Cycle terre

Objectives

Cycle Terre, carried out from 2018 to 2021 and funded by the European Urban Innovative Action (UIA) fund, aimed to create a raw earth materials factory in Sevran. As part of a short supply chain approach, the project experimented with the local reuse of excavated earth from Grand Paris construction sites in the Île-de-France region, transforming it into building materials. This earth, defined as ‘natural or anthropogenic geological materials — soil, rock or fill — extracted during earthworks and not reused at their site of origin’, was the factory's raw material.

Using this excavated material, Cycle Terre developed a production process for raw earth materials, including compressed earth blocks, mortars and renders, and conducted trials on extruded clay panels. The aim was to make use of a resource usually considered waste while helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector. The project also contributed to the creation of local jobs and training in raw earth crafts, directly linked to the establishment of the factory in Sevran.

Supported by a consortium of thirteen partners — the City of Sevran, Grand Paris Aménagement, Société du Grand Paris, QUARTUS, Joly&Loiret, Antea Group, ECT, Gustave Eiffel University, Sciences Po, ENSAG, Compétences Emploi Sevran, CRAterre and amàco — Cycle Terre is positioning itself as a laboratory for raw earth building materials and a base for the emergence of a raw earth industry in the Île-de-France region.From its inception, the project has brought together complementary skills around a shared goal: to transform the excavated material from the Grand Paris project into building materials with low environmental impact. This collaboration has made it possible to intervene across the entire value chain, from knowledge of the subsoil to the integration of materials into architectural projects, including transformation processes, material formulation and characterisation, Atex drafting and territorial anchoring.Thanks to this synergy, the factory was able to start operating in autumn 2021, marking a decisive step in the structuring and recognition of the raw earth sector in the Île-de-France region.

Results

1 platform soil preparation platform located less than 10 km from the factory (selects suitable soil, stores homogeneous batches, prepares (grinding and drying) excavated soil, supplies the factory with ready-to-use raw materials);
A factory in Sevran (93) producing raw earth building materials from excavated soil from the Grand Paris construction sites (with 3 production lines: mortar, plaster, BTC);
Raw earth materials produced and sold locally, used on nearby construction sites;
1 guide for project leaders on the use of raw earth in construction;
1 design and construction guide for Cycle Terre materials;
3 FDES (Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets) on Cycle Terre products, for RE2020 reports;
3 type A Atex certifications: interior facing walls in BTC, BTC masonry partitions, BTC infill wall processes;
Cycle Terre selected as an industrial demonstrator for the Sustainable City (French Ministry of Ecological Transition).

Resources

Partners

City of Sevran, Grand Paris Aménagement, Société du Grand Paris, QUARTUS, Joly&Loiret, Antea Group, ECT, Gustave Eiffel University, Sciences Po, ENSAG, Compétences Emploi Sevran, CRAterre, amàco