ASTRON STEEL CONSTRUCTION - LA RÉUNION ISLAND (FRANCE): STEEL CONSTRUCTION OF THE MONTH - la réunion island (france)

As part of the redevelopment of its site situated in Le Port on the island of La Réunion (Overseas Department, France), KDI, the French leader in the general distribution of metal products and associated supplies, opted for a phased-scale construction.  What could be more natural for this specialist in steel than choosing a steel building?

The customer was highly attracted by the ergonomics and the freedom to plan internal layouts, important in the retail trade, offered by the column-free interior benefits of the Astron process.  So Astron Builder BMR (Bâtiment Métallique Réunion) based in St. Clotilde, was rewarded the contract: in 2006.  The first phase consisted of an extension to two buildings plus a new building accommodating a crane at a total plan area of 2,285m².  This was followed in 2007 by the second phase of 2,066m² dedicated to office space and a show room.

The new building has Sinutec horizontal cladding on the commercial section and PA for the offices.  Due to the geographical location of the island, which lies in an area of tropical storms it was a technical challenge for BMR to design the aluminium curtain wall which could withstand the potential 230km/hour wind load!