France leads in sustainable construction
12 May 2021
France was ranked 2nd in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index and is homeland to some of the most advanced architecture in the world. We helped build many projects there, from private homes to bridges, using almost the entire range of our sustainably profitable products. Here is a selection of some of our most important and beautiful French projects:
Marchesini Group Headquarters, Paris, France
Products used: Drening
Solutions applied: Water
Reminiscent of the pure forms of early modernists, this building was designed to benefit from the surrounding landscape in terms of light and color, and respect the landscape in return. It is divided into two volumes: the workshop on the ground and the offices in the upper area. Our Drening was used to build the minimally invasive rainwater drainage system that was able to allow a very low excavation depth and facilitate the rainwater reuse at the same time.
Research and Development Center EDF, Saclay, France
Products used: Airplast
Solutions applied: Slabs
The EDF’s transparent forms were designed to promote the idea of academic openness to innovation, with easily accessible open-plan labs that encourage the cooperation of research teams. Our Airplast helped build large-span monodirectional lightened slabs that made the open-plan possible.
Biology-Pharmacy-Chemistry Center of Excellence at Paris-Sud University, Paris, France
Products used: Geopanel
Solutions applied: Plastic formwork
The modern 85,000m2 Center of Excellence is one of the largest university buildings in France that needed a simple and cost-effective solution for the building of foundation walls. Geopanel was first planned for foundation walls only but was later used throughout the whole complex instead of timber and plywood.
Vélodrome stadium, Marseille, France
Products used: Geotub
Solutions applied: Plastic formwork
The beautiful white canopy over the public space and the additional 7,000 seats demanded the reinforcement of the Velodrome stadium’s existing structure. The problem was the lack of space on the construction site. The fact that Geotub is stackable and easy to install manually, with no space needed for cranes, heavy machinery, or storage, made it irreplaceable for the reconstruction of the largest football field in France.
Le Nuage, Montpellier, France
Products used: Skydome
Solutions applied: Slabs
The famous ‘Cloud’ was planned for diverse activities that required a multifunctional space with no columns or bearing walls. Our Skydome helped create large-span lightened slabs that not only offered a flexible and visually interesting interior of the building, but also improved its acoustics, seismic resilience, and saved the construction costs.
Municipal swimming pool, Bazas, France
Products used: New Elevetor
Solutions applied: Foundations
Municipal swimming pool in Bazas was an important investment for the local community. Our New Elevetor helped raise the swimming pool floor from 4.5 m to 2.2 m, allowing substantial savings in water use.
Euralille Biotope, Lille, France
Products used: Geotub
Solutions applied: Plastic formwork
Biotope is a 7 story building that houses the government offices of Lille Métropole. Geotub was chosen as a cost-effective solution for the construction of round columns because it was crane independent, which allowed more space and building speed on the busy construction site.
Rescue center, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France
Products used: New Elevetor Tank
Solutions applied: Water
New Elevetor Tank was chosen for the building of a rainwater tank under the Rescue center in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, just outside of Nice. It proved to be a cost-effective and sustainable solution that simplified the construction of the building’s foundation slabs.
Galeries Lafayette Fashion Store Renovation, Rennes, France
Products used: New Nautilus Evo
Solutions applied: Slabs
Galeries Lafayette fashion store was a historic building that needed a renovation and an enlargement, with low-bearing walls unable to carry a full concrete slab. Our New Nautilus Evo helped build lightweight slabs that greatly reduced seismic loads.
Kerisper bridge, La Trinité-sur-Mer, France
Products used: Geotub
Solutions applied: Plastic formwork
The only civil engineering project on this list is a historic building as well. Kerisper bridge was built in 1958 over the Crac’h river, connecting Saint-Philibert and La Trinité-sur-Mer. The renovation implied the rebuilding of supporting round columns. Thanks to the lightness of its elements, the simplicity of their removal, and its ability to be used in water, Geotub significantly reduced the building time, giving the bridge back to photographers and tourists.
