Consumption: flax, a building material for the future

Published

Article written by

M. Buisson, M. Nicolin, S. Letournel, S. Gerain, O. Flavien, C.Beauvalet, images R. Christol Outremer Catamarans and Proesler Kommunikation GmbH IV3 Nantes and Rouen – France 3

France Televisions

The small blue or white flax flowers can be used to make boat hulls and even bridges. The world’s first flax bridge was inaugurated in the Netherlands. Tres resistant, with a low ecological impact, linen inspires engineers.

Delicate flax flowers are the future of even the most unexpected green buildings. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, A bridge was built, no with some concrete, but with flax fibres. It was made in a Normandy company from plant matter and bio resin. “Today, by using flax, we are proving that we are moving to biosourced materials, with rather renewable and above all local resources”says Gwenn Prévost, research and development engineer EcoTechnilin.

Linen is ecological, but also light and efficient. It was in a field of flax that navigator Roland Jourdain had the revelation: he built his new boat 50% with flax fibres. UA Norman cooperative produced the plant material: one hectare of linen just for the hull of the boat. Will it be as fast as a fiberglass ship? Answer in November, where he will start the Route du Rhum.


team of the week

  • Editor-in-chief

    Pierre-Yves Grenu

  • Deputy editor-in-chief

    Valerie Houart, Eric Brisson

  • Editor

  • Joker

The weekend team

  • Editor-in-chief

    Catherine Raymond

  • Deputy editor-in-chief

    Jerome Dorville, Daniel Ielli

  • Editor

  • Joker

view all magazines

Newsletter subscription

all the news in video

Receive the essentials of our news with our newsletter

Newsletter subscription

articles on the same topic

Seen from Europe

Franceinfo selects daily content from European public audiovisual media, members of Eurovision. These contents are published in English or French.


source site-23

Latest