Inaugurated on 12 November 2025 in Toulouse, in the presence of the President of the Republic, the new Space Command (CDE) facilities, located within the 101 space air base, are the result of a public real estate operation worth €80 million excluding taxes.
In this context, and under the project management of the Defence Infrastructure Service (SID), Colliers provided Project Management Assistance (AMO) from the programming phase to delivery.
Created in 2019 to provide France with an operational capability dedicated to military space operations, the Space Command has been located in Toulouse, in the heart of the Canal Technology Park, near the CNES.
The challenge was to design and deliver, within tight deadlines, a secure, resilient and scalable real estate complex, adapted to the operational requirements defined by the project owner.
The operation involved the construction of 3 buildings totalling approximately 15,000 m², on a 3-hectare plot, eventually housing nearly 600 employees: a main building bringing together the command and conduct functions of military space operations; a building dedicated to the NATO Space Centre of Excellence; a secure reception building integrating the support functions of the air base.
Colliers‘ AMO mission
Engaged alongside the Defence Infrastructure Service since 2021, Colliers has carried out an AMO mission covering the entire cycle of the operation, from the programming phase to the delivery of the facilities. His support consisted of structuring and making the real estate program more reliable in an environment marked by high operational requirements, security constraints and calendar imperatives. In particular, Colliers was involved in the analysis and formalization of the Space Command’s needs, functional and technical programming, the integration of constraints related to the resilience, safety and security of facilities, as well as the support of the project owner in the management of the overall contract and the monitoring of the budgetary framework and schedule.
In a global market set-up, the project manager plays a structuring role in clarifying responsibilities and maintaining initial objectives throughout the operation. In close collaboration with the teams of the Defence Infrastructure Service, Colliers ensured consistency between user needs and proposed technical solutions, control of the program in the face of the adjustments inherent to this type of project, and compliance with cost and deadline objectives.
„Throughout the project, Colliers has demonstrated rigour, creativity and efficiency, ensuring exemplary follow-up in compliance with deadlines, budget and quality objectives,“ comments Frédéric Guivarc’h – Director of the South-East Defence Infrastructure Service.
„This operation was based on close collaboration with the teams of the Defence Infrastructure Service, whose high standards and clear objectives provided a structuring framework throughout the project. Our role was to support this ambition by translating it into an operational real estate programme, in compliance with the framework defined by the project owner until delivery. “ says Florent Hurstel – Director of the Colliers Toulouse Agency.
Public Issues and Performance
The operation is also part of an environmental performance approach integrating bioclimatic architecture, the use of bio-sourced materials, the integration of renewable energies, the development of soft mobility and the limitation of land artificialisation. The buildings also comply with the interministerial real estate optimisation ratios applicable to the State’s tertiary spaces, while taking into account the safety and confidentiality requirements induced by the CDE’s activities.
Beyond its military dimension, the operation illustrates the challenges faced by public project owners: coordination of multiple actors, high technical requirements, strict budgetary framework and compliance with tight schedules.
