CEMEX has helped to overcome exceptional structural constraints during the completion of the Duo towers in Paris, designed by eminent architect Ateliers Jean Nouvel and built by VINCI subsidiary Bateg over three years.
The towers reach 180m high and 39 floors for the first, and 125m and 28 floors for the second. CEMEX delivered more than 40,000m3 of concrete for this impressive achievement, including low carbon formulations, and removed 42,000 tonnes or spoil materials via its multimodal transport network.
These multi-use skyscrapers presented huge technical challenges to the construction team as they are inclined at an angle of 5° (more than the leaning tower of Pisa) and were built on a very narrow site. The foundations, diaphragm walls and nine basement levels required specialist concrete to enable long six-hour pours and high-quality facings.
Of the 40,000m3 of ready-mixed concrete supplied from local CEMEX units, 25% was for concrete foundations for diaphragm walls, and 75% for civil engineering and architectural concrete for elevations. The client also required high-performance concrete for pouring a mega-beam supporting all the towers and with an integrated cooling system. The latter was designed and delivered by the Paris Port-Victor production unit. All the concrete was designed with formulations to reduce the building’s carbon footprint, particularly for the foundations.
In 2021, 150m3 of black decorative concrete was pumped to construct the terraces of the two towers, while fast-drying anhydrite screed was installed on nearly 2,000m² of heated floors. In addition, during these three years, thanks to its robust multimodal logistics system, CEMEX will have evacuated almost all of the spoil – nearly 42,000 tonnes.
The strong commitment of CEMEX’s technical teams ensured the success of the operation. For a complex project like this, excellent communication between the various CEMEX departments (commercial, technical, production) and the concrete manufacturing teams enabled smooth and consistent concrete deliveries during long days and weekends.
