the rebirth of cut stone

In new neighborhoods, cut stone is making a comeback, considered nobler and more ecological. In Clamart, in Hauts-de-Seine, Julien Narayanin, the general director of Verrechia, is building 600 massive stone housing units, 40% of which are social housing. The contractor specializing in cut stone emphasizes that it consumes less energy than concrete, cooked at high temperatures.

Stones of French origin

Its stones are also “made in France”. “The deposits are always local to the construction sites. We have an incalculable number of resources in France“, he says. Beneath the beet fields of Picardy, a quarry exploited since the 18th century is once again running at full capacity. Nearly 200 tonnes of stones leave the quarry every day, before being cut to the millimeter by using a laser.

They are then assembled on increasingly numerous construction sites. The orders are so large that they are largely imported from Spain or Portugal. If the material is more noble and ecological, it also costs more.