How France Builds Tall on a Single Stair

French fire safety rules allow single-stair apartment buildings up to 50 metres. Four recent projects show how.

Oct 9 • Ciarán Breen

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September 2026

New French Districts, Missing Street Life

Frontage competition, investor returns and facade design explain why new neighbourhoods struggle to match the street life of old disricts.

Sep 24 • Ciarán Breen

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France Spent 11 Billion Euros on Its Town Centres

Housing improved, public space improved, but commercial vacancy kept climbing

Sep 17 • Ciarán Breen

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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

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August 2026

Decoding French Social Housing

Reading the alphabet of French social and affordable housing finance

Aug 31 • Ciarán Breen

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The Cost of Building With Stone

Five recent French projects, from €2,040 to €4,370 per square metre

Aug 24 • Ciarán Breen

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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

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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

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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

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ZAN - the other net zero

Why France can legislate land take down to the hectare

Jul 23 • Ciarán Breen

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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

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Two urban redevelopment zones in Paris

What's under construction across two ZACs, lot by lot.

Jul 11 • Ciarán Breen

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