The Rennes University Hospital: An XXL Project
A Construction Site with Attention to Detail
By Gilles Ricarrere,
Site Manager at Equans
What services does the Rennes University Hospital offer?
This hospital is now one of the largest hospital projects in France.
It provides better working tools for all surgeons and improved working conditions for healthcare staff.
The Rennes University Hospital (CHU) has expanded its outpatient care services and features a technical facility where all operating rooms will be centralized.
What is a site supervisor's daily routine like?
The role of a site supervisor requires strong organizational skills and a high degree of adaptability. I’m sort of the conductor of on-site production. I manage schedules, monitor the progress of our subcontractors, and ensure the quality of their work. We also ensure the quality of the projects we carry out.
How do you manage the pressure from the workers on the job site in order to protect them?
The key is to step back as much as possible and protect the employees on the front lines. The atmosphere we create on the job site and the dynamics between the teams play an essential role.
Employees deserve recognition because they are the ones who contribute fully to the project's success.
With 43 operating rooms and 209 patient rooms, the Rennes Hospital construction project is a large-scale undertaking that comes with its share of challenges. How do you manage the flow of materials without bringing dust into the healthcare facility?
It is important to prevent all outside germs from entering every operating room. We have rooms that are pressurized to prevent any contamination from outside the operating room. We chose to use a remote warehouse, which allows us to better manage our supply of equipment and maintain constant oversight of the inventory we have on hand. This helps us minimize losses and damaged supplies, and know our supply levels in real time.
What are the unique aspects of the job of a construction foreman?
The role of a site supervisor is multifaceted. The work carried out by our teams has a positive and tangible impact on users—something we can be proud of.
What I like most about our work is the variety of tasks we perform, building relationships with site personnel, and the technical complexity involved in a hospital setting. It’s one of the most technically demanding fields in HVAC.
It gives us a sense of pride at the end to be able to say that what we’ve accomplished over the past two and a half years is a real contribution to the life of the Rennes community.
What does this project mean to you?
This project is meaningful not only in the lives of citizens but also in my own career path.
The advantage I have is that, before leading a team, I gained experience in the world of entrepreneurship. I grew up in that environment because my father owned a business that I eventually had the opportunity to manage.
At age 30, I decided to set out for new horizons.
Through hard work, we’ve managed to successfully handle large-scale projects. It’s truly rewarding.
"Work gives man dignity, pride, and the satisfaction of a job well done," said Bertrand Russell.
