Subscribe
Sign in
Home
Notes
Archive
About
Latest
Top
Discussions
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
1
ZAN - the other net zero
Why France can legislate land take down to the hectare
Jul 23
•
Ciarán Breen
3
3
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
1
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
Who Pays for a New Neighbourhood?
How the French ZAC captures rising land value to fund infrastructure and public amenities
Jun 25
•
Ciarán Breen
5
1
What France's Planning Reform Left Out
More than 100,000 new-build homes sit unsold while workers cannot find a place to live near their jobs.
Jun 21
•
Ciarán Breen
1
Where Are All the Cranes?
One of Europe's largest building efforts leaves surprisingly little trace on the street.
Jun 17
•
Ciarán Breen
3
How Savings Fund French Housing
Inside France's unique financial architecture that turns retail deposits into counter-cyclical housing finance.
Jun 14
•
Ciarán Breen
1
Why Vinci Thrives While France Slows Building
Record results at one of France's largest builders, a slump in homebuilding, and the trend that explains the contradiction.
Jun 10
•
Ciarán Breen
1
2
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts
