Key projects

02/20/2006

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

11/17/2005

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was inaugurated in May 2005 in Berlin. It is composed of 2,751 grey concrete steles, some of which are nearly 5 meters tall. 4,500 tons of special Optacolor® cement was supplied for the memorial, which is on a 2 hectare site near the Brandenburg Gate.

10/04/2005

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

09/05/2005

New infrastructure, including a network of light-rail tunnels, was built to facilitate passenger access to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The pre-cast tunnel liners use NewCem® and Type I/II cement by Lafarge.

09/01/2005

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

07/16/2005

Construction of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which spans the Cooper River in South Carolina, required over 100,000 tons of Lafarge Portland cement. This cement combines a beautiful finish and excellent shock resistance, making it particularly suitable for the bridge pylons.

06/24/2005

Everett Station sits on a series of pre-cast concrete arches made with Type III cement. These arches support the structure and ensure a distinctive architectural signature for the concourse below.

05/19/2005

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

04/19/2005

High-performance concrete containing Lafarge cement was used to build the John F. Limehouse Bridge, which spans the Stono River in Charleston, South Carolina. Thanks to this concrete, the South Carolina Department of Transportation expects to save 250,000 dollars per year in maintenance costs. The bridge can resist significant seismic loads and withstand the impact of an 800-ton ship.

12/23/2004

Lafarge launched a project in India to improve access to housing for low-income families. As part of the "Affordable Housing for Masses" project, Lafarge in India built a prototype 20 m² house which offers a considerable reduction on the usual price per square meter. This project allows the Group to demonstrate the benefits of using cement and concrete to construct individual low-cost houses in rural, semi-urban and urban zones.

12/07/2004

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

12/16/2004

The Millau Viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, was built in just 3 years. In total, 35,000 tons of cement from the Lafarge cement plant in Teil, France, was used for the piers which support the deck. The highest of these rises 250 meters, an achievement which would have been impossible without the use of concrete. At its highest point, the bridge reaches 343 meters, higher than the Eiffel Tower!

12/07/2004

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

10/20/2004

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

09/21/2004

The art and traditions of Native American tribes inspired the style of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. The building achieves the appearance of a wind and rain-worn rock thanks to a combination of many Lafarge products, including type II cement.

05/27/2004

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

03/29/2004

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

01/28/2004

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

01/16/2004

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

01/12/2004

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

10/27/03

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

07/06/2003

Lafarge developed a very specific cement combining NewCem®, fly ash and Portland cement to construct the 2,130 meters of runway at the New Orleans airport. This material, jointly developed by Lafarge and the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority, is designed to withstand high temperatures.

05/02/2003

Thanks to the use of geothermal energy and natural ventilation systems, the Mountain Equipment Co-op of Montreal consumes 50% less energy than a conventional building. Tercem 3000 cement was used in its construction.