Foncière des Régions plays a pivotal role in urban planning for towns and cities, working alongside local authorities and private investors on urban development programmes. Drawing on the resources of its tight-knit team, Foncière des Régions now sets the standard in major development programmes in Europe, with a focus on the tertiary sector.

A global approach to urban development

Foncière des Régions has established a reputation as a European investor in major development programmes, whether dealing with “mixed-use” urban development—incorporating service, business, leisure and residential coverage—or projects centred solely on tertiary real estate.

Mid 2008, Foncière des Régions’ footprint spanned a range of groundbreaking projects through both individual undertakings and partnerships:

• Paris-La Défense: CB 21 Tower (formerly the Gan Tower): redevelopment of 100,000sq.m of office space in line with HQE standards
• Orly-Cœur d’Orly: construction of 160,000 sq.m of office space, shops and leisure facilities in partnership with Aéroports de Paris and Altarea
• Marseille-Euromed Center: construction of 71,500 sq.m of office space, shops and leisure facilities
• Paris, Carré Suffren: renovation and development of 25,000 sq.m of real estate in the city centre
• Vélizy, Vélizy Campus: construction of 60,000 sq.m of office space for Dassault Systèmes
• Metz Amphitheatre District: construction of 17,000 sq.m of offices, housing units and shops.

Real-estate projects designed to create value

Foncière des Régions has established a leading reputation as a real-estate company investing in major urban development programmes. These projects reflect the company’s goal of contributing to the value chain from the outset while diversifying its range of real-estate solutions over the years to come.

By late 2007, Foncière des Régions had lined up major projects worth €1.7 billion (group share), including €1.2 billion in France and €0.5 billion in Italy. 80% of these investments involved office construction and redevelopment programmes; 20% involved joint operations in tertiary, residential and commercial real estate.

In Italy, Foncière des Régions subsidiary Beni Stabili has a line-up of major projects valued at €500 million over the next three to five years. A dedicated team of fifteen people has been given the task of implementing these programmes.

Operations already underway span more than 250,000 sq.m of real estate, with forecast investments in 2008 totalling €100 million. One highlight includes the start of redevelopment work on the two Garibaldi towers in the centre of Milan, each providing 23,000 sq.m of office space. The project will be carried out in line with “positive-energy” building standards, with the use of solar panels on the building’s facade to produce heat and electricity. In late 2007, Beni Stabili also acquired 75,000 sq.m of real estate in Milan’s Ripamonti district, where it will implement urban redevelopment plans.

Integrated expertise

Foncière des Régions conducts these complex real-estate operations through a specialist division, Foncière des Régions Développement.

FDR Développement comprises 15 experts who design, direct and manage major urban development programmes in which Foncière des Régions is involved as both investor and co-investor.

An environmentally friendly approach

Environmental quality is a cornerstone of FDR’s major development programmes, each of which is designed with a view to attaining HQE certification.

Foncière des Régions pays close attention to a number of key factors underpinning every project:

• A seamless blend between the building and its surroundings
• The comfort and quality of workspaces and services provided for occupants
• The building’s sustainability and minimal impact on the environment.