Completed projects

06/22/2011

In Ecuador, the Casa del Alabado, a colonial mansion built in 1671, has been entirely restored using Lafarge cement and converted into a museum of pre-Colombian art.

Approximately 15 tons of cement, or the equivalent of 300 bags of 50kg, were required to complete this special site. The villa is indeed located right in the historic center of the capital, Quito, and listed as a UNESCO heritage site.

Lafarge cements are well known for their quality among Ecuadoran masons who often decide the brand of products on their worksites.    

05/09/2011

The 270 employees working at Lafarge's head office in South Africa are now enjoying their new premises north east of Johannesburg.

The buildings, constructed using the Group's solutions, required:

• 1,500 linear meters of Lafarge partition systems (Plasterboard, Metal Studs & Track);
• 35m³ of Artevia® Polished concrete for the entrance hall.

Also reflecting the Group's commitment to sustainable construction, the buildings incorporate high energy performances components:

• thicker tinted glass for the windows providing better thermal insulation (cooler offices in summer and warmer in winter);

• motion sensors to replace switches, etc.

02/22/2011

As part of an urban development program in the city of Montpellier (France), the department called on the well-known architect Zaha Hadid for the design of a 28,500m² complex housing the departmental archives, a library and the departmental sports division.

Over 27,000m³ of concrete was required for the construction of this building, whose shape is reminiscent of a horizontal tree trunk. The external façade of the complex is made of more than 1,000 prefabricated sections, representing more than 2,600m³ of concrete. Lafarge supplied CEM I 52,5R CE CP2 NF cement from its plant in Teil (South of France) used by manufacturer Delta Préfa to design all pieces.

This grey cement mixed with white limestone aggregates was used to make concrete which met the site's requirements for precise color of material, plasticity allowing the pouring of specific shapes and resistance enabling the turning out and handling of molds.

12/01/2010

As part of a humanitarian project carried out by students at the Ljubljana architecture school in Slovenia, Lafarge donated 55 m³ of concrete for the construction and 2 pallets of cement for bricklaying for educational buildings at a school campus located 40km outside Johannesburg in South Africa.

The Group's Slovenian BU therefore worked closely with its South African counterpart to bring the project, whose worksite lasted 8 weeks, to a successful conclusion. The architecture students constructed an auditorium, a working room and a library, with a total surface area of 160m².

11/10/2010

Lafarge inaugurated its first low-energy house in Angers (France) on last November 9th, demonstrating that concrete is a viable solution to sustainable construction challenges.

With a habitable surface area of 108m², the house was built in collaboration with French residential construction company Maisons Bernard Jambert and meets the requirements of LEB (low-energy building) certification with energy consumption of 48kWh/m² p.a. It is also in line with French Thermal Regulation 2005 (RT 2005) and is ahead of its time in relation to the 2012 regulation!
The Jambert-Lafarge house, which receives an A-rated energy label, was built by combining a bioclimatic design, the choice of a efficient construction system, good thermal insulation and air-tightness as well as the incorporation of high-performance technical equipment.

The house combines the Group's materials with well controlled common construction systems:

• Cements: The Classic, Multibat for the load-bearing walls.
• Concretes: Agilia® for the building's shell and the screed over the heated floor.
• Gypsum: PREGYMAX 29.5 for the insulation of the partitions, PREGYMETAL, SYNIA™, PREGYDRO™ for the partitions and finishes.
• Insulation: Unimat®.

10/04/2010

The Hemer Garden Festival in Germany grew some incredible plants to decorate its fruit juice stand - giant concrete oranges! Measuring 1m in diameter and weighing 1 ton each, the oranges were made by a customer of Lafarge Germany, Biber Beton, which chose Optacolor® to make the concrete. The product's ductile properties meant the concrete was more fluid and malleable, making it easier to fill the molds and reproducing the orange skin in great detail. A total of 7 whole oranges and 6 half oranges were produced, before being painted on site.

09/08/2010

The theme of the international "Concrete Design Competition" for architects in 2010 was "Monolithic: Exploring versatility". The winning architecture student in Germany received support from Lafarge, which sponsored his project and supplied Optacolor® cement to complete it. The student sought to define concrete as a fluid material, malleable enough to be shaped at will. His experiments led him to create a table made from concrete using a latex mold. The ductile properties of the concrete obtained as a result of using Optacolor® allowed him to produce very complex and innovative shapes.

08/05/2010

As part of US TV show "Extreme Makeover", Lafarge North America teamed up with one of its customers, Chaney Enterprises, a specialist in ready-mix concrete.

The 2 partners helped construct a home in Maryland and a community center in Washington, DC. Lafarge donated Ravena Type I/II and Sparrows Point NewCem Slag cements to produce the concrete (decorative concrete, pervious concrete, concrete solar panels).

Euro 2012, the European Football Championship, will kick off in Poland in June 2012.
Lafarge is supplying the cement required for the construction of the new national stadium in Warsaw. Work began in June 2009 and is due to be completed by July 2011. A total of 90,000 tons of cement will be delivered - 75,000 of which will have been supplied during 2009.
Lafarge is partnering an ambitious architectural project. The stadium will have 55,000 seats and it is the biggest construction site for Euro 2012. According to architecture firm JSK Architekten, which is managing the project, the stadium's external wall will represent Poland's national flag, which is white and red, floating in the air.

06/23/2009

The monumental Route des Tamarins construction project was delivered in a difficult geological and climatic environment and represents quite an achievement, both in terms of design and execution. The road includes no less than 33.7km of expressway, 23 bridges, 9 intersections and 3 tunnels and is designed, in time, to become the major artery of the île de la Réunion.
For this European project, carried out in collaboration with several companies, including Vinci, Razel, Eiffage and Bonin, Lafarge provided its international expertise in relation to building materials used in exceptional structures. Construction of the Route des Tamarins used 150,000m3 of concrete, 600,000 tons of aggregates and 60,000 tons of cement.

25/07/2007

Lafarge Malaysia supplied the 24,000 tons of Mascrete cement used to pour the 1,350 pre-cast concrete segments. These segments now form a 1.85 kilometer bridge which features an impressive 185 meter cable-stayed main span.

02/20/2006

Lafarge Asland supplied 8,000 tons of cement for the bridges on a new 25 kilometer section of motorway in Spain. The most spectacular construction is a 50 meter-high double-lane viaduct.

11/17/2005

10/04/2005

Putrajayadu, the administrative capital of the Malaysian federal government, is at the forefront of sustainable development. As part of a major urban development project, the city is using Lafarge Portland and Mascrete cements for administrative buildings, mosques and hospitals. Over 2 million m³ of concrete have been supplied.

09/05/2005

09/01/2005

Samba dancers rehearse energetically in preparation for the Rio de Janeiro carnival so the floors of the samba schools need to stand up to particularly heavy use. Lafarge C.P.V. cement, used to finish the floors of the Cidade do Samba school, rises to the challenge.

07/16/2005

06/24/2005

05/19/2005

The Fairmont Chateau Hotel sits beside Lake Louise in the heart of Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. 10,000 m³ of concrete, made with Lafarge G.U. type cement from Lafarge's concrete plant in Canmore, Canada, was used in the construction of the hotel.

04/19/2005

12/23/2004

12/07/2004

Lafarge in South Africa supports the Eco-City project run by Eco-City, a non-governmental organization, and the W.W.F. (World Wide Fund for Nature). The project constructs low-cost housing which respects environmental considerations and is accessible to low-income families. Lafarge South Africa donated 300 tons of cement and 70 m³ of concrete for the construction of the first 30 houses, which are designed to keep energy consumption to a minimum.

12/07/2004

Lafarge contributed to the construction of the Nicolas Hulot School for Nature and Man in the Morbihan, France. The architecture of the school was designed around environmental considerations and is intended to meet High Environmental Quality standards. Lafarge Cement, Lafarge Concrete and Lafarge Aggregates all donated construction materials that met these requirements. The school is a center where everyone can receive information and education and training in biodiversity.

10/20/2004

The Bouygues Group chose Lafarge cement for the construction of Morocco's largest port, "Tanger Méditerranée", known as "Tanger Med". Lafarge Morocco supplied 100,000 tons of cement for seawater exposure. This special cement, designed to resist the corrosive effects of salt water, is ideally suited for jetty construction. Lafarge's Meknès plant produced the clinker which was ground and stored at Tangiers.

09/21/2004

05/27/2004

The new bridge in the Brazilian city of Itinga was inaugurated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This development project was driven by the Brazilian government in partnership with private companies, including Lafarge in Brazil, which donated 300 tons of cement.

03/29/2004

The Zakim Bridge is part of Boston's Central Artery Tunnel project, better known as "the Big Dig". Lafarge S.F.T.M. cement (Portland cement with silica fume) was used to enhance the compressive strength of the deck and dramatically reduce the permeability of the concrete.

01/28/2004

This stadium expansion project increased seating capacity to 54,000 and added sky suites, ticket booths and a press box. The architecture retained its original symmetry and aesthetics thanks to the use of pre-cast concrete containing Lafarge Type III cement.

01/16/2004

A gigantic dam holds back the waters of the River Leibis in the Thuringian Forest near Saalfeld, Germany. It was built with a special cement provided by Lafarge Zement. This cement maintains a very consistent temperature, even when it is subjected to extremely large compressive forces.

01/12/2004

The Washington Convention Center covers 6 city blocks in downtown Washington D.C. It owes its avant-garde style to pre-cast concrete and to the use of Lafarge NewCem® cement in the cast-in-place concrete. The exceptional interiors owe their finish to Lafarge Rapid Coat.

10/27/03

Sherwood Corners is an office building in downtown Mississauga in Ontario, Canada. Thanks to its facade of "Terra Walling", made from Lafarge cements and aggregates, this construction blends in with its surroundings. The warm color of "weathered Cotswold" gives this building a timeless appearance.

10/01/2003

With 29 elevators and 157,000 m² of space, the Torre Mayor is a dominating presence in Mexico City! The highest tower in Latin America, it boasts 55 floors and reaches a height of 230 meters. The skyscraper was built with Lafarge white cement and houses offices and a shopping center. Because of the high risk of earthquakes in Mexico City, the building incorporates a number of seismic protection mechanisms.

07/06/2003

05/02/2003