One of the most prominent buildings in Geneva’s international district, the Bureau International du Travail (BIT), has been renovated. Bouygues Energies & Services carried out the installation of electrical and automation systems for around 1,500 workstations.
Built in the early 1970s, Switzerland’s largest public building had become run-down and no longer conformed to security, energy performance or interior design standards. The renovation project involved removing the asbestos from the site, insulating the façades, replacing all of the technical systems, refurbishing the interior and bringing the security systems up to date.
| Client | Bureau International du Travail (BIT) |
| Location | Geneva |
| Business areas | Electrics, Security & Automation |
| General contractor | Steiner SA |
| Duration of works | 2016-2019 |
Electrics
Security & Automation
Bouygues Energies & Services was tasked with the overhaul of the high- and low-voltage electrical installations. This involved equipping all 11 floors of the main building with electrical wiring, distribution systems, lighting systems, security systems, phone networks and data transfer networks. To account for the building remaining occupied, the work was carried out in three phases.
Also assigned to Bouygues Energies & Services was the control of all the systems, including managing the heating, air conditioning, lighting and openings for all of the workstations. During the tender process, the Security & Automation department adopted a bold approach by presenting an option that involved installing systems with a centralised control centre on each floor, rather than in each office. This innovative solution dramatically reduced the number of devices necessary for managing the systems.
Thanks to high-performance industrial technology from Beckhoff, we were able to offer a much more efficient solution than the one requested in the tender. The number of devices required was therefore reduced from 4'544 to 44. The solution is considerably more affordable to install and much simpler to maintain over time.
Jean-Marie ZIMMER, Head of Security & Automation
