The choice of equipment in architecture is no longer just a trade-off between technical performance and budget. Since the implementation of the RE2025 for permits submitted from January 1, 2025, each component (insulation, joinery, energy system) directly impacts the carbon indicator of the construction phase, the IC Construction. A poorly calibrated piece of equipment can jeopardize the regulatory compliance of the project and block the issuance of the building permit.
IC Construction and carbon thresholds: the regulatory filter before any equipment choice
We still observe too many projects where the selection of equipment occurs after the submission of the sketch, as a last-minute adjustment. The RE2025 makes this approach risky. The thresholds of the IC Construction impose a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of the materials and systems implemented in new buildings, both residential and tertiary.
In practical terms, an architect specifying a heating system or insulation without first checking its contribution to the IC Construction risks having to revise their specification in the PRO phase, with the associated costs and delays. The regulation explicitly favors low-carbon and bio-based materials and systems: wood, hemp, straw, raw earth.
To objectively compare solutions, project managers now have standardized environmental data at the European level, derived from environmental and health declaration sheets (FDES) and produced environmental profiles (PEP). We recommend integrating this verification as early as the APS phase, before structural choices lock in the available options. It is possible to view the equipment on Archi Line to compare the available ranges against the project’s carbon requirements.
Decennial guarantee and equipment: what the insurance really covers
An equipment integrated into the building is not covered in the same way as a detachable piece of equipment. This distinction, often overlooked in specifications, has direct consequences on the responsibility of the project manager and the sustainability of the project.
The decennial guarantee covers equipment that is inseparable from the building, meaning those whose removal would damage the structure or the shell: integrated boiler, built-in dual-flow ventilation, exterior joinery, insulation installed under render. Detachable equipment (freestanding radiators, removable convectors, interior blinds) falls under the two-year guarantee of proper functioning, limited to two years.
Specifying a technical system without clarifying its legal status concerning the decennial guarantee exposes the project owner to a coverage gap between the third and tenth year. We recommend explicitly documenting in the CCTP the separable or inseparable nature of each prescribed piece of equipment.
Field experience feedback: leveraging post-delivery data to refine specifications
Articles on the choice of equipment in architecture focus on the upstream phase, rarely on what happens after delivery. Feedback from experience (REX) is the most underutilized lever for improving specifications from one project to another.
- Collect actual consumption data of energy systems during the first year of operation and compare them to RE2025 simulations to identify performance gaps
- Document recurring pathologies by type of equipment (condensation on aluminum joinery without thermal bridge break, regulation failure on undersized air-water heat pumps)
- Integrate feedback from operators and occupants on actual maintenance, as a high-performing but difficult-to-maintain piece of equipment leads to rapid degradation of its actual performance
This approach requires structuring a post-delivery follow-up, even if minimal. A simple spreadsheet shared between the agency and the project owner, updated quarterly for two years, is sufficient to create a usable database for future projects.
Circular economy and reuse: regulatory constraints and technical feasibility
The reuse of materials and equipment in construction is no longer a militant option. The REP PMCB (extended producer responsibility for building products and materials) sector is gradually structuring the obligations for sorting, collecting, and recovering construction waste. Eco-contributions are regularly increasing, which raises the cost of landfill disposal and makes reuse economically more competitive.
From a technical standpoint, the reuse of equipment (joinery, sanitary appliances, lighting fixtures) requires verification of compliance with current standards. An aluminum frame recovered from a demolition site cannot be reinstalled without checking its thermal performance and air tightness, under penalty of compromising the building’s RE2025 balance.
- Verify the product’s traceability: origin, manufacturing date, removal conditions
- Test residual performance (air tightness, thermal resistance, electrical compliance) before integration into the project
- Document the reuse in the CCTP with the test results to cover the prescriber’s liability
Bio-based materials and insurability
Wood, hemp, or straw benefit from technical opinions and professional rules that facilitate their insurability. A bio-based material without a recognized technical opinion complicates obtaining the decennial guarantee. Before prescribing an innovative bio-based insulation, we recommend checking for the existence of a technical opinion from the CSTB or a technical assessment of experimentation (ATEx), and consulting the project’s insurer in advance.
The choice of equipment in architecture now engages regulatory compliance, insurance coverage, and the actual performance of the building throughout its lifespan. Cross-referencing standardized carbon data, field experience feedback, and reuse constraints as early as the sketch phase remains the most reliable method to avoid costly revisions during the construction phase.