September 19, 2023
In Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Icade Promotion, Brownfields, and Aire Nouvelle are giving the site of the former ENGIE factory a new lease on life
In June 2022, Icade Promotion, Brownfields, and Aire Nouvelle—Equans France’s low-carbon real estate development and property management subsidiary—acquired 70 sites totaling 45 hectares of land from the ENGIE Group. These sites, located in France, are slated for conversion into housing, offices, business spaces, and retail establishments. Among these sites is the former factory in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, located in the heart of this seaside town of 7,922 residents (INSEE 2020). Decommissioned and vacant since 2011, the site will be transformed—with 40% of the land returned to its natural state—to make way for a residential complex with 56 units, more than 15% of which will be under a “BRS” (solidarity-based lease) arrangement, set amid lush greenery.
Following a preliminary study phase conducted in collaboration with the architectural firm LT Archi, Icade Promotion, Brownfields, and Aire Nouvelle presented their plan for the site’s redevelopment to the municipality of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in late 2022: Spanning 3,600 m², the former brownfield site—renamed OPALE—will feature 56 housing units, including 9 affordable housing units (BRS), all of which will have outdoor access.
