1. The urban dimension

The urban character of the building has always been present, but it was limited to the care taken by the architect to place the project in its context. However, the "urban dimension" is much broader, and has gradually emerged as a result of several approaches.

• The first is the result of environmental labeling practices.

  It then became clear that simply relying on the intrinsic qualities of a building was not enough to help preserve the planet. Even a building of high environmental quality in the wrong location offers no tangible improvement. The gains achieved through construction are not enough to offset the effects of new mobility due to the remoteness of any activity. It was the realization of the interdependence of the project and its operation with the ecosystem.

• The second...