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How France Keeps its Small Shops
Commercial lease law, rent indexing and planning rules explain the retail mix other countries are losing
Sep 8
•
Ciarán Breen
47
4
15
August 2026
Decoding French Social Housing
Reading the alphabet of French social and affordable housing finance
Aug 31
•
Ciarán Breen
3
2
The Cost of Building With Stone
Five recent French projects, from €2,040 to €4,370 per square metre
Aug 24
•
Ciarán Breen
1
1
Why a Building Permit Isn't Enough to Build in France
Permit types, timelines, and the housing-protection rule that sits outside the planning code.
Aug 15
•
Ciarán Breen
4
4
1
The Real Constraint on Load-Bearing Stone
The quarries are working and the carbon case is strong. The challenge is finding skilled masons.
Aug 8
•
Ciarán Breen
2
1
July 2026
Not a Luxury: The Case for Building in Solid Stone
Solid stone outperforms concrete on carbon and rivals it on cost. So why does the market still treat it as premium?
Jul 31
•
Ciarán Breen
1
2
ZAN - the other net zero
Why France can legislate land take down to the hectare
Jul 23
•
Ciarán Breen
3
4
The Insurance Barrier In French Construction
A CE mark opens the EU market. In France, the insurer has the final say.
Jul 18
•
Ciarán Breen
2
1
Two urban redevelopment zones in Paris
What's under construction across two ZACs, lot by lot.
Jul 11
•
Ciarán Breen
3
2
How France keeps its historic towns beautiful
The rules for developing near protected sites, and the housing bill that would loosen them.
Jul 8
•
Ciarán Breen
2
1
What carbon rules cost French housing
The Rivaton report put a price on France's low-carbon building code, and Paris has already acted on it.
Jul 4
•
Ciarán Breen
2
2
June 2026
Innovation at Scale: France’s Big Three Contractors
How environmental mandates and market headwinds are driving a technical overhaul of French construction.
Jun 30
•
Ciarán Breen
2
2
1
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