Aggregates are everywhere: in parks, gardens, stadiums, roads, railways and sometimes even at the heart of impressive projects. Here are a few examples.
Testimonial 1 : Barajas airport, a window on Madrid
In Spain, Lafarge was involved in building terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas airport. This majestic gateway into the Spanish capital was designed by architect Richard Rogers, who shaped the concrete into particularly bold forms and bright colors!
Landing in Madrid
at Terminal 4 of Barajas Airport is first and foremost a powerful esthetic experience. Not surprisingly,
this elegant 1.2 kilometer long building, with a wave-shaped roof,
towering gigantic brightly colored pillars and wide windows, designed by the celebrated
British architect Richard Rogers,
has won a number of international prizes.
The terminal was inaugurated in 2006 following 60
months of work, which included the terminal itself, its satellite (TS4), roads,
tunnels and two parking lots! Lafarge
was at the forefront of this extraordinary project. We provided the cement
and aggregates and produced concrete
on-site with six mobile plants:
- traditional concrete,
- high-strength concrete,
- self-leveling, self-compacting concrete (primarily for the pillars of the hall).
The new terminal has doubled the capacity of Madrid-Barajas from 35 million to 70 million passengers per year, making it now one of the busiest in Europe. It is positioned as the main hub for traffic between Europe and South America. Travelers can also enjoy a large shopping center with leisure and business facilities, as well as a fast connection to the city center with a new metro station and numerous bus lines.
All of which will attract still more visitors and tourists to the city of Madrid!
Testimonial 2 : France: Lafarge sand on the beaches of Paris Plages 2012!
07/20/2012
Lafarge has been a partner of Paris Plages since the
beginning of the operation, in 2002.
For the 2012 edition, Lafarge has delivered 5,000 tons
of sand coming from the Bernières quarry in Normandy. Dating back to the
quaternary (100,000 to 800,000 years), the sand was chosen for its softness and
finesse, which are perfect for a nice real beach feel! Each week, at night, the
sand will be cleaned by water steam to kill all bacteria. It will also be
analyzed by the hygiene lab of the City of Paris. For a safe summer!
The delivery was made by a 4-barge, 120-meter long
river convoy for a 175 kilometer trip. By using river transport, Lafarge saved
200 trucks for the streets of Paris!
For year 2 of their partnership, Lafarge and French
charity Aide et action offer fun & educational activities for kids at ParisPlages
2012.
Testimonial 3 : France: new beaches in Provence
11/02/2010
Lafarge has delivered a total of more than 4,000 tons of various materials (aggregate, sand, blocks and river stones) for the rehabilitation of the beaches in Marseille and Istres, in south-east France.
As well as the rehabilitation of the rocky coast and several beaches, river stones and blocks were also used to line a dam.
In the city of Istres, 2 beaches were recreated naturally using sand from Sénas, identical to that found on beaches in the Camargue.
The deliveries were made between May and June 2010 by truck and by barge when possible, in order to reduce CO2 emissions. A waste removal service has also been set up to avoid an increase in the number of trucks on roads, using a double freight system.
Testimonial 4 : Canada: road surface made from Duraclime™ for a major intersection
09/23/2010
In partnership with the city authorities in Edmonton, Canada, Lafarge has developed a sustainable solution for the renovation and renewal of the road surface at one of the city's major intersections.
First, the road surface was entirely renovated with a new capping layer of recycled aggregates. In all, 12,500 tons of aggregates were delivered, representing a 10%-15% saving compared with a traditional solution.
The road surface was then given a makeover with 5,000 tons of Duraclime™ warm bituminous road coating: an economical as well as an ecological solution, reducing oxidation of the mix and greenhouse gases as well as improving compaction uniformity.
Testimonial 5 : USA: street renovation in Pueblo, Colorado, with Duracycle™
09/23/2010
The city authorities in Pueblo, Colorado (United States), chose Duracycle™ bituminous road coating for the construction of 9 streets. The innovative and environmentally-friendly properties of the coating material are encouraging the city to carry out more road renovation work each year.
All new road construction projects in Pueblo will now use Duracycle™ as their standard product.
Testimonial 6 : Canada: a “green street” thanks to Duraclime™
09/23/2010
The Green Street project, carried out by Lafarge Western Canada for the city of Saskatoon in Canada, took a visionary and environmentally-friendly approach. This ecological street was produced using Duraclime™, a warm road-coating solution including recycled coating materials).
Designed to respond to LEED® sustainable construction specifications, the city's sidewalks and streets also contain 100% recycled aggregates in the granular capping layer.
Testimonial 7 : France: aggregates and decorative concrete for Paris-Plages 2010
07/16/2010
For the 8th year running, Lafarge continues its partnership with the Paris Mayor's Office for the Paris-Plages summertime operation.
The Group provides the 2,000 metric tons of sand needed to realize the beaches on the banks of the Seine, which it transports via river from its Sandrancourt quarry.
Lafarge also highlights all the advantages of concrete for outdoor facilities by supplying 8 large slabs of Artevia™ decorative concrete, which are distributed across the grass beach.
Testimonial 8 : South Africa: 5 new stadiums
07/06/2010
Lafarge supplied the concrete and aggregates for 5 new stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup: Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town (68,000 seats), Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth (48,000 seats), Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane (46,000 seats), Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit (43,500 seats), Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (70,000 seats).
The Group supplied a total of 337,000 m³ of concrete and 540,000 tons of aggregates for their construction.
For instance, the new Cape Town Stadium was a gigantic project and nonetheless handed over 2 months ahead of schedule!
Two concrete plants on-site, 20 trucks, 4 pumps and 17 cranes have been provided. Amongst the different specialist concretes provided, there was the Ultra Post Tension®, a high performance concrete only on the South African market.
Testimonial 9 : France: construction of the A19 freeway
06/08/2009
Construction of the A19 freeway was the biggest road-building project in France in 2008. Stretching over more than 100km, it links the A6 (Courtenay) to the A10 (Artenay), crossing 45 towns in the Loiret department.
Lafarge supplied 300,000 tons of aggregates in all.
The most challenging aspect of the project was the deadline, since work needed to be completed within a year. In order to stay on schedule, the Group selected quarries most able to respond to these demands and delivered a 1200-ton train of aggregates each day, with up to 4 trains in a single day at the busiest times.
The A19 freeway was officially opened on June 8, 2009, and has been open to traffic since June 16, 2009.
Testimonial 10 : France: an exceptional construction site in La Réunion
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.
Testimonial 11 : United States: the Business Route, Greeley, Colorado
06/25/2006
Working in close collaboration with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Lafarge resurfaced a large number of streets, including a large intersection. This success was rewarded with several prizes, including a project management prize from CDOT and an award from Colorado Asphalt Paving Association.
Testimonial 12 : France: Aggregates in the city with Paris-Plage
07/18/2005
The Lafarge Group has been a partner in the Paris-Plage project since 2003. Each year, the Group delivers the 2,000 to 3,000 tons of river sand needed to create beaches on the banks of the Seine. Through this partnership, Lafarge is contributing to the city's summer festivities while using an environmentally-friendly mode of transport (river barges) to deliver the sand.
Testimonial 13 : Canada: renovation of the Mercer Stadium in New Westminster
01/31/2005
The surface of the synthetic turf field at the New Westminster stadium in British Colombia had to meet strict technical specifications. Aggregates extracted from Lafarge's Pitt River quarry were used to improve the resistance and durability of the surface and to reduce maintenance costs over the long term.
Testimonial 14 : France: sustainable construction for the Nicolas Hulot Foundation
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.
Testimonial 15 : Greece: the record-breaking Rion-Antirion Bridge
09/24/2004
Unveiled on August 8, 2004, this cable-stayed suspension bridge links the Peloponnesian peninsula to the Greek mainland. Spanning 2.8 kilometers, it is the longest bridge of its kind in the world. Lafarge used 750,000 tons of high-performance aggregates to guarantee a durable, highly resistant structure. This bridge can withstand winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, a collision with a 180,000-tonne oil tanker and an earthquake of up to magnitude 7 on the Richter scale.
Testimonial 16 : France: royal aggregates for Versailles
12/10/2003
The pathways winding through the grounds of the Château de Versailles were restored using aggregates of all sizes from the Lafarge quarries in the Seine Valley. Selected by the architect in charge of historical monuments and the Chateau's head gardener, the aggregates were used in the area surrounding Neptune's Fountain and the pathways of the "Petit Parc", enjoyed by over 6 million visitors each year.
Testimonial 17 : Canada: an office building with a warm appearance
10/27/2003
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.
Testimonial 18 : South Africa: symbolic towers
06/26/2003
Are Soweto's Freedom Towers a reflection of South Africa's multicultural melting pot? Five of the towers are made of white aggregates mixed with black concrete and 4 are of white concrete mixed with black aggregates. A stunning symbol!
Testimonial 19 : France: clearance for the Quai Branly Museum
05/20/2003
Lafarge won the contract to clear the site prior to construction of the indigenous arts museum at Quai Branly in Paris. Two hundred thousand tons of excavated earth were transported by river to be used in the rehabilitation of the Gaillon quarry. The Museum required a 30-meter-deep excavation for its foundation.







