MGM’s pledge to build homes which conserve the environment
MGM has signed-up to the principles of HQE (Haute Qualité Environmental), the international construction industry’s high environmental quality standard which aims to integrate the principles of sustainable development defined at the 1992 Earth Summit. MGM, which sells more than 500 properties annually – almost a third of them to Britons – has been a leader in the environmental stakes for many years. The company says that, because it is building in some of Europe’s most beautiful and environmentally-sensitive areas – around Lake Annecy and in the French Alps – it has always been well aware of its global responsibilities.
Exceeding standards
That is why it has been company policy for more than 20 years to insulate external walls, despite the fact that, in France, this became a legal requirement only in 2007. The levels of both thermal and acoustic insulation MGM installs in all its properties exceeds the standards demanded by French building standards. MGM’s efforts to reduce energy consumption mean that, for more than ten years, its new homes have incorporated a master switch so that lights are not left on unintentionally. In apartment buildings, lighting in communal areas is activated by movement detectors, switching itself off when no-one is around.
Geothermal energy
To heat some of the group’s newest developments taking shape in the Annecy area, geothermal pumps are being used to extract and convey on a heat-exchanger basis (like the back of a refrigerator) the energy which occurs naturally in the lake and in the air.
Balancing act
Richard Deans, MGM’s London-based sales consultant, says: “Our commitment to HQE is sincere and long-term. We are not trying to court favour by jumping on an environmental bandwagon; we are determined to play a significant role in the field of sustainable development.
MGM is realistic enough to acknowledge that it will not meet all of the 14 demanding targets set out in the HQE standard immediately. Ideals have to be balanced against economic and technical realities, so we regard the HQE principles as the ‘road map’ we need to show us the best way to proceed.
Wherever it is feasible to do so, we will go further than the standards recommended if that results in greater benefits, not only to the environment but, importantly, to the comfort and wellbeing of the people who buy and stay in the properties we build.”
HQE targets
The 14 HQE targets embrace quality controls relating to aspects of:
•eco-construction, notably the relationship of the building with its immediate environment;
•eco-management, including the management of energy, water and waste;
•human comfort, in terms of humidity, noise, lighting and ventilation;
•healthy living spaces, air and water supplies.
Sustainable actions
Already MGM is reducing the carbon emissions caused by transporting workers and materials to its construction sites. Local contractors are being used, with accommodation being provided on-site in some cases. Where possible, local materials like stone and timber are sourced from nearby quarries and sustainable forests. MGM attaches high importance to the use of materials which can be recycled in the longer term – aluminium windows for instance.
Summer Home
Property & Living
La Reserve, Annecy
Bespoke eco-homes in Annecy
MGM’s latest development fronts ‘the Champs Élysées of Annecy,’ said to be the town’s most enviable address.
A view of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region of France.
Bespoke new homes planned for an historic lakeside town in the Haute-Savoie region of France will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development. That is the claim of leading French Alpine developer MGM which has just started work on exclusive new luxury apartments at La Reserve in the historic and picturesque lakeside town of Annecy.
Comprising two three-storey buildings together containing 17 one- to three-bedroom apartments in the residential area fronting Annecy’s prestigious Avenue d’Albigny – dubbed ‘the Champs Élysées of Annecy,’ it is said to be the town’s ‘most enviable address’ – La Reserve follows the success of MGM’s first three developments in the area.
Available to buy off-plan
In the latest scheme – La Villa d’Artagnan – all but one of the 18 homes ranging from one-bedroom apartments to a four-bedroom duplex have been sold but MGM is retaining its show apartment so that off-plan buyers at La Reserve can see the variety and calibre of the finishes available. Says Richard Deans, sales consultant in MGM’s London office: “La Reserve, which features a contemporary external and internal design, is highly unusual as buyers can choose from a huge variety of kitchens, bathrooms, doors, tiles and other finishes to personalise their bespoke home.”
All the properties will have spacious balconies or terraces, many with views of the lake and mountains.
This computer-generated image shows how La Reserve in Annecy will look when it is completed. The development in the historic lakeside town will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development, says developer MGM.
MGM makes eco pledge
“MGM has pledged to design and build homes which respect and help to conserve the environment and natural resources,” says Richard. “Those planned at La Reserve will be a showcase for environmentally-friendly development.” Environmentally-friendly features range from geothermic under-floor heating to the use of water-based products in place of conventional solvent-based ones. In many case MGM has opted for building materials which can be recycled in the longer term.
Prices of the apartments at La Resrve, which will be ready for occupation in the summer of 2011, start at €560,000 for a two-bedroom apartment of 64 sq ft. Investors could expect to achieve a monthly rental income for a two-bedroom apartment of in the region of €1,600 to €1,700 during the ski season and summer months, says Richard.
More information
For full details about La Reserve in Annecy call MGM on
(UK) 0207 4940706, email london@mgm-immobilier.fr or visit the website
www.mgm-constructeur.com
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