As periods of extreme heat become more frequent and intense, thermal comfort in logistics buildings is taking on a new significance. For ARGAN, a building’s environmental performance cannot be separated from the quality of life of the people who work there.
With AutOnom® – the warehouse that generates its own energy – ARGAN has been developing a new generation of logistics warehouses since 2022, combining solar power generation, electricity storage and high-performance electric heat pumps.
Together, these systems enable AutOnom® occupiers to meet their heating and lighting needs using renewable energy generated on site. This approach now makes it possible to go one step further: the same heat pump that provides heating in winter can also cool workspaces in summer.
From heating to cooling: one system for every season
Traditionally, heating in French warehouses still relies heavily on gas-fired boilers. AutOnom® replaces this carbon-intensive system with reversible air-to-water electric heat pumps, which capture heat from the outside air to warm water in winter and reverse their cycle in summer to cool the warehouse via unit heaters.
The building thus becomes a fully-fledged energy infrastructure serving both its operations and its occupants.
Up to 13°C cooler inside the warehouse, even when outdoor temperatures exceed 35°C
This summer, three ARGAN sites benefited from these systems, including the Bain-de-Bretagne (35) facility operated by the teams at BSL, part of the DIMOTRANS Group.
Céline Chatelain
QHSE and CSR Director – DIMOTRANS Group
We pay particularly close attention to our employees’ working conditions. In a logistics facility, periods of extreme heat can quickly become a major concern. AutOnom® provides us with a practical solution, and we were able to see its benefits from the very first heatwaves in June. While outdoor temperatures reached 40°C, the temperature inside our warehouse remained at just 26–27°C. The difference was immediately noticeable for our teams.
We want to provide our employees with a high-quality working environment while reducing the environmental impact of our operations. AutOnom® enables us to pursue both objectives without having to choose between them.
The heat pump provides year-round comfort, both in winter and summer, while photovoltaic generation and energy storage allow us to manage our energy consumption intelligently, supported by the Building Management System (BMS) tools integrated with the AutOnom® equipment. Finally, in a context of highly volatile energy prices, the AutOnom® solution gives us greater predictability and control over our energy costs. The electricity generated by the solar panels covers the building’s cooling needs using renewable energy produced directly on site. Overall, we are very satisfied with this solution.
Thermal comfort is no longer a secondary consideration in a warehouse. It is a key factor in quality of life at work and, consequently, in the building’s overall performance
Stéphane Cassagne
ARGAN’s Director of Development and Asset Management
For occupiers, thermal comfort is gradually becoming an integral part of their quality-of-work-life policies. Against this backdrop, having a building capable of maintaining comfortable temperatures, including during periods of extreme heat that are expected to become more frequent, is becoming an increasingly important consideration.
With AutOnom®, ARGAN is championing a vision of logistics real estate in which a building’s performance is no longer measured solely by its size or storage capacity, but also by its energy efficiency and the comfort it provides to occupants. These factors are becoming increasingly important drivers of value for property companies’ real estate portfolios. AutOnom® thus embodies a new generation of logistics real estate: a building that generates its own energy, stores it, uses it intelligently, and contributes to the well-being of its occupants.
