FBCA Excellence Research Project

Training the Builders of Tomorrow's Structures to Address Energy, Digital, Societal, and Sustainability Challenges

Group : Reliability Engineering and Decision-Making tools

Labelling: none

Duration: 60 months (from  February 2026 to January 2031)

Funding : AMI CMA (Call for Expressions of Interest: “Skills and Careers of the Future”)

Staff involved from LARIS: Thierry Lemenand, Rima AL Aridi (post-PhD), David Bigaud and Paul Richard

Project partners, 10 in total :

• Campus des métiers et des qualifications « Excellence » Bâtisseurs de constructions d’avenir - Lycée général et technologique Livet (Porteur),
• Pôles et INSPE / Nantes Université,
• Centrale Nantes / Nantes Université,
• École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nantes,
• GRETA-CFA 44,
• Agence Qualité Construction,
• Association du musée du sable,
• Région académique Pays de la Loire,
• Bouygues Bâtiment Grand Ouest,
• ENEDIS - Direction Régionale des Pays de la Loire

Overview of the AMI-CMA FBCA Excellence Program

Background  
The “Carbon Neutrality by 2050” goal and the recent “Energy Futures 2050” report published by RTE in 2022, along with INSEE figures indicating population growth of more than 20% in the Pays de la Loire region by 2040, will necessitate:

•  The expansion and strengthening of transportation and distribution infrastructure in response to the projected 20–60 percent increase in the volume of electricity transmitted
• The renovation or construction of housing
• The development of sustainable mobility networks
• More optimal management of water resources and a “new climate regime”
• Increased recruitment of a skilled workforce.

The current difficulty in recruiting (85% of job openings are jobs in high-tensor within the sector, according to Pôle Emploi, Dec. 2022) is largely due to the construction industry’s lack of appeal. Furthermore, changing expectations regarding innovation and strategy in housing, architecture, and urban planning—as well as concerns about sustainable development and energy supply for cities—will require an unprecedented adaptation and transformation of skills and occupations by 2050.

Abstract and objectives

The project is part of an effort to answer these problems and challenges.
It aims to advance professional practices by integrating the digital and ecological transition into companies in the sector through 4 work packages (WP):

o A More Sustainable Digital Transition (WP-1): developing collaborative workflows around BIM, using digital twins of structures, automation, ...

o New, More sustainable construction methods (WP-2): training in the modernization of construction sites through supplementary modules and new construction techniques; training in sustainable development in construction (e.g., bio-based materials, reuse, recycling) …

It also proposes to work on attractiveness,  animation and communication for the sector, through:

o Project animation in the territory (WP-3) : ressouces recruitment, strengthening communication methods, managing and coordinating various actions, ...

o Attractiveness and valorisation initiatives (WP-4): establishment of an “energy transition” demonstration project; establishment of an educational laboratory for the creation of educational content (e.g., models…); creation of an educational laboratory titled “Living Tomorrow,” which will focus on the architectural space of buildings, neighborhoods, cities, and regions for the future of our living environment…

At LARIS, the FBCA Excellence project will focus on four complementary initiatives aimed at strengthening training in heat pumps and digital technologies applied to energy systems.

• Action 1 will focus on the design of educational modules dedicated to heat pumps, including theoretical content as well as tutorials and hands-on exercises—particularly using virtual reality—that can be integrated into training programs on sustainable buildings.
• Action 2 will introduce students to the concept of a digital twin through hands-on exercises conducted on an instrumented heat pump and based on the analysis of real-world data.
• Action 3 will involve developing the infrastructure necessary for this digital twin, including the IoT instrumentation of a heat pump, real-time data acquisition and visualization, and the deployment of a dedicated digital platform. Finally,
• Action 4 will introduce students to the principles of predictive maintenance, particularly through the automatic detection of anomalies, the generation of maintenance alerts, and their validation using experimental data. All of these actions thus aim to create a coherent educational progression, ranging from an understanding of heat pumps to the analysis of experimental data and the use of digital tools for the monitoring and smart maintenance of energy systems."