Lafarge Couverture has requested GSE to construct their new clay tile production factory at Limoux, in the Aude area.  This project is situated on a plot of 15 hectares, with an area of construction of 27 700 m² and external storage area of 75 000 m². The laying of the first stone to mark the opening of this site took place on Monday 25 July. This construction also calls upon all aspects of GSE’s expertise, in particular the management of the interface between the construction and the process equipment, with the civil engineering associated with processing (kiln, dryer, crushing, clay storage etc.).  Certain areas of the building are to be made available for processing equipment installation before final handover, which is planned for June 2006. This global approach to the project has enabled Lafarge Couverture to reduce the operational deadline considerably, with production equipment testing due to commence at the start of the summer of 2006. The architect selected for this project is Crossman at Limoux (in the Aude area).

		Technical description
		Metal frame construction with double layer cladding and watertight steel tray roofing. Construction of building platform of excavated material and infill with soil and cement. Civil engineering and slab associated with the processing equipment (paving, deep foundation, silos, ditches, drainage channels etc.). Special foundations (compacted columns) Technical work packages for building and processing equipment such as the electrics (medium / low voltage transformer), gas, water and compressed air Associated secondary trades Large exterior storage surface areas and arterial roads of sand asphalt Treatment of storm water via petrol separators and storm basin with leak flow

		Surface area table
		Production unit and crushing zone / clay storage: 25 100 m² Offices and social areas: 1 250 m² Plant rooms and workshop: 200 m² Canopies: 600 m² Site head building: 150 m² Resale building:  400 m² Total:  27 700: m²

		Construction previously carried out by GSE for the Lafarge group
		This construction is not the first of its kind, since a professional relationship has existed between the two groups for over 15 years.  GSE has in fact delivered over 110 000 m² of constructed surface area to Lafarge: seven powder and plaster board production units have been constructed for Lafarge Plâtres in France; the first one in 1989 at Saint-Loubès (in the Gironde area), and thereafter in Germany (at Lubbenau and Lippendorf), in Poland (Gacki) and in China (Shanghai). in 2002 GSE also constructed two buildings for the world technology centre of the Lafarge group specialising in research into construction materials: 4 900 m² of laboratories and 800 m² of office space.  The site was designed to house various branches of the Lafarge group.