"A very avant-garde ecological approach": Thierry Jacquet, Phytorestore

T. J. - Wuhan was chosen by China's Sustainable Development Commission to implement a comprehensive approach, including the creation of a bioclimatic eco-neighbourhood of 50,000 inhabitants, on which we worked, with a strategy focused on water. In this district, inaugurated in 2007, car parks are located close to the future RER stations and entirely pedestrianised lanes have been planned. This approach is still very avant-garde for China, and even for France.

 

T. J. - Between 100 and 200 eco-neighbourhood projects are underway in China, but very few have yet seen the light of day, such as Dongtang Island in Shanghai. In the big cities, property pressures are too great for eco-neighbourhoods to be built at a lower density than high-rise buildings. Wuhan remains in a class of its own, but its approach will be emulated, especially in the non-urban provinces.

 

T. J. - Phytorestore generates 70 % of its sales abroad, with teams in France, of course, but also in Brazil, North Africa and China. China has great potential, but we still have to demonstrate the economic relevance of the solutions we propose. That's what's most important in this country. In Wuhan, not everything was achieved as initially planned, but the spirit was respected.