Chair Ecole des Ponts Paristech - Lafarge

Taking you to the heart of
Materials Science for
Sustainable Construction
Chair
ÉCOLE
DES PONTS
PARISTECH
LAFARGE

“
PAUL ACKER – Scientific
Director, Lafarge Research
Center
Industrial research needs very high level
scientists who are multidisciplinary and
trained in the latest advances in
sustainable construction. That is why
Lafarge helped to design the master’s in
Materials Science for Sustainable
Construction and continues to support
it today through this chair.”
A unique
training program
The master’s in Materials Science
for Sustainable Construction (SMCD)
combines advanced skills in the fields
of physics, mechanics and chemistry
to develop an international-level training
and research program focusing on
sustainable development challenges.
This high-level course adopts an interdisciplinary approach
to the engineering of building materials. The
course combines cutting-edge scientific knowledge
with the acquisition of technical skills and expertise
in specific industrial methodologies and tools, incorporating
an in-depth analysis of current sustainable
construction challenges.
MATTHIEU VANDAMME – École des Ponts
ParisTech – Chair Coordinator
“Through its support, this chair allows us
to expand our civil engineering offer
in training through research at the École
des Ponts ParisTech. The key characteristic
of this course is its interdisciplinarity,
which enhances our overall offer and gives
it more consistency.”
The objective of this course is to develop the fundamental
scientific skills required to address complex
materials, incorporating environmental and energy issues
linked to materials.
The teaching and research team draws on the high
level of teaching developed by the École des Ponts
ParisTech in thermodynamics, thermomechanics and
micromechanics of complex continuous media. It
also benefits from the industrial expertise of the Lafarge
Research Center, whose engineers and researchers
share their knowledge and experience in
the design and implementation of building materials.
Organized around eight thematic modules corresponding
to the various scientific disciplines, the master’s prepares
engineers for working in R&D within cutting-edge companies
and large research organizations.

Over the past few decades,
an interdisciplinary scientific
approach to building materials
has improved their properties,
sometimes spectacularly, while
reducing their environmental
footprint.
Building
the future
by 2050 the world’s population is forecast to exceed 9 billion people.
This will create immense housing and infrastructure needs, which must
be met whilst also protecting the environment, since climate change and
the increasing scarcity of the planet’s natural resources call for a new way
of designing, producing and building. This is the major challenge facing
the construction sector today. Over the past few decades, many innovations
have improved the properties of materials, sometimes spectacularly,
while reducing their environmental footprint: ultra-high performance fiberreinforced
concretes, self-leveling concretes, concretes with low thermal
conductivity, etc.
Innovating by creating materials and structures to respond to current sustainable
development requirements raises numerous challenges. Innovation should make it
possible to significantly reduce materials’ environmental footprint at every stage in their
lifecycle, from their production to their recycling.
These innovations have been made possible thanks to an interdisciplinary
scientific approach, combining physicochemistry, mechanics and advanced
observation and digital simulation tools. This approach allows genuine
engineering of materials, which now appears to be a major lever in
tackling the challenge of sustainable construction and so responding to
the needs of a developing world, without compromising the future for subsequent
generations.

A TRAINING PROGRAM IN WHICH INTERDISCIPLINARITY IS KEY
This high-level course relies on both the fundamental knowledge of the professors
at the École des Ponts ParisTech and on the applied knowledge of Lafarge engineers
and researchers.
, , ,
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
Presentation of economic,
environmental and social challenges
linked to the production and use
of construction materials. Analysis
of materials’ lifecycle.
,
MIXTURE AND SEGREGATION
OF FLUIDS AND GRANULAR
MATERIALS
Studies of the concepts and
mechanisms involved in the
evolution of fluid and granular
materials. Mixing effect on end
properties (microstructure,
chemical consistency, etc.).
,
RHEOPHYSICS AND SOFT
MATTER – COMPLEX FLUIDS
Analysis of the rheophysical behavior
of pastes and mixtures. Formulation
methods to facilitate their application
under all conditions, reducing their
environmental impact and improving
the quality and aesthetics of end
structures.
GRÉGORY CARATINI,
Class of 2009,
PhD student at
Laboratoire Navier.
PHYSICOCHEMISTRY
OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Study of physicochemical
mechanisms of hydraulic binders
and their interaction with
the environment. Presentation
of the main techniques for modifying
these mechanisms.
,
MOLECULAR SIMULATION
Study of the principles allowing
the deduction of information from
a microscopic physical system on
a macroscopic scale. Digital methods
for assessing a system’s average
properties.
,
DISORDERED MEDIA
AND EXPERIMENTAL
PHYSICAL TOOLS
Presentation of the latest results
in the observation and physical
characterization of the microstructure
of materials.
MICROMECHANICS
Introduction to the techniques
of changing scale applied to the
modeling of the behavior of materials.
,
MECHANICS AND PHYSICS
OF POROUS SOLIDS
Analysis and laboratory
experimentation involving
various phenomena affecting
materials: hydric transport,
crystallization, thermo-hydromechanical
coupling, etc.
,
RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS
As part of the SMCD master’s, four to
six months are spent on an internship
in an academic or industrial research
center.
,
A detailed description of the
content of each of these courses
can be consulted online.
http://master-smcd.enpc.fr
’’Followi ng civil engineering studies at the ENS
in Cachan, in the second year of the master’s of science
I opted for the master’s in Materials Science for Sustainable
Construction. Approaching the vast field of materials
science from a multidisciplinary perspective,
combining chemistry, physics and mechanics,
is the major strength of this course. I am convinced
that future advances lie at the intersection of these
different disciplines.”

THE INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION
OFFERED BY THE CHAIR
The Chair finances the following:
TEACHING BY GUEST
PROFESSORS
Professors and researchers
from the most prestigious
universities in the world (MIT,
Princeton, Berkeley, Imperial
College, École Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne, etc.)
are invited to speak as part of
the SMCD master’s.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
Leading specialists are invited
to workshops to discuss
industrial issues which
Lafarge researchers have
translated into scientific
problems.
JIA WANG,
Class of 2007,
Engineer at the Lafarge
Research Center.
STUDENT EXCHANGES
Grants allow partner
universities abroad (in China,
Russia, India, etc.) to send their
best students to the École des
Ponts ParisTech to study for the
SMCD master’s.
PLACEMENTS ABROAD
In order to learn to work in
a multicultural environment,
students are offered the
opportunity to carry out part
of their course in a foreign
country.
SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH
The conclusions of research
projects may be published in
journals with an international
reach.
’’
CAREERS
A program offering highlevel
career opportunities.
,
SOUGHT-AFTER EXPERTISE
The knowledge acquired through the
SMCD master’s makes it possible to
access theses and research positions
in the most relevant areas of
contemporary research and so, in due
course, to attain positions of
responsibility in fields where R&D is
becoming increasingly strategic.
Photos
> Microstructuration test
> Lafarge Research Center
Image obtained using SEM –
Scanning Electron Microscopy –
in secondary electron mode,
at various magnifications on
samples of cementitious fly ash.
> Lafarge Research Center: Polymers
and Interfaces competency group.
My engineering studies in Beijing, a dual-curriculum at the
École des Ponts ParisTech and the École d’architecture
de Marne-la-Vallée and an engineering course made me want
to pursue research in science, but in a field related to industry.
The SMCD master’s was the perfect solution. My thesis at the
Lafarge Research Center was related to the hydration of a new
cement enabling a reduction in CO2 emissions, and
I am now working for Lafarge in China on an innovative
concrete project for the city of Chongqing.”

Lafarge is the world leader in building materials and places innovation
at the heart of its priorities, devoting around 150 million
euros a year to designing new products and improving industrial
processes. The Group has created the world’s leading research
center for building materials, which works in close collaboration
with an international network of technical centers and laboratories
organized by activity to develop new construction solutions.
Founded in 1747, the École des Ponts ParisTech provides master’s
and doctorate degrees and continuing education for engineers
with high-level scientific and general skills who go on to hold
positions of responsibility in national planning and development,
construction, transport, industry and the environment.
The education provided is at the intersection of fundamental and
applied research. The school, which is in constant contact with
companies and public authorities, works with numerous international
partners.
ADMISSIONS
École des Ponts ParisTech, 6 et 8 avenue Blaise-Pascal, Cité Descartes, Champs-sur-Marne, 77445 Marne-la-Vallée Cedex.
Tel: +33 (0)1 64 15 30 00.
The enrolment form is available to download from the site: http://master-smcd.enpc.fr
Xavier Chateau – Director of the SMCD master’s – xavier.chateau@enpc.fr
Alice Tran – Assistant to the SMCD master’s – alice.tran@enpc.fr
GRANTS
Thanks to support from the Chair, the École des Ponts ParisTech offers grants to SMCD master’s students.
Matthieu Vandamme – Chair Coordinator – matthieu.vandamme@enpc.fr
> Cover photo: Lafarge Research Center: Analyses and Measurements competency group.
ÉCOLE DES PONTS
PARISTECH
6 et 8 avenue Blaise-PascaI
Cité Descartes
Champs-sur-Marne
77455 Marne-la-Vallée Cedex, France
www.enpc.fr
LAFARGE
61, rue des Belles-Feuilles,
BP 40
75782 Paris Cedex 16, France
Tel.: +33 1 44 34 11 11
Fax: +33 1 44 34 12 00
www.lafarge.com