Hello to the entire SciGi family.

My name is Stéphanie Coullon, and I’m an Environmental Engineer at the French Building Federation. My role is to help construction companies integrate environmental considerations into their daily work. I work in the office, but I also meet with a variety of stakeholders (construction companies, architects, government representatives, journalists, environmental associations…). Occasionally, I also visit construction sites to better understand the challenges on the ground.

To give you an example, when I work on waste management, I visit recycling facilities and construction sites to see how waste is sorted. I may also meet with startups active in the field. A federation is a grouping of all companies in the same sector, both to have a certain power of influence and to provide advice to companies in the sector. The building federation brings together more than 50,000 companies, including the largest ones like Bouygues, Vinci, etc., but also the smallest ones, particularly all building craftsmen. For my part, I mainly provide advice to SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and VSEs (Very Small Enterprises) because, given their size, they don’t have dedicated resources for environmental issues.

My activities are extremely varied: I contribute to setting up recycling or waste recovery channels, but I also help companies limit their nuisances on construction sites (noise, dust), preserve indoor air quality during work… etc. I help companies understand how to construct a building to make it more environmentally efficient (carbon impact, material sourcing, energy consumption…). For this, I develop tools, but also training services for companies in the sector. I also have a lobbying activity: I monitor laws and legal texts in preparation that affect these companies; I liaise with politicians, members of parliament… this combines the technical side with the public relations aspect.

I’ve been in this position for 8 years, and surprisingly, while the sector is quite traditional, with little dynamic development, I notice that things are evolving: on one hand, the industry is getting younger, and on the other hand, there’s an awareness of environmental issues and innovations driven in part by regulatory changes.

Today I’m fulfilled in this profession, and yet, choosing my career path was a difficult moment. In my family, no one had studied science, so I didn’t have a family role model, with both my parents being in literature, to the point where I almost went into business to be less in unknown territory. The most difficult thing for me was therefore choosing my specialization in my final year of high school. But in the end, I listened to myself: I loved biology, so I turned to a BCPST prep class (biology/math/physics) even though I never felt super comfortable with math, but biology really caught my interest.

Today I’m fulfilled in this profession, and yet, choosing my career path was a difficult moment. In my family, no one had studied science, so I didn’t have a family role model, with both my parents being in literature, to the point where I almost went into business to be less in unknown territory. The most difficult thing for me was therefore choosing my specialization in my final year of high school. But in the end, I listened to myself: I loved biology, so I turned to a BCPST prep class (biology/math/physics) even though I never felt super comfortable with math, but biology really caught my interest.

After my prep class, I took the entrance exams and got into AgroParisTech. In this school, we learn all life sciences, not just agronomy. I chose to specialize in environmental engineering (waste management, water, soil…). During my studies, I took a 6-month break in Canada, and 6 months in Peru for internships. It was fascinating to discover other cultures, and I love traveling!

Once I got my degree, I could work in any sector of activity that presents environmental risks. So I ended up, somewhat by chance, in the quarry sector (extraction of construction materials); these sites have obligations for restoration at the end of their operation, with strong issues on biodiversity. After 3 and a half years “upstream” of construction, I arrived in the building sector.

So I’ve always worked in an essentially male environment; the bosses of building companies are often men; and in the technical management of the building federation, there aren’t many female engineers… but the work is pleasant because diversity is recognized as an asset. Especially since one of the roles of the federation is also to promote building trades to women.

Similarly, the work-life balance is satisfactory from my point of view; I’m a mother of 2 little boys!

Nevertheless, I’ve always felt that as a woman (and especially as a young woman!), I had to prove myself a bit more and work harder to be heard and credible. But now, I have experience, people know me, and I’ve learned to move past it. And attitudes are evolving in the right direction. There are sexist remarks that people no longer dare to make.

If you’re interested in this sector, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Written by Emmanuelle P.

Stéphanie COULLON: Bringing expertise for sustainable construction