History

Archaeologists have found vestiges of gypsum on walls dating back to 9000 B.C. in Anatolia, Turkey. Traces of gypsum have also been found in ancient Egypt and Greece.
During the late Middle Ages, Islamic civilization reinvented the use of gypsum, sculpting delicate arabesques to decorate mosques and palaces.

Over the centuries, its fire-resistant qualities have made it an indispensable building material. In 1667, 1 year after the Great Fire of London, Louis XIV issued in France an edict requiring a coating of the material on the interior and exterior of buildings to reduce the risk of fire spreading.

In the early 19th century, small companies specializing in the production and use of gypsum began to appear.

In France, the Parisian industry controlled more than 80% of the market. Of the 2 million tons of gypsum consumed in the country at the beginning of the century, the Paris basin produced over 1.7 million!

The forerunner of plasterboard was invented in the United States in 1894 by Augustine Sackett. The principle was that of a panel "sandwich" made up of a gypsum core with sheets of cardboard stuck to each side.

Following the depression of the 1930s and the Second World War, industries in many Western countries found themselves in a difficult situation. They needed considerable quantities of materials, but their resources and techniques were obsolete.
With support from the Marshall Plan, experts went in the United States to study new, rapid and productive building techniques. Plasterboard became an obvious choice.

The installation of plasterboard with 4 tapered edges prevents overlap at the transversal joins. This results in a savings in joint compounds and installation time.
The 1st patent for the manufacture of plasterboard with 4 tapered edges dates back to 1922. These boards were made to order, rather than on a production line, and were very expensive.

Lafarge pulled out all the stops to find a solution and created pilot research units at the Research center and the Technical development center specifically dedicated to the Gypsum Business.
Launched in 2004, Synia™ is a radical advancement for customers, who now think in terms of "before" and "after" Synia™. Today, Lafarge is the only Group capable of mass-producing plasterboard with 4 tapered edges on a single production line.

The Group's Gypsum Business is an integral part of this long tradition of innovation. Historically, it has filed more patents than any of its competitors worldwide!