As part of the Solar Decathlon event, an international award-winning competition which gathers universities to design, build and operate a full- scale, entirely functional solar-powered house, the Manitou Group sponsors the "Atlantic Challenge" team (based in Nantes). Manitou Group provided a telehandler MT 835 to help assemble and disassemble their "Philéas" project.

The Atlantic Challenge team counts students from 10 universities and "Grandes Ecoles" including the Ecole Supérieure du Bois, the School of Architecture of Nantes or the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, for example. The "Phileas" project developed by the Atlantic Challenge team aims to propose the rehabilitation of an old building in Nantes, Cap 44.

The prototype developed for the competition is an extraction of the rehabilitation of the building, which was originally a flour mill built in 1895 along the Loire, then renovated in 1970 to provide offices. Today it is not used anymore. In order to provide exemplary restoration in environment and economic terms, Atlantic Challenge’s project will be based on local know-how and innovative solutions. The prototype was built in Nantes and will then be exhibited for the competition in the gardens of Versailles. At the end of the competition, the project will be rebuilt in Nantes (France) for educational purposes.

"The loan of a telescopic rough terrain allowed the project team to carry heavy loads, to provide materials to facilitate the building of their prototype. Essential for the success of the project, the Manitou telehandler has been used daily," said Pascale Noel-Hudson, corporate communication manager.

For more information, visit www.manitou-group.com or www.solarphileas.com.