Renens: a densely urban municipality with high asbestos risk
Renens is the most densely populated municipality in the canton of Vaud. The western gateway of the Lausanne agglomeration, it experienced rapid and intense urban development between the 1950s and the 1980s, producing a built fabric particularly concentrated in the period of maximum asbestos risk. The result is a municipality where practically every renovation project on existing buildings predating 1991 triggers the prior diagnosis obligation.
The northern residential district of Renens, with its housing slabs and towers constructed in the 1960s–1975 to house local industrial workers and newcomers to the agglomeration, concentrates a stock of social and affordable housing typical of the period. These collective buildings were constructed to the construction standards of the time, which systematically incorporated asbestos-based materials: vinyl tiles in apartments and common areas, fibre cement on facades and spandrel panels, ventilation ducts, lagging in collective boiler rooms.
The Renens industrial zone, developed around the railway and the old marshalling yard infrastructure, hosts business buildings constructed from the 1950s. These warehouses, workshops and logistics buildings present configurations typical of the industrial period: large-surface fibre cement roofs, cladding, lightweight partitions.
The Lausanne School of Art and Design (ECAL), established in Renens in a converted old industrial building, illustrates a specific category: the conversion of old industrial buildings, which requires exhaustive diagnoses before any transformation. More broadly, the many old industrial buildings in Renens being converted into housing, cultural spaces or offices constitute high-stakes asbestos projects.
Which buildings are concerned in Renens?
Renens presents three distinct built profiles, all very much affected by the asbestos issue.
Residential buildings and social housing
Collective buildings from the 1960s–1975 in the northern and central residential districts of Renens constitute the most numerous category. These standardised buildings present homogeneous and systematically asbestos-containing configurations: vinyl tiles in all apartments and all circulation areas, fibre cement on facades and balcony spandrel panels, asbestos-cement ventilation ducts, sprayed coatings in underground car parks and boiler rooms.
Public utility housing and affordable rental housing managed by cooperatives or public bodies represent a significant proportion of Renens’s rental stock. These buildings, often constructed in the 1955–1975 period, present the most homogeneous and predictable configurations in terms of asbestos-containing materials.
Industrial and business buildings
Renens’s industrial zone concentrates business buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1980s. Fibre cement roofs and cladding, lightweight interior partitions, industrial floor tiles and heating pipe insulation are the priority materials to investigate. Conversion projects for these industrial buildings into housing or mixed spaces are high-stakes asbestos projects.
Public facilities and institutional buildings
Schools, community centres and sports facilities constructed in the 1960s–1980s present characteristic configurations: fibre cement or suspended tile suspended ceilings in halls and corridors, vinyl floors over large surfaces, ventilation ducts, sprayed coatings in sports halls and corridors.
Comment se déroule un diagnostic amiante ?
Common asbestos-containing materials in Renens
Renens’s built fabric from the 1955–1985 period presents a wide range of asbestos-containing materials:
- Vinyl-asbestos floor tiles in apartments, common areas and collective spaces
- Laying adhesives for vinyl tiles, often black or brownish
- Fibre cement sheets on facades, spandrel panels and balcony cladding
- Corrugated or ribbed fibre cement sheet roofs in the industrial zone
- Sprayed coatings in underground car parks, boiler rooms and cellars
- Lagging on riser columns and collective heating networks
- Asbestos-cement ventilation ducts in kitchens and bathrooms
- Fibre cement tile suspended ceilings in institutional buildings
- Sprayed acoustic insulation under slabs of collective buildings
- Facade joints and mastics in buildings constructed between 1960 and 1975
Collective boiler rooms of large residential developments and technical rooms of industrial buildings often concentrate the most degraded materials.
Regulations applicable in Renens
Renens is located in the canton of Vaud. The pre-works asbestos diagnosis report (AvT) is a mandatory component of the building permit application file for any building predating 1991. This report must have been prepared by a recognised FACH expert and must be less than three years old at the time of submitting the file.
The Vaud Building Permits Service requires this report regardless of the nature of the works — light renovation, complete transformation or partial demolition. For industrial buildings destined for conversion, a pre-demolition diagnostic report may also be required if original building elements are demolished.
The federal Ordinance on Construction Work (OTConst) applies in addition and requires every contractor to be informed of the presence of asbestos before intervening on a building predating 1991. This dual obligation — cantonal and federal — makes asbestos diagnosis an unavoidable step in any renovation project in Renens.
Need a diagnosis in Renens?
Free quote within 24h. FACH expert, rapid intervention in Renens and the Lausanne agglomeration.
Neighbouring communes served
We operate in Renens and all neighbouring communes:
Frequently asked questions about asbestos diagnosis in Renens
Our cooperative building in Renens dates from 1967. Must the condominium carry out a comprehensive diagnosis before launching the energy renovation?
Yes, and it is the most efficient and economical approach. A comprehensive diagnosis carried out prior to the energy renovation covers the entire building, identifies all asbestos-containing materials and their location, and allows the necessary decontamination interventions to be planned before the renovation works. This avoids unforeseen site stoppages and cost overruns linked to late asbestos discovery.
Can the asbestos diagnosis be combined with other technical diagnoses (lead, PCBs) at the same time?
Yes, it is possible to combine several diagnoses in a single visit. For buildings constructed between 1955 and 1975, the simultaneous presence of asbestos, lead in paints and PCBs in facade joints is frequent. A multi-pollutant diagnosis is more economical than a series of separate diagnoses and provides an overall view of the risks to be managed during renovation.
Does the conversion of an old industrial building in Renens into housing require a particular type of diagnosis?
The conversion of an industrial building into housing generally requires a comprehensive pre-works diagnosis covering the entire building. If structural or facade elements are demolished, a pre-demolition report may also be required for the demolished zones. These diagnoses are more complex and more extensive than for a standard residential building, due to the diversity of industrial materials present.
My apartment in Renens has ceilings with stains and I am wondering if they are asbestos sprayed coatings. How can I find out?
Only a sample and laboratory analysis can confirm or rule out the presence of asbestos in a material. A FACH expert can visually assess the probability that the material contains asbestos, but analysis remains indispensable for certainty. If you are planning works on these ceilings, prior diagnosis is mandatory.
Is the Vaud AvT report valid if we change construction company mid-project?
Yes. The AvT report is attached to the building and the works it describes, not to the company carrying out the works. If you change company, the report remains valid for the zones it covers, provided it is less than three years old. The new company must be able to consult this report before intervening.