Saint-Gobain: building evolution throughout history

Over time, Saint-Gobain materials and solutions have contributed in the construction, finishing and rehabilitation of some of the most important buildings of the world.

2015-08-31 08:19:51

Due to the fact that its construction materials are an integral part of architecture, the group became a leading company to significantly expand our evolution as a society. With a continuous focus on innovation, learning from the past and anticipating the future, Saint-Gobain understood that architecture defines the civilization and culture, defining the surrounding landscape as well.
Saint-Gobain portfolio includes old and iconic landmarks, magnificent skyscrapers, offices with a revolutionary design, safe and colorful schools, sustainable and comfortable homes and many others, being an important part of architectural projects in every corner of the world-from Versailles Palace to the modern research centers in the frozen North of Europe.

"Since taking its first pioneering steps in the architectural world, Saint-Gobain has followed a path of continuous improvement and innovation. The Louvre, the Bolshoi National Theatre, the Statue of Liberty, Maracana Stadium, the International airport of Copenhagen are just some of the greatest world buildings that Saint-Gobain contributed to with its products," said Constantin Hariton, Deputy General Delegate of Saint-Gobain Group in Romania.

The milestones of Saint-Gobain's journey in the architectural world:

• It begins in the late eighteenth century with the so-called Immeuble classique (Classical building), a period characterized by an urban accumulation phenomenon. Saint-Gobain materials and solutions contributed by embellishing the rooms with big mirrors and building upper floors, considered to be a distinctive sign of nobility. One of the best examples is the famous Hall of Mirrors of Versailles. In this hall, mirrors play an impressive role in creating the final effect. The 375 mirrors were made by Saint-Gobain in 1684, one of its first orders and, without any doubt, the most important of those times.

• The profound changes in the world architecture from the beginning of XXth century found Saint-Gobain ready to face new requirements. Its materials and solutions were used in landmark buildings by Le Corbusier to build its representative Villa Savoye or by Cass Gilbert for Woolworth Building (1913), one of the first skyscraper building ever made. In the USA, Saint-Gobain contributed to the construction of one of the oldest and inspiring skyscrapers.

• Moving quickly into the blooming modern architecture century, we can find many other
Le Corbusier buildings, made with ISOVER insulating materials, a symbol of this type of building being La Cité Radieuse from Marseille. As the architecture focus changed, the interest in top materials and solutions that provided soundproofing developed more and more. This is also the time of the constructions of Palais de Festival, the building that held the first edition of the Cannes festival back in 1939.

• Under the pressure of demands such as sustainable development, energy efficiency and environmental protection, contemporary architecture aimed at innovation and revolutionary technical and aesthetics solutions. Under the Saint-Gobain Habitat strategy, there was developed the Multi-Comfort House concept for buildings with low-energy consumption, thermal, acoustic, and aesthetic comfort, with a perfectly healthy internal climate (natural light and fresh air). Besides the provided comfort, it produces more energy than it consumes, all by using the high-performance materials from about 15 Saint-Gobain brands. Such houses are exemplary because they meet the regulatory requirements for energy efficiency, and above all, because they also guarantee real living comfort for the families who inhabit them. In 2011 the concept has been successfully launched also in Romania, through a house that was built within Bucharest Politehnica University.

• The houses of the future were imagined by some of the greatest architects in the world. For Matti Suuronen, the famous Finish artist, they all have one thing in common: they are built with Saint-Gobain materials and solutions. The « green » homes of the future will have to be a lot more forward-thinking: renewable energy, compact sizes, mobility and decreased waste are all important factors. The integration of smart houses of the future with other smarter elements of cities such as Internet of Things will achieve a significant enhancement of the quality of life and a stronger urban sustainability.

Due to Saint-Gobain's long journey in the architectural world, constant aim to innovate and develop new solutions, products and services, Saint-Gobain companies in Romania were able to offer the best solutions for the most important rehabilitation projects of the landmark buildings in Bucharest and in other cities. The National Art Museum, former Royal Palace had its ceiling restored with Rigips materials and solutions, while for the renovation of the French Embassy in Bucharest, a historical building as well, were used SGG Planiclear and SGG Planitherm 4S Evolution. The Palace of Justice projected by the French architect A. Ballu and built under Ion Mincu's supervision was also restored with Saint-Gobain Rigips materials, as well as The Romanian Athenaeum. The National Museum of Contemporary Art was also redeveloped using Saint-Gobain Rigips materials, just like The University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi or The National Theater in Bucharest.
Besides its presence in big rehabilitation projects, Saint-Gobain supplied solutions and products to the most representative buildings made in Romania in the last 25 years :
World Trade Center, Regina Maria Maternity, Grigore Alexandrescu hospital, Bucharest Public Chamber of Notaries, office buildings like: Sky Tower, Floreasca Park, City Gate, S-Park, Crystal Tower and hotels like: Athenee Palace Hilton, Pullman, JW Marriott and Cismigiu, Continental Sibiu, Central Plaza Piatra Neamt and shopping malls : Plaza Romania, Baneasa Shopping City, Promenada Mall, Shopping City Ploiesti and many others.

In 2015, Saint-Gobain is celebrating its 350th anniversary, 350 reasons to believe in the future. Backed by its experience and its capacity to continuously innovate, Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction market, designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance and building materials providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection. With 2014 sales of €41 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has over 180,000 employees. For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and the twitter account @saintgobain.

In Romania, Saint-Gobain has eight activities (Abrasives, Brodrene Dahl, Glass, Isover, MTI Impex, PAM, Rigips and Weber), with approximately 1,100 employees and operates 12 production facilities in eight industrial sites located in Brasov, Brăneşti, Calarasi, Ploiesti, Satu-Mare, Tulcea, Turda and Suceava.