the most pertinent offer and the prioritized players to meet
• Work their business model and think of partners with whom to start the activity
• This project allowed our client to define and validate the positioning of their new offer on the market.

Identification of opportunities and threats associated with RE2020 for a construction player Our team accompanied a construction player to assess the potential impacts on its business of the implementation of RE 2020 (new environmental regulations for new buildings).

We directly contacted various players across the entire value chain (architects, design offices, engineering firms, construction economists, builders, clients) in order to collect their different points of view and identify their needs and expectations (technical support, new services, etc.).

This analysis made it possible to identify several areas of reflection allowing our client to develop new services in addition to its current product offer.

A construction company wanted to analyse the opportunities for developing lightweight, bio-based screeds.

Through literature searches, we began by identifying potential applications and users. Then, thanks to direct discussions with players in the field, we were able to decipher their expectations and explore the various target markets in the short and medium term.

This study helped our customer to position itself in relation to existing products, to confront the real market demand and to understand the expected product characteristics.

Our team supported a manufacturer of building materials to move from selling products to selling solutions/services, by integrating a training offer for craftsmen. In a context of transformation of the sector (arrival of a new generation of craftsmen, development of e-commerce, …), our client wanted to rethink its current sales approach to modernize it and ensure its growth.

Through field research, including benchmarking existing offers and models on the market, our team was able to co-construct with our client a new service offering and a roadmap for the creation of these services.

In the end, our client was able to reach the targeted end-users and maintain its growth in a declining market on the traditional product-centric offer.

We supported a construction player in developing a new low tech offer to simplify the renovation of concrete floor coverings in buildings.

Starting from a robust and traditional technology, our team helped the client in defining their market strategy.

By exchanging with potential users and customers, our project helped to define a value proposition, to identify high-priority targets, and to validate the key success factors for entering the market.

Our client, an industrial group in the field of automation and electrical equipment, wanted to take its CSR approach further, by approaching it in a more strategic and structured way at Group level. We helped them to co-construct their CSR roadmap through the following stages, in line with the ISO 26 000 standard:

• Definition of a CSR vision for the Group;
• Determining the areas of commitment that meet the Group’s priority challenges, as highlighted by a materiality analysis;
• Setting specific medium-term objectives that are achievable and measurable via KPIs;
• Drawing up action plans for each of these objectives to ensure operational implementation.

This roadmap has enabled our client to give substance to its CSR strategy, in a way that highlights the Group’s efforts and commitments and highlights the major future projects in this area for the Group as a whole.

Our customer, a leading construction company, wanted to incorporate biomimicry principles into their design processes to create more sustainable and resilient buildings.

First, we conducted a in-depth literature analysis on biological systems and phenomena with potential applications in architecture. Then, we interviewed architects and biomimicry experts on the development of methodologies for integrating biomimicry into design processes, by applying biomimetic design principles to selected architectural projects incorporating nature-inspired solutions into building design. Finally, we summarized the key findings of our investigation and lessons learned for future design projects.

On this basis, we recommended our customer on the best biomimicry principles to consider and key next step to conduct to assess the performance of these principles in terms of sustainability, functionality, and user experience.

Alcimed worked with a manufacturer in the energy sector and its strategic teams to meet the challenges of exposure to the supply of critical raw materials and to guide the group’s supply and R&D strategies.

We investigated the external risks linked to the supply and demand of 36 raw materials used by the Group, and then the internal risks linked to the use of these raw materials. In the end, we obtained a complete mapping of the risks, enabling us to identify the critical raw materials.

This project has given the Group a clear view of the materials that are genuinely sensitive to its business, and has enabled it to develop its economic sovereignty.