100 years of milling history brought to life with KNOPP

Between Villette and Pantin, the majestic silhouette of Grands Moulins de Pantin rises. For more than a century, this former milling company has shaped the east of Paris and it is historically one of the most important industrial cultural assets of the city. With 24 mills, the plant was responsible for supplying the capital with flour. The wheat came from the farms of the Brie and Beauce regions. Over the years, the complex has undergone various expansions, conversions and renovations. In particular during the Second World War, there was massive damage, which was repaired at lightning speed after the war ended. After Soufflet Group took over the plant and ran it until the end of business, the owners, La Ville de Pantin and the Soufflet Group, have been working on an ambitious transformation plan. Their plan: The former industrial complex was to be turned into offices and commercial premises, taking care to preserve as much of the existing building fabric as possible. The renowned architectural firm Reichen et Robert, specialists in the renovation of listed buildings, was commissioned with the implementation. The project was budgeted at 85 million euros. In addition to the renovation of 20,000m² of the existing buildings, around 35,000m² of new building space will be created. The materials used emphasise the industrial background of the building complex. The old brick facade was deliberately carved out and a perfect symbiosis of old and new architecture was created by combining it with modern glass elements. This concept is also continued in the interior of the buildings. In terms of floor space, the requirements were correspondingly high due to the planned commercial use. For the screed on insulation, a screed grade of CT-C35C-F6 was the declared goal, where the available construction height of the screed varied greatly due to the structure. In order to ensure a sufficient strength cushion even in the case of reduced thicknesses, the client relied on the use of the CONTOPP® Fibres Compound Duremit for the screed layer. Thanks to the Avis Technique, this product allows the omission of the unpopular reinforcement grids, which often contributed to the reduction of the screed quality by creating an artificial predetermined breaking point within the screed. Not to mention the additional time required by the previous laying of the test grids. Thanks to the easy processability of the CONTOPP® Fibres Compound Duremit, all the work was easy to do and could therefore be completed within the set time frame, to the satisfaction of everyone.