Partnerships & events

UIA2011, the 24th World Congress of Architecture is being held on September 26-28, 2011 in Tokyo. In line with this year's theme "Design 2050", the International Council of French Architects (CIAF) which is collaborating with Lafarge on the creation of the French stand, is presenting 4 urban projects on the transformation of cities:

• a project to rehabilitate military buildings in Grenoble;
• the transformation of commercial and industrial business parks in residential areas of Montpellier;
• development of a difficult neighborhood to improve integration in Lyon city center;
• consideration of the future of Bordeaux and respect for its natural and cultural heritage.

In order to present major French innovations to architects from around the world, the CIAF wanted to work with innovative French industrial companies to produce France's stand, which has been designed by 2 architecture students. This is why it has been constructed using Ductal®, the ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete from Lafarge. This was an opportunity for the Group to emphasize the constructive dialogue it has developed with architects over the last 15 years. A close collaboration enabling it to make its products and applications evolve through innovative projects.

Between May 20th and June 12th 2011, Casablanca hosted the Escales exhibition, with the support of Lafarge. 4 architecture firms showcased their projets completed on both sides of the Mediterranean:

• 5+1AA Alfonso Femia Gianluca Peluffo (Paris-Genoa-Milan);

• ECDM - Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec (Paris);

• KILO Architectures - Linna Choi Tarik Oualalou Mustapha Chakib Abderrahim Kassou (Paris-Casablanca);

• Pietri Architectes - Jean-Baptiste Pietri (Paris-Marseilles).

The exhibition was also an opportunity to capitalize on their various cultural backgrounds in order to tackle in their own way the Mediterranean architectural challenges, including urban networks renewal, city expansion and new territorial projects. They also had to take into account the specificities of the Southern Mediterranean and North Africa.

On the fringes of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai with the theme of "Better City, Better Life", Lafarge organized a seminar on the theme of "affordable housing and sustainable cities" at Shanghai's Urban Planning & Design Institute. The event was the result of a partnership between the Tongji University in Shanghai (College of Architecture and Urban Planning CAUP), the Paris Belleville Ecole d'Architecture and Lafarge. Well known architects, engineers and academics met to consider suitable solutions in terms of affordable and innovative housing which can be sustainably incorporated into our environment.

From May to October 2010, the World Expo was being held in Shanghai with the theme "Better City, Better Life". Lafarge partnered the France Pavilion and supported architect Jacques Ferrier's "Sensual City" project, an innovative building which reflects the French identity.
During the exhibition, Lafarge was also coordinating a series of conferences and events focusing on sustainable construction.

In February 2010, Lafarge signed a 3-year partnership with the "Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine" in Paris, an international institution dedicated to promoting heritage and architectural innovation. This was an opportunity for the Group to continue its work into the new challenges of urban planning in association with the world of architecture.

The Group previously teamed up with the "Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine" and architect Rémy Marciano in 2007, when the training space for state-registered urban planners and architects, was refurbished using Ductal®.

In partnership with the Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture (New York), Lafarge sponsored a new university program, the MDS (Materials-based Design Studio), exploring construction materials and their role in urban planning.
Alternating talks from Lafarge experts at the School and visits to France, especially to the Group's Research center, for 3 months the program's students focused on new models for US cities. Their exercise was to redevelop part of the city of El Paso in Texas by studying concrete's thermal, environmental and structural performances. The Group's technologies and innovations were placed at their disposal to do this.

From November 2nd to 7th 2009, Lafarge sponsored the Architecture and sustainable development booth for the Batimat 2009 international building exhibition. On the program:

• A conference with Jacques Ferrier, architect of the French Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Lafarge will be a sponsor of the French Pavilion.
• A conference with Paul Acker, scientific director at the Lafarge Research center, and Marc Mimram, architect-engineer, about the "Living bridges" study.
• Innovative solutions and products to promote the low-energy housing.
• The presentation of the QEB survey (Environmental Quality of Buildings), which demonstrates that concrete construction systems are best suited to resolving the issue of ".

From March 11th to 13th 2009, Lafarge took part for the third time in the "Marché International des Professionnels de l'Immobilier" in Cannes, France. An opportunity for the Group to reaffirm its desire to work together with the world of architecture on innovative and long-term projects.

Watch a video clip of architect-engineer Marc Mimram presenting his "Living Infrastructure" study conducted in partnership with Lafarge.

From October 1 to 3, 2008, and for the 2nd year running, Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture organized a series of conferences on materials. The "Solid States: Changing Time for Concrete" conference focused on concrete. In exclusive partnership with Lafarge, leading architects, engineers and academics came together around the theme of concrete and turned the spotlight on its future developments and potential uses at a time of intense urbanization.

In 2006 and 2007, concrete was the star of the "Bétons: étonnez-vous" exhibition organized by the Museum of Arts & Métiers, Paris, with the support of Lafarge.

This exhibition, which addressed the general public, artists, architects, construction industry professionals and schools, was an opportunity to discover all facets of this remarkable material, from manufacturing techniques to technological innovations, by way of its fascinating history.