Created in 1947, the CSTB is a public commercial and industrial establishment (EPIC) under the control of the Ministry Public Works, Transport and Housing.
**Missions
With its experts, researchers, technicians and engineers, the CSTB is preparing the future of the construction industry. It has carried out its four roles in a pluri-disciplinary spirit:
- conduct research into all fields of construction.
- provide scientific and technical consultancy services.
- contribute to the evaluation of quality (standardization, approval, qualifications, opinions of professional software) and to the reliability of innovation in construction.
- distribute information (publication, training).
**Fields of Activity
- Health, environment, risk prevention: controlling the impact on the environment of construction materials and the buildings themselves, controlling energy consumption, prevention of health and safety risks to occupants.
- Comfort and atmosphere- provisional tools and methods to evaluate inside and outside comfort: acoustics, lighting and heat.
- Building and equipment technologies – support for architectural and industrial innovation (structure, equipment envelope, materials).
- Evaluation of the quality of products and innovative processes. Information industries: development of new services to be used by construction professionals, virtual reality, distribution tools and information exchange.
- Economy and sociology: cost of products, players in the construction industry, requalification of urban areas, analyze techniques and innovation.
**Key Figures
- Annual budget of more than 52 million euros (2001).
- 600 employees, including 300 engineers and researchers.
- 5 establishments (Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, Grenoble, Nantes, Sophia-Antipolis).
