Les Saules Student Housing

Les Saules is a 5,210 m² young workers' residence (foyer de jeunes travailleurs) in northeastern France, operated by the local social-housing landlord Etap'Habitat. The building dates from the post-war period and provides subsidized rooms to young adults in training, apprenticeships, or their first jobs. Heating is supplied by Metz's district heating network (UEM), which covers the bulk of the building's energy use.

Through participation in the 2023 CUBE competition, Les Saules achieved 29% energy savings, placing third in the Housing category and 79th overall. This reduction was driven by a mix of technical adjustments — such as heating schedule reprogramming, temperature setpoint reductions, and new lighting equipment — combined with awareness and engagement activities tailored to the residents, including thematic film screenings, workshops with local energy-sector experts, and door-to-door visits by an educational team to show residents how the heating and electrical systems worked. A volunteer green team was set up to monitor equipment use and turn off unused lighting.