Launched just over a year ago, the construction of the new building on our Chenôve site is progressing rapidly. Carried out in collaboration with the Guiton Group, this project is much more than a simple construction: it reflects our ambition to modernize our industrial facilities while fully integrating social and environmental responsibility challenges.
Standing 18 meters high, with a 2,300 m² footprint and 8,000 m² of usable space, the building is organized across several levels: two superimposed production floors, adjacent to a high-bay pharmaceutical storage area (14 meters), topped by a floor dedicated to laboratories and offices. This multi-level design reflects AdhexPharma’s commitment to limiting land artificialization by preserving and optimizing available space. It will also improve workflows and provide our employees with a pleasant and functional working environment.
As Bruno Loiseau, CEO of AdhexPharma, reminds us:
"This project illustrates our ambition: to combine industrial innovation, ecological transition, and well-being at work."
Today, this building is much more than an infrastructure: it is a driver of our CSR innovations and a concrete project serving our sustainable development strategy.
Materials & construction: durability and performance
From the very beginning of the design phase, priority was given to durability and energy performance. The wooden framework and timber-framed walls used on the top floor provide a natural, lower-carbon alternative to traditional concrete and steel construction. Insulation is optimized through the combined use of wood fiber and cotton wool from recycled clothing, ensuring long-lasting thermal comfort and high performance.
The choice of flooring for the future offices has been designed with the long term in mind, to ensure acoustic comfort, insulation, and durability. It will be marmoleum, a natural flooring made from renewable raw materials, environmentally friendly and pleasant to the touch. This solution helps reduce the building’s ecological footprint while providing lasting thermal comfort.
The windows and French doors, made from recycled aluminum, have been manufactured to provide optimal insulation, keeping interiors cool in summer and warm in winter, while enhancing overall energy efficiency.
The office spaces will comply with the RE2020 standard:
As part of this approach, the renewal of the ISO 50001 certification (energy management system) is planned after moving into the new building, in order to strengthen AdhexPharma’s commitment to energy efficiency and continuous improvement.
To support this drive for energy performance, a local ecosystem of companies has been mobilized to bring the project to life. Whenever possible, AdhexPharma and the Guiton Group prioritized local partners. Companies such as Boudier Métallerie, GCBAT, ISOPLAC, Les Charpentiers de l’Ouche, Clévia, Avril Sedam, Pennequin, Guinot, Brisard Dampierre, Sols Industriels 21, and EBV Résine are contributing to the success of this project, thereby reinforcing the regional economic fabric.
"This exciting project is both a human and technical adventure, where every day is an opportunity to (literally) build the future of AdhexPharma as an ambitious industrial organization." — Magali Bricout, Project Manager, AdhexPharma building
Environment & sustainability: a building more respectful of nature
Environmental preservation has been a focus from the very beginning of the project design. A large green space is planned around the building (nearly 1,500 m²), including the planting of around fifteen trees to promote biodiversity and create a pleasant environment for employees.
A new parking lot will replace one of the current buildings, designed with permeable slabs to allow natural rainwater infiltration and reduce environmental impact.
A bicycle shelter will accommodate around thirty cyclists, encouraging sustainable mobility. AdhexPharma is committed to promoting environmentally friendly transportation.
To discover all the initiatives implemented to rethink employee mobility, see our blog article: Repenser la mobilité des salariés : les initiatives d’AdhexPharma)
Beyond mobility, the building will also contribute to sustainability through a responsibly and efficiently designed water management system. A rainwater recovery system (around 10 m³) will supply sanitary facilities and ensure the automatic irrigation of the green corridor on the top floor. The excess water will be collected and managed according to rainfall intensity: during light rain, water will be retained and infiltrated through swales in the parking lot and a 30 m³ infiltration basin located under the parking. In case of heavy rain, the surplus will be discharged into the urban network with a time delay, reducing saturation and overflow risks.
Furthermore, the photovoltaic panels installed on the building will help reduce energy consumption and enhance environmental performance.
Finally, a new incinerator will be installed to eliminate VOC emissions from our industrial process. This equipment will have an improved efficiency above 90% and will be equipped with a waste heat recovery system to preheat the coating tunnel heating systems used in production. This energy recovery, combined with more efficient tunnels, will contribute to reducing energy consumption related to the site’s processes and therefore lower the environmental footprint of AdhexPharma’s activities.
"This project perfectly illustrates our commitment to sustainable and safe development. Every choice, from materials to energy, has been designed to minimize environmental impact while ensuring safety and well-being for all." — Thomas Holbein, EHS Manager, AdhexPharma
Comfort and layout: a space designed for employees
Beyond environmental performance, the project has been designed with employee comfort and well-being in mind.
All areas accessible to employees, outside of production, comply with the strictest accessibility standards for people with reduced mobility, including adapted restrooms, elevators, stairs, and appropriately sized corridors to ensure optimal comfort for everyone.
The building maximizes bright and welcoming spaces. As shown in the models, the top floor will feature four patios accessible to staff, providing areas for relaxation and informal exchange; an additional break room adjacent to the existing building will further promote team cohesion and casual interaction.
The new building will also include multiple collaborative workspaces with numerous meeting rooms of various capacities. To reduce noise in open spaces and allow employees to focus in quiet areas, additional acoustic booths will be installed.
Natural lighting will be optimized through careful orientation and strategically positioned glazing. Heating and air conditioning will be controlled by a double-flow system and the Building Management System (BMS), ensuring optimal comfort for all.
All these design choices aim to encourage employee interaction, strengthen collaboration, cohesion, and well-being on a daily basis.
Industrial vision & future prospects: a lever for growth
Through this new building, AdhexPharma reaffirms its ambition to combine industrial excellence, sustainable innovation, and territorial anchoring.
This building represents a true lever for industrial performance. It will allow increased production space and capacity, fully aligned with the latest client, safety, and regulatory standards of the pharmaceutical industry.
Specifically, production space will increase by 2,700 m², with technical galleries of equivalent surface area. An additional 820 m² will be added to the current warehouse, providing a capacity of 2,448 pallets through high-bay storage of 11.5 m. Office spaces will cover 2,100 m², and production staff locker rooms have been expanded to enhance daily comfort. The laboratory will benefit from a total area of 1,300 m² (including lab platform, offices, archives, sample libraries, climate chambers, etc.), compared to 650 m² currently. Finally, the break room in the adjacent existing building will also be enlarged.
Regarding production lines, the project plans on the ground floor the relocation of a complete process currently based in Germany: weighing, mixing, coating, slitting, primary packaging, and secondary packaging. New projects are already underway to enable AdhexPharma’s future growth.
This initiative is part of the #France2030 program, supported by the government to strengthen France’s health sovereignty and industrial capacity.
Conclusion
With this project, our ambition is to create a site that combines industrial performance, environmental responsibility, and quality of work life. More than just an infrastructure, this building illustrates our commitment to a more sustainable and innovative future.
Tomorrow, it will become the starting point for new initiatives, continuous improvements, and responsible practices, thereby strengthening our role as a committed industrial player and extending the momentum we have initiated.