Saint-Gobain’s Benoit Bazin in Conversation with the Next Generation of Architects and Urban Planners
Summer had just begun — traditionally a time for leisure and escape — but not for this select group of American and French students in architecture and urban planning. Representing universities from across both countries, they gathered on the top floor of the Saint-Gobain Tower in La Défense, peering through its panoramic glass, each window showcasing Saint-Gobain’s expertise in sustainable construction.
From this height, the city unfolded in its geometric harmony — the Tour Eiffel on one horizon, the Sacré Coeur on the other, and beneath them, rising from the Bois de Boulogne, the shimmering curves of Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton Foundation. The late June Parisian heat pressed against the glass — a quiet, physical reminder of the urgency behind their work.
These students know that tomorrow’s cities must not only inspire but also protect. They must be resilient in the face of climate change, respectful of natural resources, and designed with both people and planet in mind.
These were the questions — technical, economic, political, philosophical — that lingered as they awaited their host: Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain, ready to engage in a candid, unscripted dialogue.
Alexandra, Binzhu, Jorge, Elliot, Katrina, Rebecca, Judy, Sophie, Yanis, and Nicholas are all laureates of the Summer Academy in Architecture and Urban Planning — a transatlantic program created by Villa Albertine, the French cultural and educational services of the French Embassy in the United State, in partnership with Saint-Gobain, Gustave Eiffel University, and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris-Est.
At the heart of cities lie their buildings: private homes, skyscrapers, hospitals, schools, factories, stores, airports, and train stations. Together they account for a staggering 40% of global CO₂ emissions, between their construction and ongoing energy use. Companies like Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, are at the forefront of systemic change. They are leading the development of recyclable, energy-efficient solutions that reduce the environmental cost of buildings.
“Sustainable construction is the heart of everybody’s daily life,” Bazin told the future architects and urban planners. “We spend 90 percent of our time indoors—at work, at home, in schools and hospitals.” What we build affects our health, our comfort, and the future of the planet.
So, “How do we get people on board with sustainable construction?” asked a student in landscape urbanism.
“Because it is good for the planet; good for the people inside and good for the real estate,” Bazin told the students. But these assertions aren’t enough; they need to be documented, Bazin explained and outlined examples that speak louder than words:
- Documenting the impact of a renovation on the energy bill by comparing the situation before and after the works. “What is the comfort I gain when I read my newspaper not two meters away from a single glass window but closer to the window with natural light?”
- Showing the consequence of poor acoustics in classrooms. “In Benelux, we measured a clear correlation between classroom acoustics and teacher absenteeism. With tiles on the floor and poor sound, teachers must shout, which can lead to high blood pressure over 15-20 years. They are four times more likely to be absent from work than with a well-built acoustic environment.”
- Analyzing the insurance cost of homes and their resilience to climate events. “When you lose your roof because of a hailstorm or a tornado in the US, you are not reimbursed by the insurance if you don’t put a rooftop designed to withstand 200-mile-per-hour winds instead of 150.”
- Studying the market value of buildings and homes: according to the Green Building Council CEO, “office spaces with A or B sustainability certifications can command 25% higher property value.”
A French student followed up: “How does Saint-Gobain collaborate with all stakeholders — public and private?”
“Now that we are organized as a multilocal model for a deglobalized world, we have this ability to bridge the gap between end users and urban planners on how we advocate for solutions,” Bazin said.
In France, for instance, it is legally mandatory to recycle built materials from demolition sites. “We asked for it,” Bazin added. “Saint-Gobain partnered with the City of Paris to recycle construction materials from public building renovations — windows, plasterboard, aluminum. We operate 110 sales outlets in France where people can recycle their building materials.”
But it’s not just about materials. Financing, Bazin argued, also plays a critical role.
“When a bank evaluates your mortgage application, they look at your age, income, maybe your health — but not whether your home is energy efficient,”he said.“But they should. Because if you default, they’ll inherit a high-quality, sustainable home they can resell.”
To encourage systemic change, Saint-Gobain launched its Observatory for Sustainable Construction in 2023 — a platform uniting homeowners, mayors, architects, banks, and craftsmen to scale up sustainable construction.
“We have multiple players who are fragmented and who, in the past, didn’t talk together that much. The best way to succeed together is to act and move together.”
“How do we get more people to work in this field?” a future architect studying at Notre Dame University asked.
“What we do changes people’s daily lives,” Bazin replied. These “are attractive jobs, and we do not say it enough.” Whether building a school, hospital, or gymnasium, construction professionals shape the fabric of community life. “We need to shift the way society looks at these careers and do a better job of attracting talent across the entire value chain.”
Be Agnostic… curious and creative.
Benoit Bazin, Chairman & CEO of Saint-Gobain
Well, asked a graduate student from the University of Miami, “how do ‘we’ learn about new solutions and sustainable construction?”
“Be agnostic,” Bazin urged. “Open your eyes; look at circular economy and remember that ‘recycling’ is not new – it’s embedded in the DNA of construction for thousands of years.”
He encouraged them to stay curious and creative, to keep visiting factory sites and quarries to understand how corporations are investing into new recyclable solutions while managing their environmental footprint.
The students visiting Saint-Gobain’s research center in Aubervilliers and Saint-Gobain’s Placo factory in Vaujours, the world’s largest plastering complex, outside of Paris, France.
As the conversation drew to a close, the future architects and urban planners’ notebooks were once again filled with ideas sparked by dialogue, just as they had been the day before at a living urban experiment north of Paris and would be anew in a Saint-Gobain gypsum quarry and research lab. Perhaps these pages now hold a renewed foundation for sharper curiosity — and a deeper sense of their role in building not just cities and homes, but better futures.
Saint-Gobain is a partner with Climate Week NYC 2025.
Join the conversation on cities, sustainable construction, and the future of homes, businesses, and communities at The Climate Group’s Hub Live in New York City on Monday, September 22 at 2:30 PM (EST) with:
– AnaCláudia Rossbach, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat
– Emmanuel Normant, Saint-Gobain’s VP for Sustainable Development
