INNOVATIONREVIEW

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT

IMPLEMENTATION

SERVICES

ENERGY COST

ADAPTING TO SPECIFIC NEEDS

COMFORT AND AESTHETICS

6SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

challengesLafarge’s solutions

02 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW

BRUNO LAFONT

03 LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

04 RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

05 COLLABORATION WITH ARCHITECTS,

ENGINEERING OFFICES AND PROJECT OWNERS

6 DECISIVE CHALLENGES

06 1. PRODUCTS’ ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINTInnovative products promoting sustainable construction

10 2. IMPLEMENTATIONFaster, simpler, pollution-free solutions

16 3. SERVICESA multilocal strategy for value-added services

17 4. ENERGY COSTLess energy-hungry buildings

20 5. ADAPTING TO SPECIFIC NEEDSDifferent approaches for different countries to ensure optimal solutions

22 6. COMFORT AND AESTHETICSBeautiful constructions, more comfortable for longer

20 GOLDEN RULES for sustainable construction

> The Pont du Diable footbridge, in the gorges of the Hérault department in France – built out of Ductal®

and designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti and civil engineerRomain Ricciotti.

CENTER PAGES LOW-ENERGY HOUSING

CONTENTS

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he world’s population is increasing every year and, according to UN forecasts, we will probably

pass the nine billion mark a little before 2050. To welcome these new arrivals and respond to every-

one’s needs for accommodation and infrastructure, we must build, but build differently. For the

past few years, we have been incorporating the challenges of saving resources, limiting pollution

and ease of application into our industrial procedures. Similarly, we devote more than half of our

research and development investments to sustainable construction. We are working in several key

areas: reducing the environmental footprint of our products and the structures built out of them;

saving energy at every stage in the lifecycle in order to reduce costs. This is why our latest gen-

eration of products include a significant environmental dimension and there is still considerable

progress ahead in improving their properties. We are also making progress in this direction

through the numerous partnerships we have forged in the fields of research and architecture. We

also work with institutions to develop regulations and standards. Sustainable construction is an

ambitious challenge to which we are fully committed and I am convinced that our environmental

approach and the quality of our products will enable us to tackle it successfully.

BRUNO LAFONTChairman andCEO of Lafarge

tAs a result of our investments in innovation, we can offer products and solutions which will help us to tackle the challenges of sustainable construction.

INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 03

Innovation has always been central to Lafarge. As new challenges have emerged

in relation to global warming and dwindling fossil fuels, this policy of permanent

innovation is now being used to tackle the challenges of sustainable construction.

The scale of resources deployed

by the Group in this area reflects the urgency

of the situation.

Innovation is a key part of Lafarge’s identity, as the Group’s history demon-strates. Much water has flowed under the bridge since 1887, when its cementresearch laboratory opened in Teil, France. This desire to gain a better under-

standing of how materials behave, to analyze their physical and chemical proper-

ties and transform this knowledge into technical progress has remained one of the

company’s trademarks. This perpetual desire to innovate has continued up to the

present day, as illustrated by the astonishing advances throughout the history of

construction, from carving out the Suez Canal to erecting the Millau Viaduct.

The beginning of the 1990’s was a turning point in the Group’s approach to R&D.

By setting up the Lafarge Research Center (LCR) in L’Isle-d’Abeau, France, – the

first laboratory in the world to specialize in building materials – it set itself a new

objective: to become the world leader in its sector by offering customers the very

best products and services available. The center contains equipment and resources

dedicated to fundamental and applied research – more than 200 researchers

from various disciplines, physicists, chemists, mechanics, designers, etc. At the

same time, Lafarge’s technical centers and laboratories all around the world are

developing and producing value-added technical solutions for customers. “In a

Group like ours, innovation cannot only be driven by a few hundred researchers and

technicians,” says Denis Berthon, Marketing Director of the Cement Business.

An innovation strategy to promote sustainableconstruction

“Everybody needs to be involved. Experience has taught us that a lot of our progress

comes from small innovations driven by a single employee or team, either in our

plants or in collaboration with customers. Each of our 80,000 employees around

the world is a potential inventor – that’s our strength.”

At a time when environmental issues are increasingly urgent, this ability to innovate

has become intently focused on sustainable construction. Lafarge is now devoting

more than 50% of its R&D resources to this field. “Innovating means always being one

step ahead,” says Jean Desazars de Montgailhard, Lafarge Executive Vice President

of Strategy, Development and Public Affairs. “Ahead of our competitors, of market

expectations and of our time… To achieve this we must understand customer needs

and even anticipate ones they haven’t yet fully identified or are unaware of. Whether

these regard climate change, preserving resources, protecting biodiversity, safety,

appearance, comfort, lifecycle or the versatility of buildings. We take into account all

these aspects which contribute to the vast field which we now call sustainable

construction and to provide solutions for them.”

What does constructing sustainably mean for Lafarge? “It means reducing a

building’s environmental impact as much as possible while preserving the comfort

of inhabitants,” explains Pascal Casanova, Group Director of R&D. “So our approach

is not restricted to the environmental footprint left by our products, although that is

an important area of our research. It covers a building’s entire lifecycle, from extrac-

tion and production of the materials required to build it to its demolition and recycling

and including, of course, how it will be used in the meantime.” This very wide

concept includes a range of criteria which go far beyond Lafarge’s primary business:

use of “low carbon” or recyclable building materials, incorporation of renewable

energy sources at the design stage, reduction of site noise and air pollution for

workers and local residents, consideration of the appearance, resistance and

durability of the building, improvements to insulation and use of thermal inertia,

control of the structure’s weathering, recycling of materials after demolition… By

extension, building sustainably also includes aspects related to the company’s

social and environmental responsibility, such as health and safety, community

relations where it conducts its business, consideration for the accommodation

needs of the most disadvantaged sections of society and biodiversity preservation.

Heat resistance test at the Chilanga II cement plant, Zambia.

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Scientific progress is built on sharing and communication, whatever the field.

Materials engineering is no exception. This is why Lafarge has increased its

partnerships and is working with the leading research centers around the world as

well as the most prestigious international schools, institutions and universities.

For innovative and more sustainable products and construction methods to be adopted,

they first need to be known about, recognized and accepted by the construction

industry. The leaders in this are architects, engineering offices and project owners.

Three professions Lafarge has worked closely

with for a number of years.

PAUL ACKERScientific Director of the Lafarge Research Center (LCR)

“Research into the infinitelysmall makes travel into the heartof matter possible and allows

understanding of the complexalchemy that governs the relationshipbetween the pores, filaments andgrains of the ‘grey matter’ known as concrete. Thanks to newtechnologies, the exploration of matteron a nanometric scale has brought to light the numerous mechanicalproperties of concrete, as well as the way these change over time.

Understanding concrete’s granularmass has led to reductions in its water content and thereforemade it extremely resistant to externalforces (climate, pollution, acid rain,etc.). The result is greater density andenhanced mechanical performancefor an even more durable material.”

WORKING WITH ARCHITECTS TO DESIGN TOMORROW’S CITIES

Collaborating with architects broadensmindsets and enlivens debate on the new objectives for town planning that will help shape our future environmentand cities. Take, for example,

Marc Mimram’s project for inhabited bridges,which seeks to restore meaning to urbaninfrastructures. Bridges play a corrective orcomplementary role in the “crafting” of a city,encouraging a meeting of river banks.

Once used simply as a means of crossingfrom one side of town to another, they are now inhabited, endowed with the ability to heal, to close the gapsdividing urban spaces.

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This productive dialogue has already

led to remarkable progress in the field

of sustainable construction.

Denis Berthon, Marketing Director of the Cement Business. “And the perspectives

opened up by the research we are conducting at the moment should enable us to

stay one step ahead.”

The scope of these partnerships is extremely diverse. “We are exploring very hi-tech

new experimental methods with MIT to observe the behavior of materials at a

nanometric scale,” explains Pascal Casanova, Lafarge Director of R&D. “We are

working with our colleagues in Princeton on porous networks which can form in the

center of our materials. We are attempting to understand and model the microstruc-

ture as part of Nanocem, which will allow us to make technical and technological

breakthroughs, whether in relation to very low carbon cements or non-cracking

concrete.” This last example reveals the key role which Lafarge is playing in helping

its industry to move forward. It was the Group’s initiative to set up this European

network of scientific excellence, involving around 20 industrial partners and numerous

leading European universities. Its objective is, first, to develop knowledge relating

to the microstructure of materials and, second, to improve the academic training of

researchers who will one day work in the cement industry.

Along similar lines, in 2006 Lafarge teamed up with the École Polytechnique and the

École des Ponts et Chaussées to create a Research Chair in the science of sustain-

able construction materials. This is a very specialized international Master’s degree

course, targeting students as well as engineers and researchers. It offers a teaching

and research program unique in the world, with an interdisciplinary approach to

the engineering of concrete-based materials. It is unusual in that it combines scien-

tific research and industrial experience in the fields of physics, mechanics and

chemistry. Lafarge takes the more pragmatic approach of a company with a wealth

of experience accumulated in its various markets around the world. As part of the same

collaborative philosophy, its researchers publish the results of their research, either

alone or jointly, in scientific journals. Finally, the Group regularly takes part in inter-

national events, trade shows, conferences, seminars and exhibitions on sustainable

construction materials (MIPIM in Cannes, Solid States conference in New York,

Shanghai Architecture Symposium, Green Buildings Asia Lecture Series…).

Splendid isolation rarely benefits scientists. Lafarge quickly realized that itsresources would not be enough on their own to explore the vast field of materialsengineering. The Group therefore decided to share its knowledge and draw on all

the expertise available in this field.

In a few years it formed partnerships with research centers, top schools, academic

institutes and other companies around the world. In France, it has a long history of

working with the École Polytechnique, the École des Ponts et Chaussées, the Paris

VI University and several CNRS laboratories. In the United States, it works with the

prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Georgia Tech and the

Universities of Berkeley and Princeton. Elsewhere in the world, it has formed links

with Imperial College, London (UK), the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne

(Switzerland), the Universities of Toronto, Sherbrooke and Laval (Canada), the Beijing

Academy of Building Materials (China) and the Roorke Institute of Technology (India).

“Many of the Group’s recent innovations – whether high value-added concretes,

low-carbon cements, solutions that help improve insulation such as thermal switches

in Ductal® or even Thermedia® 0.6 – owe a great deal to these collaborations,” says

Receptive partnerships to promote materials engineering

Who challenges whom? This is not an easy question when you look at the relation-ship between Lafarge and architects. Architects have always pushed industrial

companies to their limits by asking them to provide technical solutions to achieve

their most daring projects. But at the same time, the innovations offered by the

Group have stimulated their imagination and opened up previously inconceivable

possibilities. “For more than 15 years, the Group has been building – no pun

intended – an extremely constructive dialogue with the architecture profession,”

confirms Léopold Lombard, Lafarge Director of Architect Relations. “All of our new

products and innovations would not have been possible without the creative require-

ments of architects, their support and capacity to implement them.”

This collaboration often arises out of actual projects undertaken with well-known

architects. Recent constructions using Ductal® – the Footbridge of Peace in Seoul

and the Villa Navarra, both designed by Rudy Ricciotti, the RATP bus depot in

Thiais, produced by Marrec and Combarel, and the Mars Hill Bridge, built in Iowa

(USA) in collaboration with the MIT and the FHWA – required months of prepara-

tion and just as in-depth discussions throughout the construction phase. Lafarge

supports research into avant-garde concepts which push back the boundaries of

sustainable construction, such as the Hypergreen Tower by Jacques Ferrier or

Marc Mimram’s Living Bridges. These are interesting in that they encourage consid-

eration of architectural or urban solutions with a lower environmental footprint.

“These partnerships come about at a very early stage and their objective is not to

set the project in stone but to study in detail how our products and solutions can

meet current and future challenges,” continues Léopold Lombard. “But these

prestigious collaborations should not eclipse the in-depth work being achieved with

the whole of the architecture profession, including architecture schools, to promote

our solutions.” And Lafarge is increasing the number of its partnerships with these

schools, including Columbia University in New York and Tongji University in

Shanghai, with the hope of developing new talents and training them in using its

most innovative products. The Group is also one of the main partners of Nouveaux

Albums de la Jeune Architecture (NAJA), organized by the French culture ministry

to uncover, monitor and support future architectural talents. The Group also supports

and coordinates competitions for young architects. It is a partner in the competi-

tion reserved for students of European architecture schools initiated by the Ion

Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest. It also organizes

competitions open to students from architecture schools in South Africa, Spain,

India, China and Serbia.

While architects are fantastic specifiers of its products, the Group also involves

project owners and engineering offices in this approach, since they are equally key

players in the construction industry. It regularly organizes meetings between archi-

tects, project owners and engineering offices on innovation, providing them with an

opportunity to learn about the L’Isle-d’Abeau research center and familiarize

themselves with new technologies, new building systems and new products.

Lafarge therefore takes part in national and international events. At the last MIPIM,

the major annual real-estate development fair held in Cannes, it presented projects

by Jacques Ferrier and Marc Mimram. “The most impressed were the project

owners, especially local authority managers,” says Léopold Lombard. “The great

thing about Hypergreen and the Living Bridges is that they combine several very

futuristic innovations, which can be used separately in less ambitious projects.”

More recently the Group began developing new partnerships with architecture

firms, engineering offices and construction companies focusing on concrete, a key

material in sustainable construction. “These are very specific projects which require

our knowledge of materials and construction methods,” continues Christophe

Lévy, Lafarge Construction Innovation Director. “Their purpose is to show that

concrete allows you to construct buildings which are much more environmentally- and

people-friendly, whatever the country, climate or type of construction.” These partner-

ships also provide Lafarge with a better understanding of how an architect or a

design engineer decides on a material and uses it, thereby opening up new areas

for research.

These partnerships, which are now in their early stages, will focus on discussion and

experience sharing, training in Lafarge products and their innovation potential,

descriptions of existing buildings with excellent energy efficiency, deciphering of

unusual construction methods which are environmentally friendly and use concrete, etc.

“Lafarge research teams are involved in projects chosen with our partners – gener-

ally exceptional but replicable – from the design stage, so that they can suggest

innovative construction methods which involve concrete,” adds Christophe Lévy.

Several of these partnerships have now been launched, for instance with Parisian

architecture firms Arte Charpentier and A&S International Design, one of the leading

architecture and engineering firms in China, as well as with the Bouygues group.

A dynamic relationship with architects, engineeringoffices and project owners

06 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 07

> Family home made from Agilia®, Vancouver, Canada.

he entire cement industry generates around 5% of the

world’s CO2 emissions. There are two reasons for this

relatively large proportion of greenhouse gases. The first,

and by far the most significant, is that cement is a product

which is very good value for money, has multiple uses,

exceptional resistance and is, as a result, massively used.

“The world consumes two billion tons of cement a year,”

says Denis Berthon, Cement Business Marketing

Director. “Without it, it would be impossible to meet the

planet’s enormous needs for homes and infrastructure,

especially in developing countries. It is, to some extent,

a victim of its own success.” The second reason relates

to the method used to produce the basic component

of cement, clinker. This requires a physicochemical

promising possibilities with low-carbon cement,”

explains Paul Acker, Scientific Director of the Lafarge

Research Center. “First, by working on the clinker compo-

nent itself and second, by using additives produced by

industrial ecology. We are also exploring other possibil-

ities, for instance reducing the quantity of clinker used

to manufacture our products through a combination of

different granular categories. Our researchers use

extremely powerful mathematical models to experiment

with the size of grains and the chemical interactions

which occur when materials are mixed.”

To reduce the quantity of fossil fuels burned in its

furnaces, the Group has launched a very ambitious

program to replace them with alternative fuels, mainly

transformation at high temperatures – “decarbonation”

of the limestone – which produces nearly 60% of

emissions during the production stage. The remaining

40% are a byproduct of the energy, mainly from fossil

fuels, required to raise the cement plant kilns’ flame to

the desired temperature, around 2000°C, to heat the

material to 1450°C. “Manufacturing cement generates

CO2, but so do all building materials – steel, aluminum,

bricks and even wood – and all manufactured

products,” says François Redron, Concrete Business

Marketing Director. “Did you realize, for instance, that

producing a liter of orange juice gives off 1kg of CO2,

compared with 100g-200g of emissions to produce 1kg

of concrete?” The volume of concrete and cement used

in the world is due to double again by 2050. Can the

planet support this? Not necessarily. Nearly 10 years

ago, Lafarge committed to reducing its global CO2

emissions by 20% per ton of cement produced between

1990 and 2010. That is four times more than the target

which industrial countries set themselves under the

Kyoto Protocol (see inset page 9). To achieve this, it

replaced some of the clinker used with industrial

residues – fly ash from thermal power stations or slag

from blast furnaces – and saved energy by optimizing its

production process. “We are working on other very

Working on clinker itselfand using additivesproduced by industrialecology

Innovative products promoting sustainable construction

tDUCTAL®, AN ULTRA-HIGH PERFORMANCE FIBER-REINFORCED CONCRETE, is part of the newgeneration of high value-added concretes fromLafarge and boasts exceptional performances. It hashigher resistance than traditional concrete – six toeight times more in terms of compression and ten

times more in terms of bending – and ductility, whichgives it exceptional capacities for stretching,extending, bowing and twisting. These characteristicsenable the same construction quality to be obtainedusing less raw materials. Ductal® is also very fluid,making it very easy to pour. It is also very resistant

to corrosion, abrasion and impacts, giving it a lifespan two to three times longer than traditionalconcrete. Finally, it offers great freedom to architectswhen designing their most ambitious projects.> Glenmore Legsby footbridge, built out of Ductal®,Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

LAFARGE HAS FOR YEARS workedto reduce its CO2 emissions by using three factors: improving the energy efficiency of its kilns, theuse of biomass and waste as alternative fuels in cementplants, and the recovery ofproduction residues from otherindustries as additions to cement or substitute raw materials. The reduction in the quantity ofenergy from fossil fuels required toproduce clinker already contributes

to reducing CO2 emissions. But replacement of increasinglylarge proportions of this clinker with naturally sourced or industrialcement additions has spawned a generation of low-carbon cements.These products are in line with sustainable constructionprinciples and the Group constantly seeks to reduce itsenvironmental footprint.> Left, low-carbon cement seenunder the microscope.

1.Products’ environmental footprintProducing more and better while using less. For several years now, Lafarge has been working on numerous programs to reduce its activities’ environmental footprint. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, careful use of raw materials, optimized management of water resources, etc… The Group is exploringevery possible way of innovating and supplying materials to encourage more sustainable construction.

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DUCTAL®SOLUTION

LOW-CARBON CEMENTSOLUTION

continued p.09

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It is now possible to imagineincreasingly fluid concretes of thefuture, making it possible to reduce the

energy costs and noise pollution while theyare being laid. It is also possible to anticipatesome changes in the materials used in thecomposition of these future concretes, such as an increase in crushed quarry sandor greater use of added ore. Based onexisting data, it is possible to formulatematerials with specific mechanicalperformance or durability. In order torecommend, assess and standardize thesenew concretes, Lafarge and the Ponts et Chaussées central laboratory have pooledtheir skills and scientific equipment to advance their knowledge of complexphenomena governing the behavior of

materials in their raw state. The modeling of rheological behavior that we aredeveloping together, based on themicroscopic physical properties of thesematerials, obviously makes it possible to prevent any pouring accidents on site, but above all paves the way for the sustainable, optimized formulation of future concretes.”

“ALL FORMATS, a wide choice of thicknesses and applications, a varied range of properties… Plasterboardnow meets the most diverse technical and aesthetic requirements. Painted or tiled, interior or exterior – thesolutions’ characteristics mean they are totally in keeping with sustainable construction: excellent thermal andacoustic insulation, humidity regulation, high fire resistance, made from recycled materials, etc. Plura®

plasterboard, one of the latest products created by Lafarge’s gypsum technical development center inAvignon, demonstrates a higher-than-average solidity and mechanical resistance. These properties make it anideal choice, for example, for installing kitchen cupboards, fitting out schools or building in seismic areas.

DURACLIMETM IS AN ASPHALT created and developed by Lafarge in North America. The benefit is that it can be produced and used at lower temperatures than traditional asphalt. The result is less energy consumed to heat the product during mixing and application stages and thus a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The procedure also avoids the emission of foul-smellingfumes, an advantage for workers and local residents. Finally, its viscosity allows a higherproportion of recycled aggregates to be added and makes the roads and sidewalks produced usingit exceptionally hard-wearing.

DURACLIMETM ASPHALT SOLUTION

Optimized formulation for concretesNICOLAS ROUSSEL, RESEARCHER AT THE PONTS ET CHAUSSÉES CENTRAL LABORATORY

Synergy of expertise ALAIN VASSAL, SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR, BOUYGUES CONSTRUCTION

The partnership between BouyguesConstruction and Lafarge regardingconcrete began with the development

of Ductal® ultra-high performance concrete.The major challenge of sustainableconstruction is the energy efficiency of buildings, which involves efficientinsulation and, for us, the reduction ofthermal bridges between slabs and externalconcrete façades. Bouygues Constructionhas drawn up specifications to address this,which Lafarge has responded to bydeveloping the formulations and propertiesof the “Ductal® thermal bridge breaker”system and Thermedia® 0.6 insulatingconcrete for load-bearing façades, used on sites run by Bouygues Construction.

More recently, we have launched a newjoint project to develop “low-carbon”concretes. The reduction of greenhouse gasemissions in construction involves reducingenergy needs, both in terms of manufacturing products, includingconcrete, as well as the building’s comfort and functioning. The carbon tax alsoaddresses this question. BouyguesConstruction and Lafarge are takinginnovative approaches to promotingsustainable construction. Customer-supplierpartnerships give everyone a head-start – a thorough knowledge of needs on the one hand and definite answers on the other – and so allows us to stand out from the competition.”

industrial, household or plant waste. At the end of 2008,

the substitution rate was around 10.5%. The Group

plans to increase it to nearly 30% by 2012, which will

produce the equivalent savings of 3.5 million tons of oil

per year and therefore contribute to reducing green-

house gas emissions. The Group’s Industrial Ecology

department has become a completely separate opera-

tional organization responsible for developing and

ensuring procurement of alternative fuels for cement

plant kilns. In the United Kingdom, it has acquired a

company specializing in the collection of used tires.

Its kilns in the Philippines operate on 30% rice husks.

The same is true in Uganda with coffee husks. Due to

a new generation of more powerful kilns, cement plants

recently opened by the Group, in Germany for example,

are designed to operate on 100% alternative fuels: wood,

paper, plastics and other waste.

Concrete – a sustainable material The Concrete Business is undoubtedly the one in which

innovation has been the most spectacular. Many

products launched by Lafarge in the last decade have

been revolutionary: concretes which are self-leveling,

self-placing, high performance, decorative, fast-setting,

extensive, etc. “Ninety per cent of concrete’s environ-

mental footprint comes from its ingredients,” empha-

sizes François Redron, Marketing Director of the

Concrete Business. “As a result of advances in our R&D,

we are now capable of infinitely varying our products’

formulation by adjusting materials, admixtures and

additives used in their composition, above all to reduce

the carbon footprint, but also to precisely adapt its

characteristics to the use for which it is intended.”

Research conducted by Lafarge in the field of granular

piles is offering new and very promising possibilities for

producing increasingly durable concretes. The principle

is to replace some of the water used in the composition

of the concrete with fine and ultrafine grains which will

settle between the larger grains – because water not

consumed during setting is what creates porosity,

resulting in cracks and lack of resistance in the material.

The result is a more compact, more resistant and more

durable concrete, which requires less water and, above

all, less clinker. “When Lafarge opens a cement plant in

China,” says Paul Acker, “to replace Chinese cement

plants built a long time ago but producing the same

amount of concrete, CO2 emissions are halved, thanks

to the cement’s regularity that allows less of it to be used

in concrete, while ensuring the same level of structural

soundness.” Denis Berthon continues: “If we want to

move towards more sustainable construction methods,

concrete is a must. The progress achieved over the last

10 years is demonstrated by analysis of the lifecycle of

our materials, which have excellent results. We hope to

continue this work with our partners to improve their

intrinsic qualities – durability, water resistance and

thermal inertia for instance – and, above all, promote

them to our customers.”

Gypsum requiring less waterLafarge has dedicated significant resources in the

Gypsum Business to reducing the quantity of raw

materials used, reducing our energy consumption and

above all optimizing use of a precious resource – water.

“It is one of our major challenges in reducing our

products’ environmental footprint,” confirms Bernard

Fauconnier, Director of R&D, Sales, Marketing &

Innovation for the Gypsum Business. “Our research

aims to reduce the quantity of water we use and there-

fore reduce our energy consumption during the plaster-

board drying stage.” Lafarge is working on two key

areas. The first is incremental and involves reducing

the water required by using additives to increase the

fluidity of the gypsum when the board is being

designed. The second, incorporating a major techno-

logical breakthrough, aims to experiment with new

procedures to totally avoid using water or having a

drying stage. “In terms of raw materials, our plaster-

board is manufactured using recycled paper and,

increasingly, recycled gypsum, a material which can

be reused infinitely, as well as synthetic gypsum

obtained by treating smoke from thermal power

stations. We are already at more than 50% and the

proportion is increasing rapidly. Korea, China and

Indonesia have already reached 100%, the United

States will have by the end of the year, and Germany

and Poland are close behind.”

Better recycling through gradingLafarge is the only building materials company in the

world to carry out aggregates research. Its aim is to

optimize available natural resources, a massive amount

of which are consumed and which are becoming

scarcer. To achieve this, R&D teams are exploring two

avenues of research. The first looks to improve industrial

procedures in order to avoid waste. For example, Lafarge

is working on producing aggregates from concrete

recycled from demolitions by crushing it, or from recov-

ered cement not consumed in plants.

The Group also plans to develop its value-added

products such as DuraclimeTM, an asphalt poured at

7°C less than traditional asphalt, which reduces energy

needs and CO2 emissions. The second area of research

is making use of almost all materials extracted from

quarries without any waste, due to advances in grading.

“For example, we frequently come across sand polluted

by organic matter and clay unsuitable for concrete

production,” explains Lilia Jolibois, the Group’s Aggre-

gates and Asphalt Marketing Director. “We have recently

identified and developed a molecule which will enable us

to use this sand which was previously totally unusable.”

Replacing some of thewater used in thecomposition of concretewith ultrafine grains.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS ON TRACK

In 2001, Lafarge committed to an ambitious emissions reduction program. To help achieve this, it signed a pioneering partnership with WWF (World Wide Fund) to reduce its absolute gross emissions* by 10% inindustrialized countries and its net emissions* by 20% per ton of cement produced around the world.These commitments go far beyond the objectives set by the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for industrializedcountries to reduce their emission levels by 5.2% compared with 1990 levels. One year away from thedeadline, Lafarge is well on track to meeting its obligation.It has met its objective two years ahead of schedule for industrialized countries and had already reduced its global CO2 emissions by 18.4% per ton of cement between 1990 and the end of 2008. And it has notfinished yet. The Group is now working with its WWF partners on new objectives beyond 2010.

* Gross/net emissions: net emissions are equivalent to gross emissions minus emissions from burning waste.

UNEARTHING THE SECRETS OF GYPSUM

Teams from the Gypsum Technical Center in Avignon closely investigated a phenomenonspecific to this material – coalescence. The core of plasterboard is obtained by hardening a liquid paste, mainly comprising gypsum, water, admixtures and foam. When this foam is mixed with gypsum paste, air bubbles may gather, creating a more uneven core and deterioration in its technical properties. This is called coalescence. By experimenting with sophisticated procedures to control the emulsion stage, Lafarge’s researchers havesucceeded in controlling the size, spacing and evenness of the bubbles’ distribution. The result is plasterboard with improved properties which consumes less water, energy and raw materials.

Quarries are now synonymous with sustainable manage-

ment and site rehabilitation. And the Group has again

opted for an innovative approach in relation to extraction,

in order to select, operate and rehabilitate its approxi-

mately 800 quarries around the world, while respecting

sustainable development criteria. Since 2001, it has

been working with WWF – as part of a wider partner-

ship – in order to identify biodiversity risks, limit distur-

bance to local residents and, above all, to rehabilitate

the majority of its quarries at the end of their lifecycle.

Its objective is to provide 85% of them with a rehabili-

tation plan by the end of 2010 – including quarries

which, for various reasons, cannot be rehabilitated. As

a demonstration of Lafarge’s strong commitment in this

area, the level had already reached nearly 80% by the

end of 2008.

THE WATER RESISTANT QUALITIES OF CONCRETE ARE OFTEN PRAISED. However, Lafarge has justdeveloped – as the exception which confirms the rule – a new pervious concrete which retains themechanical properties of traditional concrete. This innovation was made possible by advances in relationto granular piles and behavioral studies into materials on a nanometric scale. This new product isespecially well suited to the construction of large surface areas in an urban environment (parking lots,storage areas, etc.). It enables rapid absorption of rainwater in the event of heavy rain, reducing the riskof flooding in the area and safely channeling the water into the groundwater table.> Above: pervious concrete (left) and standard concrete (right).

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PLURA® PLASTERBOARD SOLUTION

PERVIOUS CONCRETESOLUTION

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THE CEMENT INDUSTRY – A RESPONSIBLE PLAYER:

Average CO2 emissions per ton of cement ofCement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) members,who represent approx. 30% of global production.

800

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> Source : WBCSD CSI GNR report

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very day on a worksite brings additional costs (labor,

equipment, energy, etc.) – sometimes in the form of

lateness penalties – and continued pollution for local

residents (noise, dust, various emissions, etc.). Lafarge

has been taking these issues into account for many

years, both in terms of R&D and commercial

monitoring. “Lowering construction costs is among the

major subjects we are working on from a financial,

environmental and social perspective,” confirms Jean

Desazars de Montgailhard, Lafarge Executive Vice Presi-

dent of Strategy, Development and Public Affairs.

This obviously involves supplying materials which are

makes it possible to pour very large slabs in a single

session without the need for any joints. The result is

simpler implementation, considerable time saved and

a better carbon footprint.

good value for money, especially in emerging countries.

But our products’ pricing is far from the only solution we

offer our customers. The speed and simplicity of their

implementation are also just as decisive criteria.”

Within Lafarge, mention “time” and you immediately

think of Chronolia®, one of the new high value-added

concretes launched by the Group in 2007. Framework

can be removed after just four hours as a result of an

extremely fast increase in resistance, making it possible

to considerably reduce the duration of worksites – or

catch up on delays which would be impossible with

traditional concrete. Products such as Agilia® and

Extensia® also affect time taken, although that is not

their main purpose. Agilia® removes the vibration stage.

It is very fluid, ensuring completely even filling of the

framework, saving energy and considerably reducing

noise pollution for local residents. Extensia®, meanwhile,

A whole range of products to make worksites more convenient.

Faster, simpler pollution-free solutions

eEXTENSIA® CONCRETE IS DESIGNED FORCONSTRUCTING SLABS AND INDUSTRIALFLOORS SUBJECT TO HEAVY LOADS DUE TOTRAFFIC OR STORAGE. For surface areas up to 400m2, this avoids having to use joints, whichare costly and unattractive, and reduces the risk of cracking. This is because joints are theweak points of concrete floors, where cracks

appear over time and need reinforcing. The specific formulation of Extensia® makes the preparation, implementation and removalstages of worksites easier. The result is a considerable time saving of around 40% compared with a traditional slab and less inconvenience. Other sustainableconstruction advantages include its performance,

which means thinner slabs can be used without the need for any metal reinforcing andless energy consumption while being laid. Finally, it presents excellent resistance to surfaceabrasion, which avoids both the need for a protective render and costly maintenance work. > Extensia® site in the UK.

EXTENSIA®SOLUTION

LAUNCHED IN 2000, Agilia® remains the clear leader in self-placing and self-leveling concrete. Extremelyeasy to use, it can flow into the smallest gaps in framework or a mold and be cast faultlessly into any shape desired. A real revolution on worksites, its fluid texture in particular removes the “vibration”phase characteristic of traditional concrete, a stagewhich is both physically demanding and very noisy.This technical performance is made possible by adding

special superplasticizers developed by Lafarge R&Dteams. User-friendly Agilia® simplifies implementation,makes it faster and massively reduces itsinconvenience. Aesthetically, it produces well-finishedwork and reveals flawless surfaces when the frameworkis removed. It is robust and offers exceptionalresistance thanks to its specific granular composition.> Brook Residence, built in Agilia®, Northern Vancouver, Canada.

AGILIA®SOLUTION

continued p.15

2.Implementation Worksites are key locations for sustainable construction.

Priorities include speeding up processes, providing simpler solutions and reducing noise and air pollution for those who work on the site and live nearby. Lafarge is working constantly to offer concrete solutions to these questions.

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LOW-ENERGY HOUSING use to reduce its environmental footprint. However,

depending on the context, it is possible to define a

number of “golden rules” to follow. The 20 set out here

apply to the construction of a small apartment block,

located in a country with a temperate climate such as

France, using traditional construction methods. They

mostly relate to the building’s energy efficiency, which

¡N

20 golden rules of sustainable construction

From a sustainable construction perspective, there is no“ideal” building. The climate in which it is built, the position

of its site, its size, function and spatial layout have a decisive

influence on its design and the construction methods to

can be significantly improved by adjusting parameters

such as orientation, compactness, insulation,

ventilation, the ratio of glazed surfaces to solid walls,

use of renewable energy sources, etc. But the exercise

also takes other just as essential factors into account,

such as quality of life, thermal and acoustic comfort,

the building aesthetics and its various spaces,

installation of equipment enabling sustainable water

management, or even treatment, and recycling of waste

at the construction stage. In many of these areas,

Lafarge is able to offer innovative and effective solutions

combining various products from its range – cements,

concretes, plasterboard, etc. – in conjunction with other

building materials. Some of these solutions are the result

of work carried out by the Group in collaboration

with architects, engineering offices and major

construction companies to advance knowledge in the

field of sustainable construction and develop

construction systems which are consistent with its goals.

The low-energy housing presented in these pages

demonstrates this.

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THERMEDIA® 0.6 FACADE WITHPRÉGYMAX® 29.5 INSULATIONThermedia® O.6 is designed for use in outer shells and combines thermaland structural performances to limit thermal-bridge heat loss in the case of internal insulation.

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PERVIOUS CONCRETEThis new pervious concreterapidly absorbs rainwater in theevent of high levels of rain,reducing the risk of flooding.

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DUCTAL®

This is a completely newgeneration of high value-addedf ber-reinforced concrete. Itsperformances are exceptional,including high resistance (tocompression and bending) andductility. It allows constructionusing less raw materials.

ARTEVIA®

Designed for nternal andexternal use, these concretesproduce material-effect surfacef nishes, such as imitationpolished marble. They are alsovery resistant to wear and tear.

UNIMAT® FLOOR INSULATION This rigid expanded polystyrenepanel improves the home’sthermal insulation. It is light and simple to use,cutting fitting time by half.

LOW-CARBON CEMENTThe clinker in these products is being replaced in increasinglyhigh proportions by natural or industrially-derived cementadditions.

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PRÉGYMÉTAL™ CEILINGSComprising a sheet ofdecorative Synia® screwed onto a PrégymétalTM S47 ceilingrail, this ceiling presents a smooth surface without anyvisible joints suitable forapplication of any type of finish.

PRÉGYMAX® 29.5With the lowest thermalconductivity in its category, thiswall lining provides exceptionalthermal and acousticperformances. It consumes very little energy to produce.

PLATEC®

These plasterboard-based 3Delements are made-to-measureand produce high quality interiordecorative finishes. The entireresult costs much less than it would to produce on a worksite.

UNIMAT® ULTRA FLOOR Unimat® Ultra Floor is a range of insulated floor products madefrom PSE. It is particularly wellsuited to insulating floors heatedelectrically or with water.

SYNIA®

With its four tapered edges, this plasterboard is ideal for veryhigh ceilings and partitions. It iseasy to use, reducing fitting t me.

FLOOR A OR C CHAPE LIQUIDE®

Self-spread ng and self-leveling,this mortar produces perfectly flatfloors. Transport costs are avoidedby using local sand. It requ resvery little energy to produce.

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WAB® PARTITIONPRÉGYWAB sheets are the onlyplasterboard which can be used tobuild partitions in very humidcommunal areas (classified EB+Cand some areas classified EC).It is also suitable for the design of external sheltered ceilings. Thisis exclusive to Lafarge.

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DUCTAL® BASED THERMALBREAKER Providing perfect nsulation and a mechanical l nk between theconcrete slab and the external wall,this breaker, developed using Ductal® and insulation, reducesthermal bridges by up to 70%.

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GIVE PRIORITY TO PASSIVE REDUCTION OF ENERGY NEEDS

BUILDINGS WITH OPTIMAL COMPACTNESS TO REDUCE LOSS FROM THE ENVELOPE

EFFECTIVE THERMAL INSULATION TO REDUCE HEATING AND COOLING NEEDS

IMPROVED AIRTIGHTNESS OF THE ENVELOPE TO AVOID UNCONTROLLED ENERGY-WASTING DRAUGHTS

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CUSTOMIZED SUN PROTECTION TO AVOID OVERHEATING

DIFFERENCE IN GLASS SURFACES DEPENDING ON ORIENTATION OF WALLS TO REDUCE LOSSES

A LIGHT-COLORED ROOF TO AVOID OVERHEATING

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PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT RESPONSE TO ENERGY NEEDS

EFFICIENT AND CONTROLLED VENTILATION TO RENEW INTERIOR AIR

MORE INTELLIGENT VENTILATION TO REGULATE THERMAL COMFORT

A STRUCTURE WHICH IS DESIGNED AND USED TO FACILITATE HEATING AND COOLING AND IS ECONOMIC IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

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INCORPORATE PASSIVE AND THEN ACTIVE RENEWABLE ENERGIES

POSITION THE BUILDING TO BEST CAPTURE THE SUN

OPTIMIZATION OF GLAZED SURFACES TO BENEFIT FROM FREE SOLAR ENERGY

SYSTEMS TO RECOVER SOLAR ENERGY THROUGH THE NON-GLASS SURFACES

EXPOSED CONCRETE SURFACES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOLAR ENERGY OR COOLNESS AT NIGHT

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REFLECTED LIGHT TO ENCOURAGE NATURAL LIGHTING

WINDOWS HIGH UP TO MAXIMIZE NATURAL LIGHTING

RENEWABLE ENERGIES INCORPORATED TO REPLACE USE OF FOSSIL FUELS

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GO BEYOND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

EFFECTIVE ACOUSTIC INSULATION TO PROMOTE OCCUPANTS’ COMFORT

WATER MANAGEMENT TO ECONOMIZE RESOURCES

MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES CHOSEN TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT STARTING WITH THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE

A GREEN-PLANTED ROOF TO IMPROVE INTEGRATION INTO THE SITE AND MANAGEMENT OF RAINWATER

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14 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 15

“During the construction of DiscoveryGreen in Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada, our objective was to obtain Gold certification from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a standardization system for high

environmental quality buildings, with a limited ecological impact). This was a realchallenge! Lafarge suggested a whole series of ideas and alternatives to help us keepto the schedule and tackle the requirements to reduce the quantity of cement. Close collaboration developed between Lafarge and Stuart Olson Constructors Inc.For the preparation and testing of UltraGreen® formulations, varying the ratios of MPa (a measurement of resistance) and cement.”

The Group has designed a range of ready-mix renders for plasterboardsystems which do not create any dust during sanding.

In the Gypsum Business, Lafarge has concentrated on

reducing the “supplied and fitted” cost. All plaster-

boards are equipped with increasingly powerful

solutions to make fitting easier and faster. The pre-

fabricated elements of the PLAtec® range, as well as

the wide choice they offer in terms of interior design,

save time while guaranteeing impeccable finishes. The

same is true for the PrégyDéco® range, pre-rendered

plasters with decorative joints which have the same

absorption coefficient and allow one of the painting

stages to be carried out before delivery of the building.

And Synia®, whose four tapered edges avoid excess

thickness of seams, has become one of fitters’ favorite

products. “A survey carried out in France in May 2009

showed that Synia® plasterboard is highly acclaimed

by its users,” says Bernard Fauconnier, Director of

R&D, Sales, Marketing & Innovation for the Gypsum

Business. “More than 95% of users recommend it to

one of their colleagues.”

In terms of ease of use, the Group has designed a range

of ready-mix renders for plasterboard systems which

do not create any dust during sanding. This is an

undeniable benefit in terms of health and workplace

comfort for professionals.

Assistance and networks of buildersLafarge has also developed Sensium® cements which

allow concrete to be manufactured on-site. More

malleable and supple for mortar, more fluid and easier

to spread for concretes, they require less effort and so

reduce worksite inconveniences. Finally, their fast

hardening time produces significant productivity gains.

Similarly to Extensia® and Agilia®, Chape Liquide®, a

self-spreading and self-leveling ready-mixed mortar,

makes it simple to build low-temperature heated floors

for the residential sector.

Lafarge does more than just offer its customers more

effective and simpler products to use. It also offers them

usage advice and related services, making their lives a

whole lot easier. In parallel to the assistance provided

by its technical sales teams, it has created technical

assistance call centers. For some of its high value-added

products such as Agilia® and Artevia®, it may call on

networks of builders trained in how to use its products.

This initiative has been taken even further for very

specific constructions, such as hospitals, schools, hotels,

etc., by offering turnkey solutions including supply of

products, construction systems and networks of

approved builders. To do this, Lafarge studied their

particular constraints in terms of aesthetics, hygiene

and sound and heat insulation in depth, in order to

come up with a product perfectly suited to their needs.

Safety requirementsIn some markets, this assistance policy can go as far as

offering training to employees and customers. In South

Korea, for example, enormous work has been accom-

plished by Lafarge’s teams to set them apart from their

competitors regarding safety. The “safety champions”

initiative designed for Lafarge employees was then

extended to the company’s customers, either through

awareness-raising, training or site coordination.

Performance, lowers costs, simplicity, comfort, safety

are all criteria that Lafarge believes are an integral part

of the very concept of sustainable construction and

which it considers at a very early stage in the R&D

process. Its customers’ satisfaction depends on it.

CHAPE LIQUIDE®

SELF-SPREADING AND SELF-LEVELING, this ready-mixed mortar producesperfectly flat floors. There are many advantages to Chape Liquide®: rapidpouring and hardening, acoustic and thermal insulation, lightweight screeds,no need for steel reinforcement… Its other advantage is its low environmentalfootprint. The mortar is manufactured in concrete plants which haveestablished policies to help preserve natural resources; it is made using local sand, avoiding transportation of materials over long distances; and itsproduction process consumes very little energy.> Pouring anhydrite Chape liquide® at the Avignon TGV railway station, France.

SOLUTION

> Oviedo Conference and Exhibition Center, Spain, an ultra-high performance concrete structuredesigned by Santiago Calatrava.

CHRONOLIA®

A CONCRETE WHICH CAN BE TRANSPORTED OR HANDLED LIKE AN ORDINARY FLUIDCONCRETE, WHILE VERY QUICKLYDEVELOPING HIGH MECHANICAL RESISTANCEONCE IN PLACE... These are the astonishingcharacteristics of Chronolia®, a majortechnological breakthrough for theconstruction sector. This high value-addedconcrete is the result of the most cutting-edgeLafarge research in terms of hydration kineticsand the study of materials on a nanometricscale. The framework can be removed from Chronolia® just four hours after pouring,compared with 12 to 20 hours for traditionalconcrete. With such a fast increase in resistance, it makes it possible to doublethe number of daily framework cycles and completely redesign a worksite in terms of deadlines, cycle times and use ofequipment. The result is time and productivitysavings, considerable reductions in costs as well as worksite noise and air pollution.

SOLUTION

DUST-FREE RENDERSANDING RENDER AND CLEANING THERESULTING DUST ARE TWO PARTICULARLYLONG AND DIFFICULT STAGES. Aware of thedifficulties which many professionals face,Lafarge has developed a ready-mixedplasterboard jointing render which gives off very little sanding dust. As well as itsbenefits in terms of ease of use andproductivity, its soft, creamy texture makes it especially simple to implement. Easier to spread and easier to sand, it dries very quickly and almost withoutshrinkage, producing a perfect, effortlessquality of finish.

SOLUTION

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“Keeping to schedule and reducing the quantity of cementGEOFF WATSON, PROJECT MANAGER, STUART OLSON CONSTRUCTION

I am used to working with Synia® plasterboard. This type of board is excellent as it ensures complete evenness: once the joining andfinishing are complete, the surface is perfectly flat. For installations

in a humid environment, rather than a cavity-wall solution, I use the simplesystem involving a standard board and insulation panels over a metalstructure. The thickness is easier to adjust according to available space. It is also a way of optimizing performance.”> Brighton College, UK: fitting of GTEC Aqua Board, impermeable plasterboard for humidinterior or exterior rooms.

SENSIUM®

A REAL REVOLUTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION WORLD, Sensium® technologicalcements have brought the material into a new era. Developed by Lafarge followingyears of research, this new range combines three major innovations: dust-freetechnology, a new production process and exclusive technical properties. It is available as two separate products, Sensium® for mortar and Sensium® forconcrete, which both offer unrivalled performances. 100% dust-free, they are veryuser-friendly and encourage a clean and careful finish. More malleable and supple for mortar, more fluid and easier to spread for concretes, they require less effort to implement and so reduce worksite inconveniences. Finally, as a result of itsfaster hardening time and increased resistance, work is more efficient and thereforemore sustainable.

SOLUTION

“Simple and appropriateGIACOMO PENNA, PLASTERBOARD FITTER

16 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 17

he fundamental purpose of the services developed by

Lafarge in addition to its product solutions is to respond

to customers’ expectations. This is particularly true of

the call centers set up by the Group in France and

duplicated in other countries. These allow customers

to find out information about Lafarge’s existing range,

as well as new products and applications at any time,

as well as receiving advice on the choice or use of a

particular material or construction method. This

concept has also been adapted to the Internet through

a series of sustainable construction websites, each

targeting various users (architects, engineering offices,

tradesmen, individual clients, etc.). “These call centers

are very valuable solutions which have proved their

worth,” says Bernard Fauconnier, Director of R&D,

Sales, Marketing & Innovation for the Gypsum

Business. “Although strictly speaking they are not new,

they are constantly being enhanced and remain a very

good vehicle for providing advice and assistance to

customers, from prescribers to individual clients.”

France is not the only country in which the Group is

developing its customer services thanks to new infor-

mation and communication technologies.

In Brazil, for instance, Lafarge has just launched a new

website, the “Customer Portal”, to take orders 24 hours

a day, seven days a week. The particularly carefully

designed interface guides customers and helps them

select the products they need and then place their

order as effectively as if they were on the telephone to

a call center agent. “This question of services is at the

heart of our multilocal strategy,” emphasizes Jean

Desazars de Montgailhard, Lafarge Executive Vice

President of Strategy, Development and Public Affairs.

“Designing innovative services at a Group level makes

no sense, although we do duplicate or adapt a good

idea from one market to another. Because what may be

innovative in one country may be outdated or unsuit-

able in another. The most important thing is to listen to

our customers’ needs and respond to them. The

services we offer them help to increase the quality of

our overall service.”

Optimization of the logistics chainInnovation is also an important aspect of improving

the logistics chain. In North America, for example, the

Cement Business offers its customers an extremely

sophisticated ordering and delivery service. This is

based on a system which remotely measures cement

levels in storage silos, automatically triggering deliv-

eries. Results include: real added value for customers,

who receive the cement they need “just in time”;

optimization of vehicle journeys, and therefore fuel

consumption and CO2 emissions; and finally greater

safety, both in relation to silo overflows whose level has

been incorrectly measured and risk of falling when

visually inspecting levels. On a different note, in the

United Kingdom, Lafarge uses real-time tracking

software to monitor its trucks. This is a very effective

way of improving its delivery system, better satisfying

customers and optimizing journeys – thereby helping

to reduce consumption and emissions.

Again in the UK, the Gypsum Business, which has just

entirely redesigned its logistics chain to improve its

cost effectiveness, has decided to try out a new type of

truck. These are more aerodynamic, helping to reduce

fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Special communication methodsThese innovations, which use advanced technology, could

not be duplicated in any country. The strength of Lafarge

teams is being able to adapt to the context of different

markets. The Group’s customers in the Philippines, for

instance, can place their orders via SMS from their cell

phone. This method of communication is also used in

Serbia, where Lafarge needed to stay in contact with its

drivers to keep its customers informed of delivery times.

t

QE, Habitat & Environnement, Minergie, LEED,

BREEAM… The number of “sustainable construction”

certifications and labels has soared over recent years all

around the world. Their fundamental purpose is to

encourage the industry to design healthy and comfort-

able buildings whose impact on the environment,

assessed on their entire lifecycle, is as limited as possible.

To ensure that new products respond as well as possible

to these environmental challenges and obtain labels, the

standardized methodology – ISO 14040 – and takes all

significant environmental indicators into account. It is

also especially suitable since it applies to the whole

lifetime of the product or building being assessed.”

Group uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This involves

quantifying an environmental impact according to several

criteria (primary energy consumption, greenhouse gas

emissions, air pollution, water consumption, transport,

waste production, etc.) and takes a material’s complete

lifecycle into account, from the extraction of raw materials

to recycling Lafarge’s landfill disposal. LCA is now an

integral part of Lafarge research methods.

“We have opted for LCA as it is the only method which

provides a genuine scientific approach to the question,”

says Constant Van Aerschot, Lafarge’s Director of

Sustainable Construction. “It can be used to measure

the environmental impact of any product, a bag of

cement, a coffee machine or a car, as well as an entire

building. It is by far the most objective, since it uses a

Less energy-hungry buildings

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Analyzing the entire lifecycle of a material or a building.

MORE THAN 30 MILLION TONS of worksite waste is produced eachyear in France by the construction sector. Aware of the importanceof this waste production in terms of sustainable development andwanting to help its customers respond to new regulatoryrequirements, Lafarge provides inert worksite waste removal ataround 50 of its sites. This local service offers added value andsignificant time savings for construction professionals (no handling,no dumpster to fill, etc.), while helping them move towards moresustainable construction.

WASTE MANAGEMENTSOLUTION

Having explored GPS geolocation, semi-automated

communication via text was implemented. The same

idea was used in Ecuador, where SMS is used to put

drivers in touch with customers. Lafarge has even used

this new method to pass on road safety messages to its

drivers, salespeople and customers. Finally, in Jordan,

Lafarge has equipped its call center with an automated

customer call handling system (for orders, cancella-

tions, delivery information requests, etc.) which sends

out an SMS message once the request has been

processed. In every case this communication method

has proved effective and, above all, cheaper! It is not

important what method is used, provided it improves

customer satisfaction.

> A remote system of measuring cement levels instorage silos automatically triggers deliveries.

3.Services Needs vary in relation to services even more than they do for products, according to market structures and local

customs. Lafarge has adopted a practical strategy, encouraging regional initiatives and duplicatingthem in other countries where appropriate. The Group focuses on two priorities – improving its customer relationsand optimizing the logistics chain.

Energy cost Buildings now represent nearly 40% of global energy demand. Around 80% of this energy is consumed during their use, between the time they are delivered and their destruction. Solutions do exist however to massively reduce this rate or even design buildings which produceas much energy as they consume. Lafarge is assisting the construction sector with this more sustainable approach.

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> Brook Residence in northern Vancouver, Canada,built using Agilia® and awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

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A multilocal strategy for value-added services

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LCA calls into question many concepts taken for granted

in construction. For instance, the environmental footprint

of hemp wool or duck feather insulation – perceived to

be environmentally-friendly – turns out to be less so than

glass wool. The same is true per square meter for a

concrete block wall compared to one built from bricks,

with the former having less environmental impact in

relation to the majority of environmental indicators.

Environmentally-friendly building systems“We have observed that our concretes, for example,

achieve excellent environmental results using LCA,” says

Pascal Casanova, Lafarge Director of R&D. “When talking

about sustainable construction, considering each

material in isolation is not very meaningful. The reasoning

must take into account the very close links between

them, the construction methods, the buildings’ archi-

tecture and also urban planning questions (density,

organization of mobility, etc.). We have made enormous

progress in this field, especially as a result of partner-

ships we have forged with architecture firms, engineering

offices and construction companies.” Among all the

criteria contributing to sustainable construction, Lafarge

has focused particularly on reducing energy consumed

and the related issue of CO2 emissions. First, because

it has been made a vital area by global warming and

dwindling fossil fuels. Second, due to the proportion of

energy consumed by buildings on a global scale, which

represents nearly 40%! The expected strengthening of

national thermal regulations also makes it a vital question

for the industry.

Lafarge’s teams have used LCA to carry out two very

advanced studies into existing homes in France – a

detached house and a small apartment block – in order

to identify the most effective construction methods. Their

conclusions provide practical information about

concrete’s contribution to eco-design: thermal inertia,

airtightness, building compactness, orientation and

openings, choice of materials, quantity of materials,

lifecycle and recycling. “These two studies demonstrate

that concrete-based construction systems make it

possible to obtain a high level of comfort and increased

energy efficiency for little cost,” continues Constant Van

Aerschot. “Another of concrete’s advantages, its long

lifespan, is a factor which improves the environmental

footprint. These studies also demonstrate that, contrary

to accepted ideas, constructing sustainably is advanta-

geous in terms of overall cost. If you take insulation and

airtightness, for example, energy savings during the

usage phase take two years to compensate the small

additional cost of above-average quality insulation and

airtightness. When the building’s use is considered over

50 years, the benefits are undeniable.”

Better insulationThis work on construction methods brings with it several

product innovations. In particular, Lafarge has just devel-

oped a new generation concrete, Thermedia® 0.6, in

collaboration with Bouygues. Its special composition –

extremely lightweight aggregates – means that it reduces

heat loss from buildings and reduces thermal bridges at

intermediate floor level in the case of internal thermal

insulation. This ready-mixed structural concrete is the

only one currently capable of combining resistance and

lightness, mechanical performance and thermal proper-

ties. Meanwhile, the Cement Business has just launched

a thermal bridge breaker designed with Ductal®, the ultra-

high performance fiber-reinforced concrete.

This system reduces thermal bridges by up to 70%, while

retaining traditional construction methods. “It is a decisive

advantage, when you consider that thermal bridges alone

represent 10-20% of a building’s energy loss,” notes

Denis Berthon, Marketing Director of the Cement

Business. The Gypsum Business has also made progress

on these thermal insulation issues, jointly with other Group

activities, to provide solutions combining external and

internal insulation. “But in existing houses it is sometimes

difficult – even impossible – to insulate a building from

outside,” says Bernard Fauconnier, Director of R&D,

Sales, Marketing & Innovation for the Gypsum Business.

“We have therefore developed products making it easier

to insulate from inside, without increasing the thickness

of insulation. We have also just launched new plaster-

board lined with polystyrene, Prégymax® 29.5, which

provides far higher thermal insulation for an equal thick-

ness than materials such as glass wool. “Some of our

products and systems also remove thermal bridges.

And we have other projects, such as plasterboard incor-

porating phase-change materials, which reduce the

quantities of energy required to maintain a comfortable

temperature.”

Concrete: a good environmental footprintLCA does not only apply to buildings. Lafarge has carried

out a comparative study, for instance, on two differently

designed bridges: a combined structure, comprising a

steel framework with a bridge deck made from standard

concrete and a bridge made from Ductal®, ultra-high

performance fiber-reinforced concrete developed by

Group researchers. Its conclusions are categorical. The

second solution has a better environmental footprint than

the first. Why is this? A significant reduction in the

quantity of material used, made possible by the excep-

tional resistance of Ductal®. The same observation for

Extensia®, the concrete designed for large slabs and

industrial floors. “Our sales points were originally limited

to time saved and quality of finish,” confides François

Redron, Marketing Director of the Concrete Business.

“The LCA study also demonstrated the benefits of

Extensia® from an environmental perspective.

Because of its qualities, a thinner slab is required –

17.5cm instead of 20cm – for equal performance.

According to a study conducted in Britain, by using less

material and removing the need for joints, a 20% reduc-

tion in CO2 emissions is achieved compared with a

conventional slab.”

Energy-producing buildings?On a more futuristic note, the Group has launched a

project in collaboration with United Technologies Corp.

into the energy efficiency of buildings (EEB), launched

in 2006 under the aegis of the World Business Council

for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). It promotes a

world in which buildings produce as much energy as

they consume. Many multinationals have signed up to

this international project, covering Europe, the United

States, Brazil, China, Japan and India. The latest study

published in April shows how buildings’ energy

consumption can be reduced by 60% by 2050. The

WBCSD offers a road map which aims to transform the

construction sector and calls for immediate action to

push forward mentalities and practices.

THIS NEW PRODUCT is made up ofplasterboard and an elasticized PSE-Graphitepanel, with exceptional thermal and acousticperformance. The successor to the highlypopular Prégymax® 32, Prégymax® 29.5 linercomplex does not cause any thermal bridgesince it has no metal frame and, as its nameindicates, boasts a lambda of 29.5.

This low thermal conductivity, the lowest of all thermal-acoustic insulation available on the market, makes it a clear leader in its category. Light and flexible, Prégymax® 29.5 liner complex does not warpand is very easy to fit. And the product is 100% recyclable and consumes very littleenergy to manufacture.

PRÉGYMAX® 29.5 SOLUTION

DUCTAL®-BASEDTHERMAL BREAKER PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FRANCE AT THE POLLUTECFAIR, IN NOVEMBER 2007, this thermal bridge breaker is a majorinnovation in terms of sustainableconstruction. This is a breakerdeveloped using Ductal® andinsulation. Providing perfect insulationand a mechanical link between theconcrete slab and the external wall,the breaker reduces thermal bridgesby up to 70%. Economical andsustainable, these solutions representreal progress in terms of energy and environmental performance forconcrete constructions.

SOLUTION

BUILDING SUSTAINABLY IS NOT SO EXPENSIVE!

As part of the EEB (Energy Efficiency of Buildings) project, the WBCSDconducted a survey of construction industry professionals’ perception of theadditional costs of “green” buildings. This showed that they believe the additional cost to be 17% compared with a traditional building, or threetimes the actual extra cost of only around 5%, if an integrated design approachis adopted. The poll also demonstrated a deep lack of knowledge aboutbuildings’ contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This represents 35% although according to the survey professionals think it is just 9%.

*World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

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Lafarge has helped us in situations where we say ‘How dowe make this?’. They have responded with mixed designsolutions and at times a completely different approach to a

concrete structure made possible by the advanced mix additivessuch as Agilia®, Chronolia®, and Extensia®. We value Lafarge’swillingness to think beyond the project specifications and provideforward thinking solutions.”

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“Beyond the project specificationsDAVID LORD, VICE PRESIDENT, SCOTT CONSTRUCTION GROUP

Since it was founded in 1969, Arte Charpentier Architects has alwaysfocused on innovation. Sustainable development is at the center of ourprojects at every level, whether cities, districts or interior redevelopment.

This strong commitment particularly helped us to produce the Tour Elithis, the first positive-energy tertiary building in France. The research partnershipinitiated with Lafarge will allow us to go even further, by jointly developingconstruction systems which improve energy performance and reduce buildingcosts, through a real construction project. This will also make it possible toexperiment with new project management approaches and simulation tools.”

“Anticipating environmental impact JEAN-DANIEL KUHN, ARTE CHARPENTIER ARCHITECTS

UNIMAT® FLOOR INSULATION

UNIMAT® FLOOR INSULATION IS A RIGID EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE PANEL with a rounded surface and arched back for greater mechanical resistance. Its propertiesmake it a useful ally in improving a building’s thermal insulation. It is especially wellsuited to the light framework of girder floors of individual houses. But it can also beused in addition to insulation or to deal with the thermal bridge of an upper floor.Light to transport and handle, simple to use and easy to cut, it halves fitting timecompared with concrete floor blocks.

SOLUTION

THERMEDIA® 0.6

A NEW GENERATION CONCRETE PATENTED BY LAFARGE, Thermedia® 0.6 helps strengthen concrete’s position as a sustainable building material. Its formulation is completely new: it uses very lightweight aggregates with a density 40% less than traditional aggregates, cutting its thermal conductivity by two-thirds compared with standard concrete, while retaining identical structural properties to traditional concrete. Thermedia® 0.6 reduces heat loss through the building’s envelope and so actively contributes to improving construction methodsincorporating internal thermal insulation.

SOLUTION

20 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 21

afarge is present in 79 countries, across five continents.

As it has grown, it has had to adapt its strategy, its

commercial approach and its product range to these

diverse markets. It is obvious: needs in developed

countries are not the same as in emerging countries.

And construction methods vary depending on where

you are in the world, due to the climate, cultural customs

and resource availability. “The way in which we design

and implement our new solutions takes these factors

into account,” says Christophe Lévy, Lafarge Construc-

tion Innovation Director. “Our approaches consider the

genuine distinction between developed and emerging

countries, and even between different emerging

countries. With the possible exception of major world

cities, interest in eco-design is not as advanced in India,

China or Kenya, although it is growing everywhere in

the world.”

“We have two types of portfolio management for innova-

tive projects,” Bernard Fauconnier, Director of R&D,

Sales, Marketing & Innovation for the Gypsum Business,

points out. “Management at an international level

covering the whole of the Gypsum Business. The other

at a national level, in order to adapt our products and

systems to the requirements of local markets. In Mexico

and South Africa, we are developing a special range of

6mm plasterboard for low cost construction needs.”

The same goes for render: markets are divided into

powder countries – France, Italy and Spain– and

countries with ready-mixed paste – the United States,

Australia and South Korea.

The range of high value-added concretes developed

approach.” In India, the Affordable Housing for Masses

program makes it possible to construct low-cost homes

using concrete while incorporating environmental

concerns. The same principle applies to Eco-City,

launched in partnership with WWF and local NGOs

in Midrand, a deprived suburb of Johannesburg. The

300 tons of cement and 70m3 of concrete donated by

Lafarge enabled around 30 low-cost homes to be built,

with passive solar heating, rainwater recovery and use

of recycled materials, especially polystyrene waste which,

mixed in with the concrete, provided the materials for

making thermal insulation blocks.

This ability to respond to specific needs is just as valuable

for taking into account exceptional natural conditions.

In Chile, as part of the Ocho al Cubo project, eight of the

Chile’s top architects were invited to build the home of

their dreams, in the idyllic setting of the Marbella beach

resort. To ensure they would be around for a long time,

they all chose Lafarge’s architectonic concrete, a leader

in this region subject to significant seismic activity.

The same is true of the construction of the Rion-Antirion

bridge, connecting the Peloponnese to mainland

Greece, which, at 2.8km long, is the longest suspended

bridge ever built in the world. The 750,000 tons of high-

performance aggregates supplied by the Group to

construct the pillars allow it to withstand winds of up to

250 km/h, a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale or…

a collision with a 180,000 ton oil tanker! Did you mention

sustainable?

by the Group (Chronolia®, Extensia®, Agilia®, Artévia®,

Ductal®, etc.) also includes products adapted to every

use. The infinite variety of formulations for this material

makes it possible to adjust its composition according to

local resources and needs. Even in emerging markets,

where delivery of ready-mix concrete is an innovation

in itself, Lafarge offers its customers added value. “In

countries such as India, Morocco, Vietnam or South

Africa, the pace of private home building is relatively

slow,” explains François Redron, Marketing Director of

the Concrete Business. “Under these conditions, deliv-

ering a mixer truck of 6m3 to 8m3 is not always appro-

priate. We therefore consider solutions to ship smaller

quantities and produce slow-hardening concretes which

retain their workability for longer.”

This ability to adapt is also expressed in other ways. In the

Cement Business, the Group has developed undeniable

expertise in varying its products’ characteristics using

additions to the cement. Whether to improve their imper-

meability, their resistance, their workability, their quality

of finish, or, at the design stage, by adapting its produc-

tion process to use only raw materials available locally,

producing savings and lower emissions. “The intercon-

nection between our plants at a global level enables us

to offer genuinely ‘homegrown products’,” emphasizes

Denis Berthon, Marketing Director of the Cement

Business. “We also adapt to climatic conditions, which

is a very important factor for our products. The frost-

thaw cycle, for example, requires different compositions

in Central Europe compared to tropical countries.” In

countries with high rainfall, the introduction of plastic

packaging instead of traditional bags was a simple but

valuable innovation. A similar but more technical

example, the introduction of WAB® plasterboard which

is resistant to water and adverse weather, increased the

use of plasterboard in humid environments.

Another practical illustration of this priority are the

projects developed by Lafarge in India and South Africa

in the field of low-cost construction. “This is a totally new

approach to building low-cost housing, without sacri-

ficing quality, for people with low incomes,” says François

Redron. “Our ambition for the future is to be a real design

agent, decorating houses, supplying all the elements

required to build them and helping to implement them

– all as part of a truly ‘sustainable construction’

l

The interconnectionbetween our plants at a global level enablesus to offer ‘homegrownproducts’.

Different approaches for different countries to ensure optimal solutions

5.Adapting to specific needs Building methods vary between Europe,

Asia and Africa. Geography, climate, type of construction and the level of the country’s development havean impact on the behavior of buildings and the construction method used. As a result of its local approachto international development, Lafarge responds to this wide range of needs.

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DURABAT®

BUILDING MATERIALS are sometimes used in particularly difficultenvironments (aggressive, unstable or damp soils, drainage water, extremeclimate conditions, etc.). With Durabat® cement, Lafarge has taken all theseconstraints into account. Designed mainly for tradesmen and smallcompanies, this product makes it possible to lay foundations in difficultground in contact with dirty or corrosive water in aquacultural, oyster farming or wine growing environments or with liquid manures in an agricultural environment.

SOLUTION

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Customized solutionsCARMEN SANTANA SERRA, ARCHIKUBIK, ARCHITECT

WAB®

LAFARGE HAS INVENTED WAB® — THE FIRST PLASTERBOARD NOT AFRIAD OF WATER. The whole construction system of plasterboard, render, taping, joining,screws, etc. offers very high resistance to water and humidity.Originally designed to build partitions in humid environments, it is also suitable for designing covered external ceilings. It works brilliantly in tropical or very humidclimates. With a more waterproof surface, less absorption of water by the plaster and more stable mechanical strength after damping, WAB® retains its level of performance and aesthetic qualities whatever the ambient humidity. Easy to install and compatible with other plasterboard systems, it can be stored in the open air for six months without damage: a great quality for worksites…> Crossway eco-home in Staplehurst, Kent, United Kingdom, designed by architectRichard Hawkes, an EEB construction.

SOLUTIONPLATEC®

WITH PLATEC®, building professionals can enjoy “haute couture” in interior design at an off-the-peg price. These gypsum products exclusive to Lafarge, are prefabricatedto order according to the customer’s specifications. They can be used to createdecorative elements and design unusual interior spaces, pillars, structures, friezes for suspended ceilings, cornices for concealed lighting, etc. As well as this greatversatility, Platec® solutions offer many advantages: simplicity of installation, controlover production times, quality of decoration and high standard of finish. And all for a much lower cost than producing equivalent elements directly on-site. The rangealso includes solutions with proven acoustic absorption properties.> Installation of auditorium wall lining in the Musée du Quai-Branly, Paris, France.

SOLUTION

In Barcelona, we are building a school in the former gardens of a religiousorder. Our project needs to take into account the important topography of the site, the gardens’ environment of small buildings and the ancient

trees. The whole building forms an “L” with an 80m-long facade. A series of high-spec vertical pillars provide a structure, act as ducts for pipes and add rhythm. Initially the pillars were due to be poured on site, but after a meetingwith Léopold Lombard from Lafarge a year ago, we studied the possibility ofusing posts cast from Ductal® in order to reduce the worksite’s impact and saveconstruction time. This was completely innovative in Spain. Aware of the addedvalue represented by this material – both technological and aesthetic – theproject manager did not oppose the solution despite the additional cost. A teamwas formed and our joint work produced plans for posts, whose prototype castwas manufactured by Bonna Sabla, based near Montpellier (there are currentlyno Ductal® prefabrication companies in Spain). A trip to Bonna Sabla wasarranged to provide us with a better understanding of how casts are made,which is fundamental to making them simpler and more competitive…”

“

Beautiful constructions, morecomfortable for longer

Creative freedom ZAHA HADID, ARCHITECT

I love working with curves, as I think thatvisually it is a way of simplifying the structure,enabling more complexity to be expressed

without smothering or clogging up the visualscene. I am interested in techniques which enableme to do this in concrete. I love concrete, as it is a very fluid and continuous material. I like taking advantage of its fluidity, its fineness, as I am currently doing with Ductal®.”

6.Comfort and aesthetics Concepts of aesthetics, comfort and resistance to wear

and tear are essential criteria in the construction industry. They promote the usage value of buildings and their insertion into their landscape and are therefore closely linked to the concept of sustainableconstruction. That is how Lafarge sees it anyway and the company has long included these criteria in its approach to innovation.

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LAFARGE WAS THE FIRST building materialscompany to mass produce plasterboard with four tapered edges, Synia®, an idealsolution for ceilings and high partitions. The technical specifications of the product, which was launched

in 2004, guarantee complete flatness of ceilings and large vertical partitions.Compared with traditional plasterboard whichonly has two tapered edges, Synia® provides a perfect finish. Once the sheets are paintedor wallpapered, the seams are invisible

to the naked eye, even under low-angledlighting. It is also very easy to use, with allfour edges of each sheet tapered to simplifyinstallation and save time on the worksite.> Central World Plaza shopping center, Bangkok,Thailand.

SYNIA®SOLUTION

> Villa Navarra, Provence, France, built using Ductal®,designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti.

22 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW INNOVAT ION REV IEW | LAFARGE | 23

ir Norman Foster’s Millau Viaduct, Santiago Calatrava’s

Oviedo Conference Center, the Villa Navarra or the

Footbridge of Peace in Seoul designed by Rudy

Ricciotti, Le Corbusier’s church of Saint-Pierre-de-

Firminy, the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, designed

by the Scott Wilson Advanced Technology Group, Zaha

Hadid’s Phaeno Center in Wolfsburg – all exceptional

structures with a striking avant-garde appearance. The

beauty of these constructions obviously owes a lot to

their designers. But some would probably not have

been built without Lafarge’s ability to offer them innova-

tive solutions, thereby giving them the freedom to

imagine these slender bridge decks, elegant roofs and

floating structures. For many, the technical perform-

ance, the impeccable finish and resistance of the

products used contributes without a doubt to their

aesthetic qualities.

Whether in relation to large projects of this type or family

homes, aesthetics, comfort and resistance over time

have long been among the criteria guiding the Group’s

R&D. First, because they extend the likely lifespan of

a building – an unattractive, uncomfortable building

which deteriorates quickly is likely to be demolished

quickly. Second, because they are an integral part of

their usage value, a primordial part of the living spaces

Sustainable construction also means comfortable

construction. From this perspective, homes, offices and

public spaces must meet increasingly high standards.

To do this, Lafarge has developed many thermal insula-

tion, thermo-acoustic and water-resistant products.

The Group’s expertise in terms of construction systems

allows it to offer almost turnkey solutions, combining

various product ranges: insulating concretes for thermal

bridges, thermal bridge interrupters, insulating or water-

resistant renders and mortars, plasterboard incorpo-

rating thermal or acoustic insulation, etc. “The purpose

of innovating is to market products and systems with

more added value for us and our customers,” explains

Bernard Fauconnier, Director of R&D, Sales, Marketing

& Innovation for the Gypsum Business. “These aspects

of comfort, aesthetics and resistance contribute signif-

icantly to this. Placing customers’ understanding and

innovation at the heart of our strategy in this way allows

us to establish our leadership, to be more competitive,

to attack new market segments, to improve our

manufacturing standards and to focus on quality…”

Which obviously benefits the company, but is above all

the best means of responding to customers’ needs.

or passageways designed for their inhabitants. “We pay

very close attention to these questions, particularly

through surveys of our customers, as well as end users

in order to find out what they expect,” says François

Redron, Marketing Director for the Concrete Business.

In terms of aesthetics, the Group’s expertise in the

formulation of its products makes it possible to obtain

an impeccable finish to the raw or painted concrete

elements. For example Agilia®, the self-placing, self-

leveling concrete created by Lafarge, is an ideal solution

to obtain perfect finishes.

“We are in the process of developing new products in

order to further improve the surface of shells,” says

François Redron. “The Artévia® range of decorative

concretes, launched in 2004, is constantly being

expanded as a result of aggregates whose shapes,

textures and colors can be infinitely varied. And Ductal®

is still providing an astonishing range of applications:

floating bridges, elegant walls and even ‘trendy’ furni-

ture.” Lafarge’s high performance concrete has been

chosen by architects Alain Moatti and Alain Rivière to

create the furniture for the chain of 62 Yves Saint

Laurent boutiques around the world.

The Group also offers a very wide range of mortars and

wall renders, adapted locally to take account of regional

aesthetics. The same is true of aggregates which make

it possible to enhance colored or coated concretes,

slabs, panels or road coverings. Finally, in the Gypsum

Business, products such as PrégyDéco® pre-rendered

plasterboard, Synia® plasterboard with four tapered

edges and PLAtec® pre-fabricated decorative elements

contribute to improving finishes for less cost and greater

ease of use.

A construction’s usage value guides Group R&D.

s

24 | LAFARGE | INNOVAT ION REV IEW

Lafarge 61, rue des Belles-Feuilles, BP 40,

75782 Paris Cedex 16, France

Tél. : + 33 1 44 34 11 11Fax : + 33 1 44 34 12 00

www.lafarge.com

ARTEVIA®SOLUTION

ARTÉVIA® is a range of decorative concretes specially designed for interior and exterior use. Mat or gloss, natural or sophisticated, combining a wide selection of colors and extremely variedmaterial effects, Artevia® concretes offer greatcreative freedom. They produce surfaces which resemble polished marble, natural dressedstone or the rustic appearance of sand, not to

mention a wide range of patterns (tiles, slabs, etc.).Far from being simply attractive, these productscombine design and performance. Their formulationgives them an excellent adaptation to complexshapes, makes them fast to install, simple to maintain and very hard wearing.> The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls,Meyerton, Gauteng, South Africa.

Senior Vice-President, Group Communications

Sara Ravella sara.ravella@lafarge.comPhone: + 33 1 44 34 58 36

Editorial directorYolaine Galhié

Editor-in-chiefAnne Larroquette

Concept-ProductionLafarge, Textuel

CopyLafarge, Textuel

Printed byE-Graphics

Front coverDuctal® panels (detail) on theconstruction site of the RATP bus depot,Thiais, France, designed by EmmanuelCombarel & Dominique Marrec.

© Médiathèque Lafarge - Benoît Fougeirol -Emmanuel Combarel & Dominique Marrec(architect)

Ductal® (detail), Belleville nursery,Paris, France, designed by Bruno Rollet.

© Médiathèque Lafarge - Benoît Fougeirol -Bruno Rollet (Architecte)

October 2009

CONTACTS

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