The VELUX Group and Procivis partner to bring healthier, low carbon homes to France through Living Places

Paris, 9 November 2026 – Building on the international success of Living Places Copenhagen, the VELUX Group is joining forces with Procivis, France’s leading cooperative housing network. Together, the two organisations aim to put the Living Places principles into practice to create healthier, more sustainable and more affordable homes. Three initial pilot projects will explore how the approach can be applied to single-family homes, attic conversions and social housing renovation. 

From proof of concept to everyday building practice 

Opened in 2023 by VELUX together with EFFEKT and Artelia, Living Places Copenhagen demonstrated that healthier homes with a lower environmental impact can be built using materials and technologies available today. The project achieved a carbon footprint three times lower than the Danish building standard (3.85 kg CO₂e/m²/year), alongside the highest indoor climate classification, with a focus on daylight, ventilation and thermal comfort. Recognised with several awards, including a MIPIM Award and the New European Bauhaus Prize, the approach is now being explored in everyday construction and renovation projects in France. 

To bring this approach into practice, the VELUX Group has chosen to partner with Procivis, a major cooperative housing organisation working across land development, property development, single-family homes, social housing and renovation. The partnership reflects a shared ambition to demonstrate that homes can support health and reduce environmental impact while remaining affordable and commercially viable. 

Three pilot projects exploring new homes and renovation 

Three housing businesses within the Procivis network are exploring how to apply the Living Places principles to their projects, adapting the approach to French construction practices and regulatory requirements (RE2020): 

Balancing health, environmental performance and affordability 

As part of the collaboration, the engineering teams are drawing on the design tools developed for Living Places, including a catalogue of lower-carbon construction systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) simulations and daylight modelling. These tools will inform decisions from the earliest design stages, helping the teams balance carbon footprint, indoor climate and cost. 

“ Living Places aims to drive tangible change in the way we design the places we live. By partnering with Procivis, an organisation with strong roots in local communities, we are bringing this vision to the French market while adapting it to France’s technical, regulatory and economic realities. Our goal is clear: to make occupant health and low-carbon living the new standards for affordable housing.” Sandrine Maguin, Managing Director of VELUX France 

“As a social and solidarity economy organisation that reinvests all of its profits in the public interest and housing for all, Procivis has a responsibility to explore construction solutions that are both sustainable and realistic. This partnership with VELUX gives us practical methodological tools to achieve the best environmental performance without undermining housing affordability, whether in new-build or renovation projects.” Franck Petit, Director of Project Ownership at Procivis UES-AP and President of Maisons d’en France 

Technical workshops and a detailed assessment of the number of homes involved will continue through early 2027. This work will lay the foundations for an approach to healthier, more sustainable housing that can be adapted and scaled across France.