Les Coulisses du Bâtiment is a nationwide annual event, which consists of the opening to the public of a large number of construction sites throughout France, over two or three days. Guided tours within places that are usually secluded behind high fences are organised by selected members of the teams at work on these sites, together with members of the FFB, who also help publicise the event and coordinate the visits of groups or whole classes of pupils and students. Among the most curious visitors are school children and students (8 – 18 years and beyond), together with their teachers; families (as the event runs from Thursday to Saturday in most places).
Opening the sites also lifts the curtain on the broad variety of construction workers’ occupations and to challenge the substantial amount of clichés that abound, regarding the construction sector’s jobs, qualifications and opportunities. Promotional materials, such as descriptive guides on construction jobs and the degrees leading to them, brochures on some aspects of the building industry, goodies (key holders, dynamo lamps, etc) are handed over after the visits. Launched in 2003, this popular FFB initiative has gathered an ever growing number of visitors - over 1 million people - on approximately 3,500 building sites.