At Terra Nostra, Equilis introduced an urban forest of 10,000 native trees using the Miyawaki method. Planted over 35 ares and composed of 27 local species, this dense forest accelerates natural growth, improves soil quality and strengthens local biodiversity. The planting was carried out with residents, schools and local stakeholders, making biodiversity a concrete, collective action embedded in the project.

1. At La Canopée, biodiversity was addressed well before construction. Detailed fauna and flora surveys guided decisions on protection, relocation and transplantation, including measures to safeguard migratory birds. During earthworks, 100,000 m³ of soil was screened and reused to limit transport and disturbance. Beyond the site, Equilis partnered with the French National Forestry Office (ONF) to replant over 1,100 trees in the Alpes-Maritimes, directly contributing to local ecological restoration.

2. At La Canopée, over 70% of the 3.5-hectare site is dedicated to green and permeable spaces, forming a continuous ecological framework rather than residual landscaping. Existing wooded areas, olive trees and natural talwegs have been preserved, while new planted corridors ensure ecological continuity across the site. Specific measures (hibernacula, stone piles, adapted lighting) were implemented to protect identified species, including reptiles listed on regional red lists.

From the earliest design stages, La Canopée was planned around the presence of the Christine sinkhole (aven), a mapped natural geological feature on site. Part of the rainwater collected on the project is infiltrated and discharged into the aven to help restore natural underground water flows.

Existing swales and talwegs are preserved and used as natural rainwater management systems, allowing surface water dispersion in selected areas to limit erosion during heavy rainfall. Soil permeability tests and hydraulic studies were carried out to validate infiltration capacities and mitigate flood and erosion risks, ensuring a water management strategy aligned with the site’s natural topography.

At Bellevue, water is treated as a shared resource and a structuring element of the neighbourhood. A new pond is created to support urban agriculture irrigation, while the entire water journey is deliberately made visible across the different parts of the district through swales, open basins, irrigation systems and a rainwater impluvium currently under study.

This “theatricalisation” of water makes its presence tangible in daily life and helps raise awareness among residents of its value and limited nature. Combined with rainwater reuse systems, these installations allow the neighbourhood to be hydraulically resilient for a 100-year return period (market practice: 25 years), with no discharge of rainwater into the public sewer network under normal conditions.

At ODER, mobility is addressed through a certified, built-in concept rather than compensatory measures. The project has achieved pre-certification GOLD from the Mobility Council, recognizing its low-car, multimodal strategy. A dedicated bicycle ramp provides direct and safe access from street level to a very large underground bike parking, enabling everyday use for all types of bicycles. Car parking is deliberately limited, while infrastructure prioritizes cycling and soft mobility as the primary modes of access, anchoring mobility choices directly in the building’s design.

Equilis actively reshaped mobility rather than adapting to existing constraints. A new tram stop — “Docks Bruxsel” — was created specifically for the project, directly connecting the site to Brussels’ public transport network. This was complemented by redesigned pedestrian routes, dedicated cycling paths and 265 secure bicycle parking spaces, encouraging daily use of soft mobility.

Mobility at La Canopée is structured around a clear principle: keep cars underground, free the ground for people and nature. More than 760 parking spaces are fully buried, allowing surface areas to be entirely dedicated to pedestrians, landscaping and soft mobility. Direct pedestrian links connect the site to Sophia Antipolis’ bus hub, while secure bicycle parking, shared e-bikes and continuous walking paths make daily mobility possible without relying on the car.

At Nexum Retail Park, energy production is extended beyond the site itself. The project hosts Spain’s largest solar energy community, with 1,350 photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftops, representing 735 kW of installed capacity and producing over 1 million kWh per year. This local renewable energy supplies the retail park and allows up to 1,100 nearby households, located within a 2 km radius, to access renewable electricity without individual installations. The electrical infrastructure is monitored in real time, enabling continuous optimisation of energy efficiency and supporting the project’s long-term decarbonisation strategy.

Greenius reduces its carbon footprint through clear structural and technical choices. The building combines a hybrid construction system, associating modular timber elements with concrete, optimising both embodied carbon and structural performance. A low-tech design approach further limits emissions, with decentralised ventilation systems, exposed timber ceilings and daylight-optimised layouts reducing material use and technical complexity. In addition, an innovative photovoltaic façade integrates high-performance solar panels directly into the envelope, contributing to on-site renewable energy production.

At Docks Bruxsel, Equilis connected the entire shopping centre to the Bruxelles-Energie waste-to-energy incinerator, supplying the site with recovered heat for its heating needs. This system replaces conventional fossil-fuel boilers and allows the centre to operate without on-site combustion. As a result, Docks Bruxsel became the first large shopping centre in Europe to achieve carbon neutrality for its operational energy use, demonstrating how urban infrastructure can be leveraged to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions at district scale.

At Silwana, Equilis anticipated future energy needs by designing the buildings to support photovoltaic installations across the entire roof surface. The structural capacity of the roofs was deliberately reinforced to accommodate large-scale solar panels when required, without additional construction works. This upfront investment allows the site to adapt over time to evolving energy strategies and regulatory requirements, embedding energy transition readiness directly into the project’s construction.

La Canopée combines low-carbon concrete for residential buildings with a timber superstructure for the office buildings, significantly reducing embodied carbon while ensuring structural efficiency. Extensive green roofs (up to 80 cm of substrate) improve thermal inertia, while photovoltaic panels and heat pumps allow the project to operate without gas, relying solely on electricity and on-site renewable energy production.