Lea Ceramiche celebrates the inauguration of the Saint Denis Pleyel Station

Lea Ceramiche, the renowned Italian brand that combines visionary design and technological performance, is celebrating the inauguration of the Saint-Denis - Pleyel station, an integral part of the Grand Paris Express network and the main gateway to the Olympic Village. Designed by Kengo Kuma, one of Japan's most important and internationally renowned architects, this outstanding architectural project is a perfect combination of creativity and functionality.

Saint-Denis - Pleyel station is in an area undergoing a complete transformation to become the central hub of the northern Paris region. Located in the Saint-Denis district, close to Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine and Île-Saint-Denis, it will have three entrances, including one from the future Franchissement Urbain Pleyel, linking the Pleyel and La Plaine districts. The only station in the network to connect four metro lines, it will welcome 250,000 passengers a day - the highest number of passengers of any new Grand Paris Express station - on a total surface area of 34,000 m² spread over nine levels, with shops and an area reserved for tourist and cultural facilities that will benefit the local community well beyond the Olympic adventure.

"We are delighted to be involved in projects of such prestige for the city of Paris, especially at this crucial moment. The interior flooring of the Saint Denis - Pleyel station, made exclusively with Lea Ceramiche surfaces, is proof of the brand's ability to place itself at the service of the most ambitious and demanding projects" said Andrea Anghinetti, Brand Manager of Lea Ceramiche.

The inauguration of the station is part of the wider development of the Grand Paris Express project, currently the largest infrastructure plan in Europe, which involves the construction of more than 200 kilometres of new tracks and 68 new interconnected stations in the Île-de-France region by 2030.

"We are proud to contribute to the transformation of one of the most important European capitals and to play a leading role in the opening of the main entrance to the Olympic Village," said Emilio Mussini, President of Panariagroup. "Our cutting-edge technical solutions and dedicated service enable us to operate in both the residential and major projects sectors, including infrastructure. This leading international position allows us to look forward optimistically to the global market, and the French market in particular.”

The Grand Paris Express (GPE) project is now well underway, thanks to which the Ile-de-France will implement 200 kilometres of new tracks and 68 new interconnected stations by 2030. To make this plan a reality, Société du Grand Paris (SGP), the company set up to manage the public project, launched a public tender, at the end of which Lea was awarded 50% of the supply of ceramic surfaces necessary for the project, that is, more than 110,000 square metres of product that will be used for the flooring and wall covering of no less than 28 stations.

For their realisation, it was necessary to have an industrial material with very high resistance and technical performance. In addition, the essential condition for the choice of partners was that the proposed system of materials, i.e. the set of screed, glue, ceramic slab, cement joint and expansion joints, obtained the ATEx certification (Appréciation Technique d’Expérimentation). Specifically, it is a technical evaluation procedure on innovative products or solutions, thanks to which it is certified that the materials are recognised in accordance with the law through an authentication document issued exclusively by the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB). For the specific order, therefore, Lea Ceramiche participated in the tender together with a consortium of other companies - Mapei, CS Group and Pedrazzini - which will provide the remaining necessary materials.