Panariagroup, with Lea Ceramiche, participates in the cladding of the new Paris stations

In preparation for the 2024 Olympics, Paris moves forward with construction of its four new metro lines. Lea Ceramiche is one of the two suppliers of ceramic surfaces for the largest construction project in Europe, that has recently been recognised by Harvard for its high innovative value.

The Grand Paris Express project is now well underway. This project will add 200 km of new tracks and 68 new interconnected stations by 2030 in Ile-de-France. To implement the plan, the Société du Grand Paris, a company formed to manage this public project, launched a public tender through which Lea Ceramiche – historic brand of Panariagroup – was awarded 50% of the supply of ceramic surfaces necessary for the project, equal to more than 110,000 square meters of product, which will be used for the flooring of 28 stations.

The Grand Paris Express is currently the largest infrastructural project in Europe. It consists of four new train lines and also includes the extension of the existing metro lines, as well as a general overhaul of the public transportation system of the Ile-de-France region.

Out of a total of 200 km of tracks, 90% will be underground and fitted with completely automated trains which will transport more than 2 million passengers per day, connecting the centre of Paris to its most isolated suburbs. The project, which broke ground in 2020, is due to be completed by 2030 and is an integral part of the project which made it possible for Paris to win the bid for the 2024 Olympic Games.

By virtue of its extraordinarily high value in terms of new standards of innovation in the field of urban design and sustainable development, the project also won the 14^th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, the most prestigious biennial prize awarded by the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, which acknowledges outstanding urban design projects developed around the world over the past 10 years.

As a result of the awarding of the tender, starting in May 2022 Lea Ceramiche supplied the ceramic products for the Orly airport train station – commissioned by Aéroport de Paris – covering more than 7,000 square meters of surface area in what will be one of the most important stations in Paris and where the 14 (expected to open in 2024) and 18 (expected to open in 2027) lines of the Paris metro will make stops.

After the collaboration with renowned French designers like Norguet and Nigro, and supplying products for important public and private projects, including the cladding for the Porte de Versailles metro stop, McDonald’s, Okko, and Société Générale, the commission for Grand Paris Express further confirms Panariagroup and its brands as an ideal partner for major projects around the world.