Concrete Innovation for New Architectural Challenges

Concrete innovation for new architectural challenges special edition 04 Journey into the heart of the “gray matter” 06 Concrete, a green material! 08 Concrete, at the heart of sustainable construction 10 A matter of architecture… BRUNO LAFONT Chairman & Chief Executive Officer,

Lafarge © Jacques Grison THE MATTER, THE MATERIAL, THE FEAT

14 Zaha Hadid challenges materials 16 Marrec & Combarel : Radical modesty and a passion for concrete

20 The structural revolution of Villa Navarra n emerging markets, the demand for housing, facilities and infrastructure is 22 Le Corbusier’s church is finally “topped out” growing exponentially. To satisfy this huge demand today there is no credible i alternative to concrete. Is this a good enough argument to justify its use? Certainly not. But in view of the challenges of our time, concrete has many other THE EMOTION, THE DREAM, arguments in its favor than the mechanical properties or the competitive pricing THE SENSES that have made it successful. At the time of the battle against climate change 26 Christian de Portzamparc and of the need to design highly energy-efficient buildings, this fantastic material Dreams of musical architecture opens up unsuspected possibilities in answer to the questions asked by society. 28 Rudy Ricciotti’s material dreams It is accessible to the vast majority and can be easily produced everywhere. It is a material of exceptional and unrivalled durability. It is a versatile material that 30 Frédéric Borel: Architecture, a multi-sensory journey has an infinite number of properties and potential uses. Although concrete can be easily produced, the scientific complexity of its content gives an 32 Rémy Marciano builds tomorrow’s memories almost infinite potential for technological innova- TOMORROW’S WORLD, THE THINKING, Concrete, a modern-day material tion. Finally, it is a natural THE VISION material, using widely available resources. A totally recyclable material, whose production requires 36 The sky’s the limit for today’s towers little energy and is always carried out close to the sites where it is used and is 40 Hypergreen: the tower building that captures the sunlight therefore only transported over very short distances. Through all these proper- 42 Managing urban growth ties, concrete is recognized as a “green” material, fully in phase with its time, a time when architects must reconcile ever greater environmental, urban planning, 46 Objective: “zero net energy” technical and aesthetic constraints in order to bring their projects to life. In taking up this constant challenge, concrete offers them almost unlimited 48 At the cutting edge of innovation freedom. We are proud to be able to bring to the service of their art a material 50 New generation concretes that improves in performance every day, a material that stimulates their creativity, a modern-day material.

BRUNO LAFONT © Médiathèque Lafarge - Eric Tourneret - Le Corbusier (architecte) José Oubrerie © Médiathèque Lafarge - Eric Tourneret

CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 3 A forerunner in studies on materials on a nanometer scale, Lafarge makes understanding of the infinitely small the cornerstone of its research. The research finds its application in the development of new ranges of ultra-high performance concretes. © Photothèque Eiffage - Daniel Jamme Norman Foster (Architecte)

Millau viaduct, France, by Norman Foster, architect.

Journey into the SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIPS Progress in fundamental research has heart of the “gray matter” enabled the acquisition of a profound View of an knowledge of matter on an infinitely small unpolished concrete, magnified scale. The Group, which employs more 1,000 times. © DR than 500 people of more than ten different nationalities in Research and

View of polished Ductal® concrete, Development all over the world, takes magnified 1,000 times to show the density of the material. a particular interest in the latest scientific discoveries and the training of engineers esistant, ductile, long lasting, sustainable… A ver- and future researchers. Desirous of itable revolution is happening in the world of con- supporting fundamental research, Lafarge crete, where very high performance materials, View of a sound, polished concrete, works closely with the most prestigious r magnified 1,000 times in which which enhance the finished appearance of build- the cement has been hydrated and universities and engineering schools in the ings, revolutionize mechanical resistance capa- the components well distributed. world. In the United States the Group has bilities and ensure improved thermal and acoustic unequalled structural properties, concrete has established partnerships with the insulation are making their appearance. become the material of the future. In the United Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Their development has gone beyond the exper- States, the first highway bridge built using Ductal®, the Universities of Berkeley (California) imental to enter the realms of science. “We are filaments and the grains of the “gray matter” Cutting-edge technology or the Villa Navarra in France, whose very thin and Princeton (New Jersey). In Canada, a long way from concrete by the trowel,” jokes which is concrete. Thanks to new technologies, Such innovations have been made possible roof stretches over a length of 40 meters, have the University of Toronto and the Laval Paul Acker, scientific director of the Lafarge the exploration of matter on a nanometer scale thanks to techniques such as nuclear magnetic made the most of the possibilities offered by a University in Quebec are associated with Research Center. “Today, our concretes are for- has brought to light the numerous mechanical resonance or electron microscope scanning… new generation of concretes. similar programs. In Europe also, Lafarge mulated by computer for accuracy to the near- properties of concrete, as well as the way these “Cutting-edge tools allow for the observation and A composite material whose use gradually works with Imperial College London, the est gram. A huge technological revolution has change over time. Understanding of the granu- better understanding of the physical and chem- became the norm during the 20th century, con- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne taken place over the past ten years, bringing lar mass of concrete has enabled reductions in ical phenomena created in materials on a micro- crete today is the product the most consumed and, in 2006, created the “science about a revolution in construction methods.” its water content and therefore made it extreme- scopic scale.” The construction of works such in the world after water. And it continues to evolve, of sustainable construction materials” Research into the infinitely small makes travel ly resistant to external forces (climate, pollution, as the Millau viaduct, an authentic technological offering ever more possibilities. Modern, respect- chair with the Ecole Polytechnique and into the heart of matter possible and allows acid rain…). “The result is greater density and achievement, has had the full benefit of these ful of the environment, perfectly malleable and the Ecole des Ponts. Finally, in China, understanding of the complex alchemy that gov- enhanced mechanical performance for an even breakthroughs. Capable of taking on any shape, versatile, concrete the world over is well-suited Lafarge is the partner of the CBMA and erns the relationships between the pores, the more durable material,” explains Paul Acker. whether prefabricated or made on site and having to the most daring architectural undertakings. ■ the University of Tongji in Shanghai.

PAGE 4 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 5 Obvious for some and a surprise for others: concrete is green! RESPECT FOR THE In addition to its astonishing mechanical properties, this natural material ENVIRONMENT: ACTIONS AND has many environmental qualities which make it an irreplaceable product COMMITMENTS for construction in the 21st century. Founded in 1833, Lafarge has always attempted to reconcile growth with respect for the environment. Economy of resources, rehabilitation of

quarries, reduction of CO2 emissions, conservation and Concrete, a green material! development of biodiversity, prevention of health risks… The Group’s commitment attempts to respond in a responsible and innovative way to the challenges of construction in the 21st century. ement, water, aggregates… In spite of the appar- COMPARATIVE ent simplicity of its composition, concrete is, in TABLE OF MATERIALS reality, a complex material which for a few years c Energy consumption now has been revealing the true extent of its potential. Subject only to empirical analysis in the past, by kilogram of material produced (in mega joules) it is now the subject of scientific research which Steel: 43 MJ/kg has shaken traditional views, improved the under- Wood: 27 MJ/kg standing of its behavior and helped to develop rapid growth in emerging countries where the Brick: 3 MJ/kg new, often revolutionary formulas. In view of the infrastructure needs are immense in order to Concrete: < 1 MJ/kg challenges facing sustainable construction, at a ensure economic and social development. CO emissions time when needs in terms of housing, mobility Because it is also an affordable product, concrete 2 by ton of material produced The law courts in Pontoise, and infrastructure are considerable, concrete has is the only one able to meet this demand and can made with Agilia® concrete, Steel: 1 to 2 tons many environmental qualities to offer. be used by the vast majority, as proven by the Pontoise, France, designed by

Brick: < 1 ton - Henri-Édouard Ciriani (Architecte) © Médiathèque Lafarge - Éric Tourneret Henri-Edouard Ciriani, architect. Committed to a socially responsible approach, low-cost housing programs built on a large scale Concrete: < 0.1 tons Lafarge today relies on its long experience of the in South Africa to address the lack of decent Wood: – 1 ton concrete business and on the numerous data, housing. Finally, it is a local material, produced

research material and formulas worked up with- locally and requiring little or no transport. Source : WBCSD. in its Research Center to be able to develop the An inert product, it is safe for health compared uses of a product perfectly in phase with its time with other construction products (insulation sys- and respectful both of man and the environment. tems such as steel compound, fiberglass or rock, insulating foam) or for water pipes and aque- The material for sustainable ducts. It is 100% recyclable. All these reasons construction come in addition to the properties of the mate- Veritable liquid stone, a mixture of natural sub- rial itself: unequalled durability, almost entirely stances extracted from the earth, concrete is natural ingredients, uniquely mechanical and par excellence a natural and sustainable mate- fire resistant and with high acoustic insulation rial and is entirely recyclable. In comparison with qualities. And beyond these inherent qualities,

other building materials, its CO2 and energy foot- the analysis of a building’s life cycle, from pro- prints are extremely favorable (intrinsic footprint duction of the materials to the destruction of the per kg). As the Earth is covered in limestone, edifice, makes concrete a firmly competitive and The village of Lam Kruet rebuilt concrete is a material that is available everywhere. energy-efficient product. There is no doubt that after the tsunami,

This represents an advantage in the context of concrete is a green material! ■ © DR Médiathèque Lafarge December 2004, Indonesia.

PAGE 6 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION An irreplaceable material for construction, concrete provides a wealth of possibilities to meet the challenges of the present and those to come.

Concrete, at the heart of sustainable construction

oncrete has all the advantages to respond to the current challenges of sustainable construction, whereby the solutions developed must both satisfy the demand and the needs, as well as reducing the impact on the © Médiathèque Lafarge - Ignus Gerber c Fort Osage Education Center, planet. Relying on its long experience in the concrete business and on a a highly energy-efficient building strategy of innovation with considerably increased resources, Lafarge stays using Agilia® and fly ash, Kansas City, Missouri, United States. a step ahead of the competition in terms of knowledge and understanding SUSTAINABLE of materials to be able to propose solutions adapted to the challenges of CONSTRUCTION: our time. A GLOBAL CHALLENGE (flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes). Finally, setting aside stereotypes of “We are fully aware that acting Reinforcing the energy efficiency of buildings dull, monochrome gray, concrete today lends itself to all possible forms, alone isn’t enough to guarantee the The socially responsible approach which Lafarge has adopted towards colors and surfaces, thus conferring a strong identity on urban buildings. necessary changes”, explains changing the way concrete is used is part and parcel of a more global Bruno Lafont, Chairman & CEO of vision for the building industry. Eighty-five per cent of a building’s total A wealth of possibilities Lafarge. The World Business Council energy consumption, throughout its life cycle, takes place during its usage In this context, all the new concretes designed and developed by Lafarge for Sustainable Development phase. This is therefore the aspect which must be addressed with deter- represent so many answers to the issues confronting construction on our (WBCSD) initiative, of which the mination and efficiency. Concrete's exceptional thermal inertia properties planet. “The future for concrete is huge”, reassures Jacques Lukasik, scien- Group is a founding member, brings enable it to absorb heat during the day, store it and give it back at night, tific director of Lafarge and a member of the French Académie des Technolo- together more than 200 companies making for substantial savings in terms of heating and air conditioning. In gies. By seeking to identify and understand the physical, chemical and committed to sustainable addition, as concrete is a highly resistant and perfectly airtight material, it physical-chemical phenomena underlying the way concrete behaves, development. Under the auspices can easily be used with other materials to provide optimum insulation, research into materials has made vast progress. A “traditional” construction of the WBCSD, Lafarge has whilst offering numerous solutions for limiting greenhouse gas emissions product, often still looked upon as a simple commodity, concrete is launched the Energy Efficiency resulting from the daily use of the building. In terms of town planning, becoming a high-tech material whose complexity is still yielding up its in Buildings (EEB) initiative, concrete enables compact buildings, for denser and more environmentally- secrets, from concrete floor tiles to ready-to-use self-leveling and self- whose objective is to promote friendly towns. Indeed, the heating cost per unit of volume in a single one- positioning concretes… “Its potential is still largely untapped, it will become the vision of a world in which floor house is some 30% greater than that of a residence in a four-floor THE high-tech material of the 21st century and its performance can only buildings consume only as much building. In high-risk areas, concrete's resistance properties enable archi- stimulate the imagination of architects, at the origin of all creativity energy as they produce. tects to design buildings which are highly resistant to natural disasters in construction.” ■

PAGE 8 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 9 For more than 15 years Lafarge has built close partner relationships with architects. This exchange of culture and expertise allows for the expanding areas of innovation within the field of construction.

A matter of architecture… © Benoît Fougeirol Dominique Marrec (right) in the company of Léopold Lombard (left), he most extraordinary architectural inventions are born out of meetings architects relations director at Lafarge, on the RATP Bus Center building site in Thiais, France. between industrial expertise and the builder’s vision. Utterly convinced of t this truth, Lafarge works with architects from all over the world in order to bring its expertise and experience to bear on ambitious architectural projects and to listen to their expectations and dreams in order to feed its policy of innovation. Going beyond simple technical or commercial density of towns that have access to limited energy resources due to the AND NOT FORGETTING relationships between manufacturer and builder, Lafarge works with the battle against climate change. Hypergreen, by making use of an unheard THE YOUNG… designers and decision-makers, thus enabling them to imagine, from the of combination of solutions to deliver energy savings, created a precedent In its policy of support for architecture, design phase of a project onwards, ever more innovative and daring uses and inspired many other achievements. For Lafarge intends to be Lafarge does not forget the young hopefuls. for its materials. This cooperation has been bearing fruit for many years. associated with the most visionary architectural projects. “It’s a self- By increasing partnerships with schools, For the architects, by giving them new solutions that free their creativity and imposed obligation that also extends to our own internal choices for the including the University of Columbia in the invite them to go beyond the arbitrary limits of the “doable”. For Lafarge, construction of our sites and facilities,” points out Léopold Lombard. For United States, it intends to contribute by offering the Group the opportunity to try out its innovative products this reason, Lafarge called on the services of the firm of architects Moatti to the emergence of new talent. For this reason, originating from research and to be able to listen to the architects’ expec- and Rivière to rethink its concrete plants and to give them a new identity, the Group has organized competitions allowing tations. Revolutionary solutions, which change construction methods and more in harmony with their environment. young architects to meet with builders modify the way in which space is conceived, organized and shared, often or to discover, during short trips, the Research emerge from this cooperation. Achievements that defy the laws of the genre Center at L’Isle-d’Abeau. What’s more, The exchanges with architects broke entirely new ground. This is how Lafarge supports and manages competitions Tailor-made solutions Rudy Ricciotti achieved a world first with the ultra-thin Ductal® roof of the in several countries around the world, At the heart of this approach, Léopold Lombard, architects relations Villa Navarra. In the United States, a high-tech work saw the light of day for example the one open to students director at Lafarge, is in at the birth of the projects. “I am there to enable in 2006, driven by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in associa- of European Schools of Architecture, launched the architects to go as far as possible in terms of innovation and to find tion with the MIT: the first ever highway bridge prefabricate using Ductal®, by the Ion Mincu University of Architecture tailor-made solutions to their most challenging plans with the support of the the Mars Hill Bridge was built in only 24 hours, with an ultra-resistant and Town Planning in Bucharest, Romania, teams of Group engineers and Research & Development department.” material having a reduced ecological footprint… Intimately linked to the or the one concerning sustainable construction This partnership also enriches the thinking and the discussion around the challenge to town planning and sustainable development, architectural open to students in South Africa and Spain. new challenges facing urbanization in several regions of the world, thus creativity is subject to constantly changing aesthetic criteria and construc- contributing to drawing up the contours of our environment and our towns tion methods. For Lafarge, cooperation with architects creates a precious of tomorrow. With the Hypergreen ecology tower concept, for example, source of exchanges, which allows it to adapt its materials to the constraints the architect Jacques Ferrier and Lafarge took on the issue of the growing and the needs of construction today. ■

the material the feat

Architect Rudy Ricciotti’s Peace Footbridge, Seonyu,

Korea, built in Ductal® © Philippe Ruault - Rudy Ricciotti (Architect) THE MATTER I THE MATERIAL I THE FEAT

Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate in 2004, Zaha Hadid believes in an architecture capable of rethinking form and space by using materials in an unconventional way.

Zaha Hadid © Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architect challenges materials ZAHA HADID Zaha Hadid, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1950, studied in Beirut, Lebanon, and then in Switzerland and Britain at the Architectural Association before setting t the very beginning “provocative” might have up a practice in London. “ been a word used to describe the work of my Her masterworks include a office. We established a reputation among the Vitra Fire Station (1993) clients for delivering solutions that reinvented in Weil am Rhein, Germany; the program, for having our own ideas and the Hoenheim-North tram interpretations that weren’t tied to the form of terminus (2001) in an institution. We never take a brief literally but Strasbourg, France; the instead try to interpret the purpose of an insti- Bergisel ski jump (2001) in Innsbruck, Austria; and tution. It is not only the form of a building that © Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architect interests us. We are also interested in the ways the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (2003) in which a new organization of the life of a The Phaeno Science in Cincinnati, Ohio, United building can be applied. Contemporary urban Center in Wolfsburg, Germany. States. More recently life is becoming ever more complex, with material. Recently we have also been working she worked on the Phaeno diverse, overlapping audiences who have approach. In a design environment which is with other materials, but our basic experience Science Center (2005) multiple, simultaneous demands. The task dominated by new software that enables us to is concrete. In our work on complex, dynamic in Wolfsburg, Germany and today is to order and articulate this complexity rethink form and space radically, it is always a and fluid spaces, the Phaeno Science Center “ Niemeyer used all the possible the BMW Central Building in ways that maintain legibility and orientation. challenge to find materials that match our in Wolfsburg, Germany, is our most ambitious advantages of concrete, its (2005) in Leipzig, Germany. computer-generated complex shapes and project thus far. The visitor is faced with a fluidity, its thinness, as I do In 2004, she became Going beyond the conventional spatial conditions. We aim for an expansion of degree of strangeness: the floors are not piled the first woman recipient applications of materials with Ductal®, an ultra-strong, of the Pritzker Architecture a material’s performance and try not to think above each other, and the mass is supported malleable concrete.” At a time when computer-aided architecture is within the limits that are given to a certain by funnel-shaped cones protruding into it and Prize, the most prestigious award in architecture. prevalent, my work takes the fluid dynamism material by conventional applications. extending from it. Apart from these architec- Air France Magazine, December 2007 of the sketching hand as a literal option. The I like to work a lot with curvilinearity because I tural aspects, this is the largest building current architectural scene is one where many believe it simplifies the configuration visually, constructed from self-compacting concrete to streams of investigation are needed. It is essen- and you can then cope with more complexity date in Europe. Without this new type of con- tial to find key collaborators to work on these without crowding or cluttering the visual scene, crete, the building’s diverse forms – its jagged discoveries and push them into the main- and I am interested in developing techniques angles, looming curves, fractured planes and stream. The choice of specific materials for an for doing that in concrete. I like concrete a lot daring protrusions – would have been difficult architectural object follows the formal because it is a very fluid and continuous to achieve.” ■

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Far removed from the god-like architects who dream of leaving their indelible imprint on a town, Emmanuel Combarel and Dominique Marrec see themselves as mediators for buildings invariably characterized by a temporal, social and cultural context that produces habits that are reflexes and therefore always need to be rethought. For the same reasons, the choice of the materials that compose them should always be clearly planned in advance. The most recent example is the RATP bus center administrative complex in Thiais, near Paris. Marrec & Combarel Radical modesty and a passion for concrete

monolithic block with rounded, almost polished, edges, the RATP bus center administrative complex in Thiais, south of Paris, rises up from the surrounding roads and parking area as an extremely graphic focal a point. “No doubt it could be seen as one, but the way the building grows out of the surrounding environment of the bus center was not an esthetic choice,” explain the architects. “In an unbroken context of hard materials, a patchwork of concrete and asphalt, it projects like a stamped-out part that extends the concrete surface of the bus parking area. The building appears to have been pressed out of its surrounding context.” The effect is obtained by applying large self-colored and textured Ductal® panels over a wide strip of asphalt surrounding the building, extending the buses’ maneuvering area. They are bent into forms that curve in both directions, then spread over the shell of the composite program to give the whole a strong, strikingly sober homogeneity imparted by the hard material. The resulting building is dense, inert, blind, enigmatic, “like the hull of a Russian submarine skimming through the waters of Murmansk…” “By making the structural characteristics of Ductal® resonate with its plastic qualities, the use of this ultra high-performance fiber concrete

© Benoît Fougeirol - ECDM Agency - Emmanuel Combarel and Dominique Marrec (Architects) - RATP (Project owner) © Benoît Fougeirol - ECDM Agency Emmanuel Combarel and Dominique Marrec (Architects) RATP has made it possible to blend the dizzying building and base into •••

CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 17 THE MATTER I THE MATERIAL I THE FEAT

DOMINIQUE MARREC & EMMANUEL COMBAREL Dominique Marrec graduated from the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris in 1983. Emmanuel Combarel graduated from the Paris-Villemin School of Architecture in 1986. Glazed expanses In 1993, after winning the (blue, yellow, orange, Albums de la Jeune green) made of external colored glass, Architecture award, treated with silvered Dominique Marrec and dots to make them more reflective. Emmanuel Combarel, a newly-formed French architectural partnership, set up the ECDM practice.

They have a wide variety of projects to their credit. 1996: ECDM wins the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs bursary 2003: Nominated for the Équerre d’Argent award (student apartments in © Benoît Fougeirol - ECDM Agency - Emmanuel Combarel and Dominique Marrec (Architects) - RATP (Project owner) © Benoît Fougeirol - ECDM Agency Emmanuel Combarel and Dominique Marrec (Architects) RATP Argenteuil, France, for Espacil Habitat) RATP, THIAIS (VAL-DE-MARNE), 2005: Roof of a sports hall in Sarcelles for the Ile de France In spring 2007, the Paris transport regional authority operator RATP moved into its new bus ••• a single, coherent unit.” Physical, conceptual and plastic 2006: Public housing center in Thiais, south of Paris. homogeneity displays an interplay of textures facilitated by the flexi- apartment project in central “RATP is one of the world’s largest bility of the material and its capacity for precision casting. In this way, Paris, France, for the RIVP urban transport companies and the quality of the Ductal® finish and its evenness have contributed to 2007: Bus center a technology pioneer. It is only natural a precise, continuous and perfectly adjusted cladding of the returns. administrative complex that RATP’s buildings should reflect The 3-cm thick skin displays a uniform texture of Lego-like studs that at Thiais for Paris transport the company’s image,” stick out from the surface (24 mm in diameter and 7 mm in height, operator, RATP says Rémi Feredj, Real Estate spaced at 12-mm intervals). 2007: Tomi Ungerer Illustration museum in Manager for RATP. “The Thiais Apertures appear as negative volumes carved out of the Ductal® shell Strasbourg, France, for the building certainly does this. It helps with a Stanley knife. The SSG (structural sealant glazing) windows are Strasbourg local authority improve the site’s urban landscape. tinted blue, yellow, orange and green, and are partially silvered to 2008: Public housing project It is the pride of the hundreds make them highly reflective. This was a considered choice by the of people who work there of 64 apartments in central architects: “These colorized surgical incisions artistically echo the Paris for the OPAC and represents a sign of belonging basic primary colors of the flashy curtain walls of the corporate 2008: Public housing project and an emblem for our brand.” headquarters, office buildings and commercial frontages in the of apartments in Epinay-sur- surrounding business park and shopping mall.” It is a striking way of Seine, France, for Espacil redefining glazing materials that are dated and heavy with connota- Habitat tion. Echoing the mechanics of the building’s hard materials, it sweeps 2009: Offices, housing and away the connotation of concrete as a “tough” material. Enough to businesses in Lyon give you goosebumps. ■ Confluence, France, for ING

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La Villa Navarra opens a new era in materials. Its roof in Ductal® concrete is a world first, the hybrid fruit of the © Ricciotti Agency boldness and expertise of Rudy Ricciotti, architect and RUDY RICCIOTTI laureate of the National Architecture Grand Prix 2006, Romain Ricciotti, structural engineer, and Mouloud Behloul, Lafarge concrete engineer. They meet up for a round table to talk about this building. © Ricciotti Agency The structural ROMAIN RICCIOTTI revolution of Villa Navarra © Élise Sévère MOULOUD BEHLOUL

A HOUSE-GALLERY > Enrico Navarra’s name is widely associated with Jean-Michel Basquiat, since he acted as one of his art dealers in the 1880s. n exceptional work, both aesthetically and for He has just closed his Parisian its technical complexity, Villa Navarra looks like art gallery down. He intends a long, furtive silhouette set on the very rock, to make the Villa Navarra and its exceptional site into an

a © Philippe Ruault simply laid bare. And it is around this notion enigmatic gallery, accessible only of “minimal aesthetics”, so dear to Rudy via a virtual visit. Ricciotti, that the discussion begins. > Ductal® is ultra-high Rudy Ricciotti : Our intention was to limit which, in this case, are curved, feminine. all those questions that “reinforced concrete” Romain Ricciotti : You mention performance concrete made the villa’s impact on the site by blending it into Romain Ricciotti : These forms were engineers hardly ever ask these days and to a “choreography of efforts”… It’s worth by Lafarge: its resistance is six to the slope, without backfill, following a logic dictated by external restrictions, such as the re-invent design and manufacturing methods. pointing out that the successive revolutions eight times greater than that of conventional concrete of unobtrusiveness. The outcome of this logic width of the trucks used to transport materials. So, at the pouring stage, we had to calculate initiated by concrete have always come and it contains metallic fibers ® is its ultra-thin Ductal roof. Can you remind us But also by the resolute demand for optimum and check the direction of the fibers, about through “committed” collaboration that make it ductile. of its size, Romain? mechanical yield, similar to that of steel because these change the mechanical between architects and engineers. While it enables a level of finesse Romain Ricciotti : 40 meters long, structures. This structural roof only works properties of the concrete. Mouloud Behloul : As I see it, the Navarra never before seen in classic concrete works, it is also with a 7.86-meter cantilever and edges in flexion, with a warp of 4 millimeters Rudy Ricciotti : What we are talking about project is the fruit of reflection on the structural resistant to bending. ® 3 centimeters thick. as a result of temperature variations, which here is the very core of our work, which, in my properties of Ductal concrete. It probably It can undergo major Mouloud Behloul : In terms of concrete, is completely new. It has no incorporated opinion, is all about a choreography of efforts: marks the beginning of new beliefs and new transformations (pressure that’s a sheet of paper! Ductal® is an ultra-high waterproofing or insulation. an exceptional material, used in nuclear power practices concerning structures. or dilation, for example), without performance fiber concrete, which allows us to Mouloud Behloul : Here, the material stations, poured in aluminum moulds similar Rudy Ricciotti : And I’m fairly optimistic breaking and it is resistant to hostile external conditions, break away from passive structures. is used in its purest expression. Its specific to the moulds used in the aeronautics industry, about the chances of seeing the use such as abrasion, pollution, bad It opens the way to a huge reduction in nature – neither metal, nor wood, nor glass, but employed with the traditional, even of this exceptional material becoming very weather and scratches. material and great creative freedom in forms, and not really concrete – forced us to re-ask archaic, skills of craftsmen. widespread. ■

PAGE 20 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION THE MATTER I THE MATERIAL I THE FEAT

It has taken over 30 years to complete the church of Saint-Pierre, designed by Le Corbusier as part of Firminy-Vert, an architectural complex near the city of St Etienne, in eastern France. Finally embellished by a huge concrete cone, the architect’s posthumous work was inaugurated in September 2006.

LE CORBUSIER AND THE CONCRETE REVOLUTION > Acknowledged as the head of Le Corbusier’s church the modern architectural movement, Le Corbusier was both self-taught and multi- is finally “topped out” talented. Not only an architect and town planner, he was also a writer, poet, painter and sculptor. But his architectural and urban planning work has had the most impact. A strong believer in simplicity, functionality and building on a human scale, he believed n embryonic building, derelict for three decades, has suddenly in master plans that were “in become a major monument – that is part of the marvel of the Firminy harmony with nature – sun, “ church,” French architect Jean-Louis Cohen tells Crescendo. The space, greenery.” He was a fascinated by concrete. structure, begun in 1973 and halted through lack of funds, was Le Corbusier’s legacy is some completed in 2006 and the audacious masterplan of Le Corbusier 75 masterpieces scattered has now been brought to life in the Firminy development. Far from around the world, now all standing on its own, the structure blends into an urban ensemble carefully preserved. > 40 years after Le Corbusier’s designed by the architect. Apartment blocks, swimming pool, sports death, the concrete cone arena and cultural center seem to have been patiently waiting for their of the church of Saint-Pierre companion piece to arrive. Behind the project from the outset, archi- from now on rises into the tect José Oubrerie, once a junior in Le Corbusier’s office, is now skies of Firminy in central 2 directing the project. The construction encountered multiple technical France. The 1,000 m floor space of the two lower stories and financial obstacles. The unfinished edifice was listed as a building accommodates a collection of historic interest in 1996, which probably contributed to the decision of modern art. to go ahead with its final completion in 2004, with principal funding Property of Saint-Étienne from the St Etienne Metropolitan authority. “The challenge was turning Metropole / FLC-Adagp. a religious building into a cultural one, and getting Le Corbusier’s Project manager: José Oubrerie. original project to meet current safety standards, using the latest technical innovations,” remarks Cohen. “The building is gentler and less brutal than Le Corbusier probably imagined it.” Lafarge played a role in the renovation of the standing concrete, and supplied Agilia®Formes and Agilia®Vertical, both products formulated from very high-strength Lafarge cement, for the conical roof shell. Particularly suitable for complex forms, the fluidity and self-compacting properties of Agilia® meant the 400 m3 of concrete required for the external shell could be poured easily. An operation that would have been more

problematic in Le Corbusier’s day! ■ © Eric Tourneret

PAGE 22 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION FXFOWLE’s design for the Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing in Dubai.

the dream the emotion the senses © FXFOWLE International THE EMOTION I THE DREAM I THE SENSES

This internationally renowned architect has always given music great importance in his work. Today, he is working on projects that are particularly demanding in terms of acoustics.

Christian de Portzamparc Dreams

of musical architecture © C. de Portzamparc OfficeHurlin / P. CHRISTIAN DE PORTZAMPARC Born in 1944 in Casablanca, Morocco, Christian de Portzamparc studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, France. From simple buildings to “ love creating architecture for music, spaces where the urban re-think, the town two of our realms of perception – hearing and sight is a founding principle of – can freely converse and respond. Space affords i his work dominated by three us this blessing. The emotion of music lies in the major lines: large landmark discovery and gradual entry into a different world, buildings (often dedicated a world that reveals itself in time. to music and intended for “Places obviously I also understand space as a phenomenon that one gatherings), urban zones © Christian de Portzamparc Office / Jörg Hejkal have an grasps over time, through movement, with its expec- as in the Massena Seine tations, its surprises, its concatenations. When sound Rive Gauche area in Paris, The Philharmonic Hall in Luxembourg, by architect Christian emotional power, and light fill this marvelous void existing in the midst de Portzamparc: inside view of the light-filtering façade. and sculptural towers such of solid structures, then space and music are mutu- as the LVMH Tower in to the same Manhattan,New York, USA. ally revealed. degree as music.” I long believed that music had a much greater When I was asked to do the new Philharmonic auditorium. An auditorium is a musical instrument colored niches designed 20 years ago for the La Based in Paris, he has built emotional power than architecture. I now believe building in Luxembourg, before visiting the site, of uncommon size and, one could also say, an ‘instru- Villette auditorium in Paris, the Luxembourg Phil- structures around the world. Among other prizes, that space has an emotional power over people that I studied photos of the area and felt that the public ment of space’. Audiences at the Philharmonic harmonic’s broad fault lines achieve a chromatic Christian de Portzamparc is just as strong. Our lives are inextricably linked to should be guided to the future building through an ‘inhabit’ the walls of the auditorium, seated in multi- subtlety that is altogether different, their geometry was awarded the prestigious the numerous places that inhabit our memories, initiation zone, a circle of tall trees that one would level lodges of concrete and wood around the stage, breaking down the colors across a height of Pritzker Prize in 1994, shape our present or cast us into the future – the have to cross to enter the realm of music. But once creating the atmosphere of a public square at night 20 meters. the Urban Planning Grand house we grew up in, our schools, gardens, the on the site, I saw that we didn’t have enough space surrounded by buildings. Here, I wanted the musi- Finally, the chamber music hall is set in a leaf that Prize in 2004 and the apartment we live in today, the places we lived to plant trees. That’s when I got the idea of replacing cians and the public to relate to each other, to be unfurls from the ground and rises against the colon- 30 Year Architecture Prize before… If we broaden the notion of architecture the ring of trees with a light-filtering façade, one that close, to feel a sense of grandeur and intimacy. nade. This interior shell is based on another exper- in Almère in 2006. to encompass space and our environment, archi- was neither opaque nor transparent, forming an I wanted to free the imagination. As always, I worked iment, stemming from our work on the Moebius He is an honorary member tecture is the story of our lives. Places obviously envelope of light in which the auditorium would be with acoustics expert Xu Ya Ying. I love the contrast strip for the Nara competition in Japan in 1993. This of the American Institute of have an emotional power, to the same degree as the central core. The rhythm of these parallel shafts between the bright, snowy impression of the colon- leaf plays with the filtered light from the outside, Architects and has held the music. But music is more like a burn, a sharply felt set in several elliptical rows became both mathe- nade and the shade of the hall. The wall between masking it diagonally, and this game of contrast “Artistic Creation” chair at moment, whereas our relation to space is day-to- matical and musical. them is a prismatic cliff, etched with acoustic fault between opaque and transparent upholds the unity the College de France since day and calm. At the heart of this colonnade of light lies the grand lines that play on color. Expanding on the idea of of the project.” ■ February 2006.

PAGE 26 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION Computer image of the MUCEM project in THE EMOTION I THE DREAM I THE SENSES Marseilles, France. Architect: Rudy Ricciotti.

For Rudy Ricciotti, materials evoke past experiences, encounters and childhood emotions, bringing forth a desire to share, to touch, to invent a world where both sensitivity and sensuality have their place. Rudy Ricciotti’s material dreams

RUDY RICCIOTTI “Concrete can Born in Algiers, Algeria and mates. I didn’t learn my trade at architecture be sublime. in 1952, Rudy Ricciotti is school; I learned it from the people in the building an architect. His agency industry. I owe them everything. It can also is based in Bandol, Concrete can be sublime. It can also inspire fear. inspire fear.” in the south of France. In intercity zones, it reflects hopelessness. It becomes An iconoclast, he is known sublime in great engineering works, in dams and for a diverse array of projects, bridges, and in certain contemporary architectural e.g. the Museum of European masterpieces – such as Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp and Mediterranean Civilizations, the Potsdam church, or the CNIT building in Paris La Defense – Symphony Concert Hall, where sensible projects take surreal flight. Today, with ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced the new Palace of Festivals To do this job, you have to accept that not everyone concrete, we are about to embark on a new indus- in Venice, the National “ ou have to start with materials and look at them from will like what you do – particularly the contractor, trial adventure. Architects are like test pilots heading Choreographic Center ya romantic point of view. When I was about 10 years who is often anxious to cut costs. I fight against down the runway, ready for take-off… they must in Aix-en-Provence, the Villa old, there was no school on Thursdays, and I would cheap hardware, plastic, aluminum, ugliness… have total confidence in the calculations and profes- Navarra in Muy and go to the construction sites where my Italian father, My buildings work. The contractors are forgotten, sional skills of mechanics and engineers. We are the new wing of the Louvre working as a foreman, built low-income housing. but the memory of the craftsmen lingers on. This on the verge of switching from propellers to jet in Paris dedicated to Islamic I remember wearing plastic sandals, stepping in is how the tradition of skilled craftsmen is perpet- engines. The Footbridge of Peace in Seoul spans arts. His unique approach the freshly poured concrete… On Fridays, my father uated, and I’m very proud of that. I don’t use prod- 130 meters, yet its platform thickness is just three in applying building would meet with the masons, metal workers and ucts that fail to meet ethical standards. That’s my centimeters for a static end-girder height of 1.3 meters! materials, especially his work with concrete, carpenters, one by one, to give them their pay. It traditional, conservative side. I’m a European archi- The concrete melds into a slender stroke. has led him to collaborate was a microcosm of the Mediterranean, and he tect and patriot. In today’s environment, you also With the Museum of European and Mediterranean often with Lafarge. knew them all. Discussions were frank, sometimes have to push for innovation if you want to defend Civilizations in Marseilles, France, the materials heated. The masons were tough. To me they were a qualified workforce. present a different kind of complexity. The setting, magicians. at the foot of the Saint-Jean fort, facing the sea, That’s where I learned to love the people who work offers an absolute mineral essence. Some people with raw materials, real matter. It was a man’s say it reminds them of fine latticework, or a distant universe, gung-ho and rugged, but also fraternal…as Orientalism. While it can be seen in this way, there a child I looked upon the masons with hammers is nothing about the structure that is purely deco- hanging from their belts as if they were gladiators. rative. Like a fish skeleton, everything is structural. When it comes to materials, there’s no segrega- We’re moving towards a dematerialization of the tion along class lines. In the building industry it’s concrete structure, which is becoming delicate, the same: there are simply people and their skills, gossamer, intricately formed like a cross-section of trades and businesses. As an architect, I’m part coral rock. Nobody knows where this new material

CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 29 THE EMOTION I THE DREAM I THE SENSES

© Frédériic Borel What role does the building really have in teaching students to be architects? To find out, we interviewed Frédéric Borel, architect of the new National School of Architecture in Paris-Val de Seine, France.

Frédéric Borel Architecture, a multi-sensory journey

How did you see the relationship between the architecture of the building and its educational purpose? is a platform housing the admin department Frédéric Borel : The impact of architecture and supporting the workshops, with the on learning is significant. I thus set out to cre- amphitheatres clinging on below. But there ate a welcoming, relaxing place that is con- are also paths which offer an infinite number ducive to using the imagination, a place of contradictory views of the surroundings “ Architecture where students feel comfortable and can give and of the building itself. The building lets should not the best of themselves. The building is a flex- people experience different sensations © DR ible and changing tool which should not be through the various ways of moving through FRÉDÉRIC BOREL convey rigid fixed. It operates differently at different the space, showing them contrasting effects Frédéric Borel opened up values.” times: certain parts have set opening times or new colors. Several experiments were con- an agency three years after while others are accessible day and night, ducted to obtain different textures of obtaining a degree from particularly the workshops. I included active concrete. Molded, polished or waxed concrete the École Spéciale and open spaces, a cafeteria, an auditorium was used to achieve rough and smooth sur- d'Architecture in 1982. and exhibition rooms designed to welcome faces. There is an infinite number of emotion- He built several apartment students as well as local residents. al and sensory experiences, ranging from buildings in Paris, then contemplation to giddiness, from calm to numerous public buildings, Can the school’s architecture be used excitement. namely the Faculty of as an architecture teaching aid? Science in Agen and the So architecture is changing… what about law courts in Narbonne. F.B.: In my opinion, architecture should not its teaching and workplaces? He sees the role of an convey rigid values so this building should architect as carrying out not be used as an example in any way. It is F.B.: Teaching has changed. It is less focused work that no computer meant to be educational and can be broken on charismatic characters and professors with can do, as each project is down according to teaching needs. The build- innate knowledge, and more about groups a forward-looking personal ing draws attention to its structure, some- of teachers holding discussions with students. interpretation requiring times through the load-bearing walls and These new teaching methods are developing a highly global approach. other times through the framework. It uses partly due to the increased use of IT, which an extensive range of materials and specific is a real data bank and design tool. The screen implementations. has supplanted paper so the layout of the workshop has changed to accommodate these The new École Nationale Supérieure How did this take concrete shape new uses and practices. The space must be d’Architecture in your project? comfortable, functional, well-equipped, well- de Paris-Val de Seine (National School F.B.: Paradoxically, a good building should lit and able to accommodate individual and of Architecture) is a new be able to express itself in a few words at the group work, allowing people to move around building in a former factory. same time as being indescribable. Here, there and interact with one other. ■

CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | | PAGE 31 THE EMOTION I THE DREAM I THE SENSES © Rémy Marciano Architect When architect Rémy Marciano designs a building, he weaves it around the strands of its inhabitants’ history Rémy Marciano and geography. builds tomorrow’s memories

in 1999 and is a good example of my approach. It is located in a fairly chaotic area behind the Marseilles Docks, set between grain silos, housing developments and warehouses. It forms part of the long-term Euro-Méditerranée devel- hen I first came to Marseilles I found a city that opment project. I was anxious not to seem to was incredibly strong – I still haven’t got over it. be the “clean-up squad” for this cheerful chaos © Mathieu Colin “wI discovered the poetry of certain places that that makes the area so interesting. It was not RÉMY MARCIANO people have made their own, such as the urban just a question of building a gym to be used by Rémy Marciano was born landscapes and waterfronts that film directors a sports club and local schools. We opted to in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, are so fond of. In Marseilles, you don’t have to open up the playing fields to the streets making south of Paris, in 1968. work under the weight of a suffocating archi- a lively space located between a disused church A graduate in architecture and town planning, tectural tradition. There are not many heritage and the covered gym. On Sunday, children come he opened his practice sites, for instance. This means that there is room there to play soccer. in Marseilles in 1994. for imagination and poetry, which suits me The Ruffi gymnasium perfectly. I decided to use concrete. The aim was to regen- won him international erate and to improve, and it is a very common recognition, but he has What interests me most is the idea of projects material, but is not appreciated by residents. continued to operate locally. as vectors for encounters – an encounter The treatment I chose was in contrast to a He has recently designed between owner, property development and site, smooth, architectural concrete, and is an evoca- a control center and off-duty but also an encounter with the history of the tion of the poetic assembly of ad hoc materials facility for the Marseilles place, the way the site is used and the dream- people use to build shanties, which are found transport authority, like vision that arises out of the architecture and all around here. As far as I was concerned, the and in 2008 will hand over its context. The arrival of a building on a plot of use of materials is part of the research of the a performance venue land is far from innocent; it radically alters a architectural project. It is part of the design of in Sophia-Antipolis and balance that has been consolidated with time. the fabrication, structure and skin of the building. premises for the Marseilles Port Authority. Frequently the project is seen as an invader. I like to avoid showy technical features in favor I take great care over issues like this, which appear of a low-key application, entirely without super- Rémy Marciano likes vital to me. The architectural response touches fluous elements, so that the material can express to say that there are no big projects, only ones that upon the intimate landscape of the memory. itself, and I particularly favor unfinished mate- matter. A project reveals the actual geographical and rials such as concrete and steel. So the concrete social dimensions of the site. It’s something that of the Cosec Ruffi gymnasium is not just a always goes beyond the program assigned to construction product, it is the very skin of the it! This overflow makes it a player within the building. In another context, for a teaching city – it brings a dynamic to the context of which college at Seyne-sur-Mer, in the South of France, The Cosec Ruffi gymnasium in Marseilles, France, it forms a part, and adds some constructive crit- I used a highly carpentered timber skin. It is a a gathering place and icism in the form of a new perspective on the reminder of the site’s past as a shipyard. Mate- a force in the life of the neighborhood in city. The Cosec Ruffi gymnasium was finished rials talk, and they cling to ideas. ■ its own right.

PAGE 32 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION © Jacques Ferrier Architects Tomorrow’s world designed byJacques Ferrier Hypergreen Tower, the vision the thinking TOMORROW’S WORLD I THE THINKING I THE VISION

Faced with demographic growth, urban development, and global warming, many specialists are advocating energy-efficient and dense modern cities, spreading upwards. Architects are now inventing comfortable and pleasant sustainable or eco-towers © Photononstop with the potential offered by groundbreaking techniques and materials. And the towers are getting taller. The sky’s the limit for today’s towers

ll worldwide population figures are on the rise. The number of people on the planet is increasing and will reach 7.9 billion by 2025, compared a to 6.4 billion today. More than two out of three inhabitants will live in the world’s cities. China alone will have to build over 400 new cities by then to absorb its soaring rural exodus. Space is limited and land is expensive. Most large cities, from São Paulo to Sydney, including Dubai, Shanghai or Bangkok, are looking upwards. With more than 7,000 buildings higher than 152 meters, Hong Kong held the record for the city with the most skyscrapers in the world in 2005, ahead of New York or Tokyo. For many urban planners, high-density development is the key to countering the threat of global warming and declining natural resources and this involves building new, even taller towers. Because these towers use up less land, green and agricultural areas can be maintained, thus promoting biodiversity; permeable soil areas can also be spared and traffic congestion can be better controlled. In the new part of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, for example, building upwards has helped to preserve surrounding forest areas and even bring the forest into the city. With very energy-efficient design, these new skyscrapers can also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Paris’s La Défense business district, the Generali Tower, to be completed by 2012, will boast half-opaque, half-transparent façades to better control heat input, as well as natural ventilation, solar sensors, wind turbines on the roof, and outside gardens on each floor. Its neigh- boring “Phare” or Lighthouse Tower will be equipped with a “double skin” on the south side and a transparent façade on the north side to maximize energy efficiency, in addition to a rainwater recovery system. The One Exchange Square in Hong Kong Progress from all sides is a group of three, Engineering has progressed so much over the last few years that some 52-storey buildings interlinked real technical feats are now possible. Some of these include devel- ••• by gardens.

ALAIN SARFATI THOM MAYNE > Architect of the French > Winner of the Pritzker Embassy in Beijing, China, and Architecture Prize in 2005, the Panache Tower project at Thom Mayne created Paris’s La Défense, Alain Sarfati the Morphosis agency and the runs Area, a multidisciplinary Southern California Institute agency instrumental in the of Architecture. Designer construction of several new of the head office of BMW towns in the 1970s. Area was in Munich, he is currently behind the building of the building the Lighthouse Tower National Archive Center for the in Paris’s La Défense and © S. Area / Sarfati © S. World of Work in Roubaix working on other projects such Alain Sarfati’s project for the (1993), the National Theatre in Emperor Tower. as the Design Center in Taipei, Toulouse’s city center (1998) China, the Sun Tower in South and the Bel Air area in Saint- Korea and the Olympic Village Germain-en-Laye. in New York. © SIPA La Défense’s future Lighthouse Tower designed by Thom Mayne.

••• opment of interlacing outside frames; load-bearing lattices; super “rocket”, basking in artificial lakes and gardens, in Shanghai, or the that the 19th century left us two major, but incompatible revolutions: corner columns or reinforced concrete pillars; the use of pendulum- 2,000-meter-high set of 55 stacked pyramids, brainchild of architect “Horizontal speed, by train and car, which promoted urban sprawl, and like counterweights to reduce building oscillation; and groupings of thin Shimizu in Tokyo. vertical speed in elevators, a factor which contributed to the develop- high-rise buildngs. New materials have also been developed, including ment of high-rise buildings. In some large cities, the problem is that no light-sensitive glass or ultra-high performance concretes. “They offer Fascinating or off-putting? choice was made between the two phenomena,” he said. “So many unprecedented curving potential,” comments architect Alain Sarfati, As fascinating as they may be, these buildings are not to everyone’s people opted to live on the outskirts of cities in poorly situated tower horizontal public areas which then become vertical, thus offering a designer of the curvy Panache Tower project in La Défense. These taste. While the Financial Center in Taipei or the pagoda-shaped Jin blocks, with insufficient service networks, ultimately leading to the rejec- wealth of cultural and commercial experiences,” the architect explains. developments are wings allowing architects to fly even higher. Like giant Mao Tower in Shanghai fit naturally into the local backdrop, other tion of this type of building. Towns to live in are needed, welcoming all By revisiting the functional mix of offices, accommodation, shops and minarets, dominating Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, the 452-meter Petronas designs have been less convincing. Symbols of power, tower blocks members of society, with powerful public transport networks and leisure and better designing the buildings, they should also offer a Twin Towers used to be the highest buildings on record. Then last were not really intended to be well-designed urban furniture for spacious gardens. In short, a real social project.” But positive changes higher quality of life. The colossal Burj Dubai and the Shimizu Pyramid February, they were outdone by Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, everyone’s benefit. “The upshot is that the isolated blocks are more are also afoot in this area. Thom Mayne’s “Phare” Building at La are cities in a tower. Accommodation, offices, shops, hotels, hospitals… standing at a colossal 604.9 meters. But this is only the tip of the costly, with higher charges and do not address high-density objectives. Défense is designed to blend in with its environment. “Rather than an The entire urban fabric can be contained in a vertical structure, tower… Indeed, the developers hope to build it up to 800 meters. But The land use coefficient is only 1.5 at La Défense, but three for Paris isolated and independent building, we sought to develop a hybrid struc- with roads replaced by floors to create space and interactions on this is a mere trifle compared to the Bionic Tower project, a 1,228-meter and eight for Chicago!” comments Alain Sarfati. He goes on to explain ture generating smooth transit through underground areas... up to several levels. ■

PAGE 38 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 39 Architect Jacques Ferrier and Lafarge have created Hypergreen, a tower building concept that fully respects the environment. Designed for mega-cities with rampant demographics, Hypergreen generates a large part of the energy necessary

“Hypergreen is a new architectural approach that is truly focused on sustainable development issues. Positioned to better capture the sunlight, Hypergreen has turned tower build- acques Ferrier brought the project to life in his ings into tools of sustainable urban develop- office, in Paris’ 13th arrondissement where he ment that are not only additions to a city but jworks surrounded by models and screens also genuine improvements.” showing CIG images and 3-D maps. A high-value partnership At the heart of building The project started by Lafarge and Jacques materials lies meaning Ferrier in late 2004 has involved many Since 2001, talented engineer and architect technical exchanges among the architect’s Jacques Ferrier has employed a research team teams, the industrial Group’s engineers and fully dedicated to sustainable development consultants specialized in environmental issues: “Architecture in the twenty-first century issues. Presented at an architecture sympo- can have no other focus than the environment. sium in Shanghai, China, in December 2005 We must work to diminish the overall impact and at the MIPIM fair in France in March 2006, of buildings.” Jacques Ferrier draws on existing Hypergreen has elicited a great deal of interest. material, which acquires meaning as it is used in the buildings he designs. He was bound A choice of innovative material to link up with Lafarge. A shared environmental Positioned to capitalize on its orientation, the awareness directed the creation of Hypergreen, Hypergreen Tower draws on climate an exemplary concept of sustainable develop- engineering breakthroughs and makes the ment for the world’s mega-cities. Since 2006, best of building techniques and components. for the first time in the history of mankind, As a result, it is thrifty, safe and recyclable. half the planet is living in an urban area. Lafarge’s innovative material, such as the ultra- New-generation high-rises must meet the high performance Ductal® concrete used for requirements of highly populated cities and the grid skin façade, helps save energy and rampant pollution. adds to the building's flexibility. ■

2007: the balance tipped! For the first time in history, half of the world’s population now live in towns and cities. And the trend is increasing. We take a look at the city of the © Getty Images future with the help of geographer Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin and urban planner Djamel Klouche.

Managing urban growth

y 2030, 70% of the population will live in cities. Global-scale urban development is an indication of the way our societies are changing. b It highlights both cultural particularities and problems that are common to all modern metropolises. According to well-known geographer and researcher Cynthia Ghorra- Gobin: “Globalization has led to the emergence of a two-speed metropolization on a global scale.” Southern countries are seeing their cities grow on a dangerous scale and their “rapid expansion does not benefit from the economic drive of globalization,” she says. According to Djamel Klouche, architect and urban planner: “One single cause – globalization – has radically different effects. Towns are still marked by their cultural heritage.” The co-founder of the architecture and urban planning agency AUC contrasts the gigantic scale of Chinese urban projects, followers of the tabula rasa, with Vietnamese urbanization, which favors the juxtaposition of small initiatives. Furthermore, compact European urbanity, which makes a basic distinction between town and non-town, is a stark contrast to the Japanese view of urbanity linked to nature, as illustrated by Tokaido, an indeterminate urban spread encompassing Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka which includes towns and areas of countryside. Making something old into something extra - ordinary is what Djamel Klouche is promoting in Europe by developing the concept of urban planning with recycling. “Town expansion has Motorway interchange had its day,” he explains. “Urban changes are now taking place using in Arizona. what is already built.” His standpoint? Focus on recycling to provide Transport access points are the town's a model for new uses. ••• nerve centre.

PAGE 42 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION TOMORROW’S WORLD I THE THINKING I THE VISION

Manhattan landscape. Anarchical or mapped out, how cities develop is telling of the local culture.

Towards a more moderate management of resources “According Furthermore, the impact of cities in terms of use of space, ecological footprint and plundering of natural resources is on the increase. to numerous analysts, Towns occupy just 2% of the earth’s surface but consume three- the greatest danger quarters of resources and account for 80% of greenhouse gases. In response to this situation, 300 American town mayors decided to our towns face apply the Kyoto Protocol and 27 European urban planning ministers is not dispersal signed a “Charter on Sustainable European Cities” in May, setting out the main joint actions. Several recent projects, such as the Dongtan but segregation.” eco-city in China, aspire to become a yardstick for urban ecology.

New human-scale urban planning ••• The extended and fragmented city Making the global city sustainable is what supporters of new American © DR © DR Today’s towns are growing. Individual houses have multiplied the world’s urbanism are proposing. The city will be denser, give priority to pedes- DJAMEL KLOUCHE AND urbanized area by four. Changes that are just starting to occur will trians, favor “neotraditional” architecture, provide top quality public CYNTHIA GHORRA-GOBIN not reverse the trend of the phenomenal extension of towns or the spaces, foster neighborhood relationships and decompartmentalize > Architect and urban planner waves of urban populations that are growing every day by some Djamel Klouche is studying residential areas. “New urbanism” is based mainly on the principle that 180,000 people! the constraints of constructing space is a rare commodity that must be optimized and made denser. As Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin notes: “The 20th century underwent major and reconstructing a town using This way of thinking is relatively new on the vast North American conti- urban changes: a spreading out accompanied by a loss of centrality the existing town: urban nent. It rethinks the configuration of housing estates and focuses recycling. He set up the AUC and the emergency of ‘polynuclear’ cities, organized around access agency in Paris with Caroline on public spaces. “Since the middle of the 20th century, urban devel- points for express transport.” Indeed, the extended city now raises the Poulin and François Decoster. opment has been characterized by no conceptualization of public issue of mobility. Temporal proximity is now just as important as spatial > Geographer Cynthia Ghorra- spaces, apart from in historic quarters,” points out Djamel Klouche. proximity, meaning that urban planning is increasingly concerned with Gobin, research director The enormously increased and deregulated consumption of land is reducing isolation. The issue of accessibility is thus behind the creation at CNRS and professor at the accompanied by a move away from planning the town and its overall of large urban areas made up of several towns, such as the conurba- IEP de Paris and the Sorbonne, development. For the last ten to fifteen years we have cast aside this is analyzing the globalization tions of Ruhr in Germany or Randstad Holland in the Netherlands. of the world economy and logic. The new urban “utopia” has taken shape in prototypes that have But the inhabitants are not necessarily equal when it comes to its effect upon urban spaces. received a lot of media coverage such as Playa Vista in California and accessing this fluidity. “Certain poor urban populations are now Seaside in Florida. assigned to land,” points out the geographer. “A town is more than its developments and buildings, it also defines human groups.” According The political challenges of the town of the future to numerous analysts, whichever way they develop, by extension According to Cynthia Ghorra-Gobin, tomorrow’s challenge will involve or congestion, there is always a risk of representing social divisions creating “metropolitics”: a democratic system at the level of the metrop- through geographical segregation. olis, its labor market area and travel network. “We have to move away The social fragmentation of urban areas is expressed by the appear- from the idea of competition between towns making up large metrop- ance of urban ghettos and “bunker” neighborhoods, but also by olises,” she believes. “They behave like competing companies. We need a segmentation of the residential market – housing for retired people, to devise a new citizenship, on the scale of the metropolis.” A multi- students or businesspeople in need of temporary accommodation. disciplinary approach to urban phenomena is essential: “the urban Pushed to the extreme, this leads to the establishment of gated commu- planner cannot address the issues the city faces alone (sustainable nities. A product of the need for security and a sense of belonging, the development, social segregation, etc.),” concludes Djamel Klouche. phenomenon is increasing in the United States where nearly three “He can only play a part in it. The urban planner’s work must take into million homes in 20,000 “private towns” have opted for this segregating account the opinions of the inhabitants and be part of a democratic ■ set-up. © Getty Images process which will require institutional innovations.”

Through chairing the “Energy Efficiency in Buildings” project, Lafarge shows it wants to play a leading role in securing the goal of zero net energy in buildings. This is an ambitious goal that involves the whole construction chain from the regulator to the end-user, and requires profound behavioral changes. Both a challenge and an opportunity for the future. © Jacques Ferrier Architects Objective: “zero net energy”

he vast spurt of economic growth over the last THE WBCSD two centuries has been based on burning fossil The World Business Council t fuels. This is not sustainable, as it leads to an for Sustainable increase in carbon dioxide and other green- Development (WBCSD) is a house gases in the atmosphere, which in turn CEO-led, global association causes climate change. This is why we must of some 200 companies transition to a low-carbon model. But what does has set out a four-step process. First, gather dealing exclusively with this have to do with buildings? A very great key facts and trends; then identify what needs business and sustainable deal… Buildings, through their construction, to change; develop a roadmap, and finally in development. Members are their use, and their demolition, represent 2009 deliver a call for action to achieve a world drawn from more 40% of world energy demand. This demand where buildings consume zero net energy. than 35 countries and splits roughly one-third from commercial and Throughout its work EEB is actively engaging 20 major industrial sectors. two-thirds from residential buildings. The all stake holders, seeking ideas and opinions, The Council challenge is growing. With a business-as-usual using market research to understand the also benefits from a global scenario, worldwide energy consumption in barriers to zero net energy and how to overcome network of about buildings is expected to grow 45% from 2002 them. In August 2007 EEB published EEB: 55 national and regional to 2050 and to increase as a proportion of all Business Realities and Opportun ities. What was business councils energy consumed. particularly striking in the study was that 84% and regional partners. of energy use in the life cycle of a building A four-step process comes from its use and 16% from all other CORE EEB Embarking several companies in this challenge, phases: manufacturing the building materials, MEMBERS Lafarge has committed to the Energy Efficiency construction, maintenance or demolition. Lafarge (Co-chair), in Buildings (EEB) project under the umbrella Clearly, increased energy efficiency at any stage United Technologies of the WBCSD. The main aim of the project is in the life cycle is welcome but the biggest gains Corp. (Co-chair), to map out a transition to a 2050 world where are available from use. The study concludes: Actelios, ArcelorMittal, buildings use zero net energy. The basic idea “Technology available today can achieve Bosch, Cemex, DuPont, The French Pavilion for the Shanghai Exhibition in behind zero net energy is that the energy dramatic improvements in energy efficiency, EDF, Gaz de France, Kansai 2010. Designed by the consumed by a building is equal to or lesser but market failures and behavioural barriers are Electric Power Company, architect Jacques Ferrier, its insulation and utility than the energy it produces. It is easy to state blocking progress…”. The cost of green build - Philips, Skanska, Sonae systems reduce energy the goal but hard to get there. Such a profound ings, for example, is vastly overestimated. Now Sierra, Tepco. consumption and therefore CO2 emissions. change can only be built on a thorough and EEB is pursuing its efforts and is drafting a Its envelope is made of detailed under standing of the complex factors preliminary roadmap action plan setting out high-performance concrete. that determine energy use in buildings. So EEB how the challenges may be solved. ■

PAGE 46 | LAFARGE | OCTOBRE 2008 | CRESCENDO HORS-SÉRIE CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 47 Putting innovation at the heart of its strategy, Lafarge is a pioneer in the design of new materials. Its high performance concretes open up new architectural perspectives and are changing construction methods.

At the cutting edge of innovation

of products with unique characteristics. To lead the research effort into matter, in 1887 Lafarge set up a Laboratory, which was then the first such laboratory in the world and is now the world’s leading center in the field of building materials. “ nnovation has to be one of the drivers of our This center, transferred to L’Isle-d’Abeau (Rhone, strategy,” says Bruno Lafont, Chairman and France) in 1990, houses over 200 researchers i CEO of Lafarge. “We want to put even more of some 15 different nationalities, with high- distance between ourselves and the compe- tech facilities enabling tests to be carried out in tition by exploiting our ability to launch new actual conditions. Elsewhere, the Group has

products on the market with added value for established numerous partnerships in the Kersalé (Concepteur lumière) - Doyelle (Architecte) Charles Lavigne Yann © Éric Tourneret Pont de Normandie, our customers and that offer new possibilities scientific field with universities from all over the France, by architect to architects.” world, as well as with other industrial groups Charles Lavigne. The innovative products developed by wishing to pool their resources in terms of Through the development of new properties, Lafarge thus help advance reflection into generating new and deeper knowledge on these concretes lend themselves to unique issues relating to town planning, sustainable concrete. uses, unimaginable even a few years ago. It is development and civil engineering. Moreover, the case with Ductal®, whose resistance to these new materials offer better working Multiple advantages stress, comparable to that of steel, made the conditions in the construction industry, via The development of innovative products construction of the Peace Bridge in Seoul productivity gains and a reduction in ambient revolves around several major objectives, relation to a standard solution. These new possible, a bridge only three centimeters thick pollution and excessively strenuous tasks. essentially dedicated to respect for the environ- concretes also offer greater ease of use, enabling for a span of 120 meters! The finished appear- ment. Reduction in the quantity of raw productivity gains and the easing of working ance of the materials, thanks to a much thinner A perfectible material materials, absence of metal reinforcing… New conditions on site. Thus, Agilia®, a self-positioning texture, is also improved. The Artevia® range of Composed of aggregates (ground rock) and concretes provide undeniable advantages and self-leveling concrete, requires no vibra- concretes comes in a wide variety of colors and TM sand, to which is added a little cement and when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions tion; Extensia allows for making large surface surface finishes for outdoor design. So for the water to bind the mixture, concrete relies on a resulting from construction work. ExtensiaTM area slabs with drying time reduced by half; Group innovation constitutes a long-term simple recipe, but the infinite number of allows, for example, for the making of floors finally, ChronoliaTM divides the dismantling of approach, which enables it to expand the possible formulations influence its properties. thinner than a traditional slab and requiring less formwork by three, which allows work to progress applications for its products and to provide A profound knowledge of the interactions than half of the raw materials. The same considerably faster. So many breakthroughs answers to the challenge set by sustainable ® between components thus enables the creation applies to Ductal , which emits half the CO2 in that are revolutionizing life on the building site. development. ■

PAGE 48 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | PAGE 49 At the cutting edge of research and innovation, ultra-high performance concretes are a concentrate of high-tech. Born out of the considerable progress in materials research, these products, by providing new possibilities, enrich the thinking about the town, CONTACTS sustainable construction and infrastructure. Senior Vice-President, Group Communications Sara Ravella [email protected] Phone: + 33 1 44 34 58 36 Vice-President, Group External Communications Stéphanie Tessier [email protected] Phone: + 33 1 44 34 92 32 Director, Architects Relations Léopold Lombard [email protected] Phone: + 33 1 44 34 12 91 1. Villa Navarra, Provence, France, a concrete roof made of Ductal®. Editor-in-chief 2. Queen Sophia Museum, Stéphanie Tessier extension made of Ductal®, Concept Test site for the innovative 1. New law courts in Pontoise, Madrid, Spain. 1. 87th Street bridge on Highway concrete ChronoliaTM, France, a building made of 69, made of Artevia®, Kansas Lafarge, Textuel Agilia®. City, Missouri, United States. Nice, France. Copy 1. Pouring a beam. 2. Station Lake City, Burnaby, 2. Paths made of colored 2. Resistance testing. British Columbia, Canada. Artevia® concrete, Coca-Cola Lafarge, Textuel Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, Printed by United States. E-Graphics Front cover Central Research Laboratory, ® technological center, pouring DUCTAL Central Research Laboratory, TM TM ® ® Technology Dept., close-up of of the innovative concrete Extensia , CHRONOLIA AGILIA Ductal®, the ultra-high performance ARTEVIA L’Isle-d’Abeau, France. ExtensiaTM concrete, ® A real technological breakthrough, Agilia is the first self-positioning and fiber reinforced concrete provides a A range of decorative concretes for L’Isle-d’Abeau, France. whose main challenge was time self-leveling concrete in the world. compressive strength six to eight outdoor use, Artevia® offers durable © Cyrille Dubreuil savings, ChronoliaTM is the answer to Needing no vibration, its use times greater and a flexural strength design solutions with many Page 2: a basic imperative in the building reduces noise pollution and eases ten times greater than a traditional advantages. These concretes are Church of Saint Pierre designed by Le Corbusier, Firminy, France. industry: setting times. With ultra- working conditions on site. Its fluidity concrete. Various formulations easily adaptable to complex shapes; New generation rapid setting, the formwork for this guarantees high filling quality for address different types of they are easy to maintain and are Photo credits pages 50 and 51, material can be removed after formwork and vertical elements, as applications. For the most rapidly installed. Their resistance to from left to right and top to bottom: © Hamilton De Oliveira - Rea. © Serge Henri. only four hours instead of the twelve well as perfect smoothness for slabs. demanding ones, metallic fibers wear and tear allows for highly © Serge Henri. © Éric Tourneret to twenty hours normally needed. The fine texture of this material also provide Ductal® with its outstanding durable installations. The range - Henri-Édouard Ciriani (Architect). concretes © Jack Clark - KJC Photography - Architecture Its fluid consistency allows for gives an exceptional finished ductile behaviour meaning it can is made up of several products with Ltd Stantec - Walter Francl Architect Inc. transportation and usage for up to appearance. All these properties bear significant load without brittle different surface finishes. Artevia® © Philippe Ruault - Rudy Ricciotti (Architect). © Gilles Clément (Architect) - Jean Nouvel two hours without affecting its allow for quicker implementation failure. The finished aspect is very Empreinte can be used for surfaces TM (Architect). © Ignus Gerber. © Roy Keck. EXTENSIA handling qualities. The time savings and, therefore, cost savings and smooth, thanks to its specific with varied motifs such as flag stones Back cover: TM ® ® Designed for large industrial or commercial surfaces, Extensia has the enable the doubling of daily improved productivity. The components. Ductal concrete is also or pavements. Artevia Relief Raffles Hôtel, Dubaï, built using advantage of low shrinkage and remarkable fluidity. Its formulation allows for the formwork operations and so lead robustness of Agilia® concrete is a durable material: its resistance produces the effect of material, Lafarge concrete. pouring of large surface area slabs with reduced numbers of joints, going up to considerable gains in productivity. perfectly well adapted to the pouring to corrosive environment, thanks to the impression of relief © P&G Bowater/ TIPS/Photononstop to 400 m2 with no joint, as opposed to 25 m2 for a standard concrete, This also implies significant of coping, slabs and floors, as well as 10 to 1000 times greater than given to the aggregates. Artevia® Printed on paper made thus reducing the risks of cracks and maintenance costs. Its high resistance cost savings and diminished use ■ Roche, Poli and Sable concretes offer to works with complex shapes. ordinary concretes, guarantees from wood from sustainably- PEFC/10-31-1087

PROMOUVOIR LA GESTION DURABLE to compression and traction allows for the designing of thin slabs and the of equipment, which has an impact on its exceptionally long life in severe three decorative finishes that imitate DE LA FORÊT grown trees. creation of floors adapted to multiple final uses. On building sites ExtensiaTM the duration of the building work. ■ environment, while its low the texture of other materials. Finally, presents another advantage: time. No prior reinforcing is necessary and drying environmental impact contributes Artevia® Color is a stained concrete, time is twice as fast as that of a traditional concrete. The small quantities to the reduction of the constructions’ available in a wide range of colors. ■ of raw materials needed (thinner slab and no metal reinforcing or fibers) also environmental footprint. Its primary

contributes to significantly reducing CO2 emissions during production. ■ energy requirements and its CO2 emissions into the atmosphere are reduced by half. ■ PAGE 50 | LAFARGE | OCTOBER 2008 | CRESCENDO SPECIAL EDITION Lafarge 61, rue des Belles Feuilles, BP 40, 75782 Paris Cedex 16, France

Phone: + 33 1 44341111 Fax: + 33 1 44341200