Built to change
Building better cities requires drastic improvements to health and wellbeing, environmental impacts, social cohesion, resource management and more. With more than 50 sustainable construction brands in one group, Saint-Gobain is perfectly placed to action these changes.
Founded in 1665 with a patent from Louis XIV, Saint-Gobain’s long, proud history gives it confidence to reinvent the future. Combine this with 160,000 employees operating in 76 countries and you have a world-leading group that can develop innovative solutions and make proactive decisions to fit local demands.
‘Light construction’ refers to innovative modes where non-load bearing walls are fixed to metal, concrete or timber skeletons. This optimises natural resource usage and reduces the environmental footprint.
The scale of Saint-Gobain’s innovation is shown by the fact that one in four products sold by the group today didn’t exist five years ago, thanks in part to the world’s first zero carbon plasterboard production (scope 1 and 2) and the launch of a hydrogen-based glass in 2023. And while these sustainable solutions are often first adopted by eye-catching new projects – the dramatic curve of Qatar’s Katara Towers, for example, or the 8.9km-wide CCLEX Bridge in The Philippines – they are also part of a wider vision that looks at society as a whole. For CEO Benoit Bazin, this begins by thinking about a building as much more than just four walls. “It’s a place where you take care of people, you cure people, you educate, you create and you spend time with your family,” he told Monocle Radio’s The Urbanist. By broadening the scope of light and sustainable construction in this way, the group not only contributes proactive solutions to landmark new-builds but also makes cost-effective products available to all levels of society and retro-fits historic buildings to meet modern environmental targets. This humanist approach is good for both the planet and the wellbeing of the population. And by focusing on these benefits and prioritising quality of life, Saint-Gobain is fulfilling its ambition to make the world a better home.
