Word: ferrier
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French Architect Jacques Ferrier is a big fan of concrete. He has used it extensively in his latest work, including his design of the French pavilion for the 2010 World's Fair in Shanghai, and believes it has strong aesthetic appeal. "It has a sensuality," he enthuses. "It evokes images of white minerality." Most of all, Ferrier praises concrete for its environmental friendliness. One of his concept projects is Hypergreen, a showcase tower with a curved, concrete lattice façade, designed to generate enough energy to meet most of its own needs...
...compounds--and is being heavily marketed as "a new era in sustainability and performance." At the R&D center of French cement giant Lafarge, director Pascal Casanova waxes lyrical about Ductal, a superresilient concrete the center developed that he calls the Formula One of concrete. It's what architect Ferrier used in his 807-ft. (246 m) Hypergreen tower, a project that wouldn't have been possible with regular concrete...
...efficient when used in buildings. It insulates well because it's poured and thus doesn't let in wind and water. Its density also means that it stores heat during the day and releases it at night, making it possible to save on air-conditioning and heating. Architects including Ferrier are playing with such possibilities as they design their new buildings. And the ultra-high-performance concretes can be put to surprising uses: in a showroom on the Lafarge campus, there's a table made of concrete that is so thin and elegant that from a distance it looks...
Back in Paris, architect Ferrier acknowledges that some clients are skeptical when he proposes concrete to them. But "the environmental advantage is clear: zero maintenance, zero painting and a very long life," he says. As soon as the price drops, he adds, "we'll be able to explore more...
Back in Paris, architect Ferrier acknowledges that some clients are skeptical when he proposes concrete. But "the environmental advantage is clear: zero maintenance, zero painting and a very long life," he says. As soon as the price drops, he says, "we'll be able to explore more...