Solihull,England-based
Portland House, the company’s low-energy headquarters near Birmingham International Airport has undergone a major internal refurbishment to ensure that the offices can now accommodate up to 500 Lafarge Tarmac employees.
Cyrille Ragoucy, Lafarge Tarmac CEO said: “This is a big day for us, and we were delighted to welcome Caroline to Portland House to mark this special occasion. It was good to meet her and provide her with an overview of our business. She was extremely interested to meet our colleagues and hear about the important contribution that we are making to the regional and national economies, and the role that our innovative products are making to the future of UK construction.”
Caroline Spelman said: “I feel privileged to have been invited to inaugurate the building and visit such an exceptional site. It’s great to see that a business based in the heart of the UK with fantastic transport links is developing products, which are making a positive contribution to the sustainability of the built environment.”
The state-of-the-art sustainable building, which was constructed in 2007 using the company’s materials, reduces the need for heating and cooling with its innovative concrete design.
Lafarge Tarmac provides cement and lime, aggregates, ready mix concrete asphalt, and recycling services, as well as operating the UK’s largest road contracting business to construction customers across the UK. It has a 5,500-strong UK workforce and has worked on some of the UK’s biggest construction projects, including Wembley Stadium, Heathrow Terminal 5, The Shard and London 2012.
Mrs Spelman was joined by over 100 employees for a celebratory lunch at Portland House before being briefed by the CEO on the company’s plans and its contribution to the region’s economy, as well as its importance to UK construction.
Employees marked Mrs Spelman’s visit to Portland House by presenting her with a clock specially manufactured from polished Agilia, one of the company’s high-quality, high tech concretes.
