News update

On 19 December, the tunnel boring machine was baptised "Elaine" at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Manuel Valls. The baptism was among the last preparations in the run-up to the construction phase of the 8 km tunnel for the second Rennes Métropole automated metro line, which is scheduled to begin operating at the end of 2019. The iconic project provides a preview of the upcoming Grand Paris programme.

VINCI held its third Research Day at the SenseCube Incubator on 18 December. The daylong meeting, organised by the VINCI Academy, was designed to spotlight the R&D initiatives taken by Group companies in the field of data collection and utilisation.

France: On 13 and 14 November 2014, 300 participants met up for a third symposium to exchange ideas around the research and tools developed in the framework of the Eco-design Chair. This year's theme was the impact of user behaviour on buildings and infrastructure.

On the occasion of this symposium, which took place on Wednesday 19 November 2014 in Paris, VINCI wanted to contribute to the public debate on the concessions approach by inviting public decision-makers, elected officials, historians, concession companies and so on to explain the different facets of a model which, now more than ever, is proving key to the financing and management of infrastructure all over the world.

For two days in November – Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 – “audacity” was on the programme at the Cité de la Réussite, the major forum for debate of which VINCI is an official partner. In the amphitheatres of the Sorbonne, 150 key figures from the worlds of business, politics, social issues, science and culture accepted to share their opinions on audacity and what it means to be daring in 42 debates that drew around 10,000 people.

Following the Jacques Chaban-Delmas lift bridge in Bordeaux, VINCI is working on another flagship project for the city. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, this new enclosure with 42 000 seats represents a work of a new generation of multifunctional stadiums, perfectly integrated in the urban site. Zoom on the site of the stadium unique design, which is scheduled for delivery in spring 2015.

The Carbon Disclosure Project has presented VINCI with the award for the most transparent company in France in recognition of the actions implemented by the Group to reduce its carbon emissions and lessen the impact of its business on climate change. The Group scored 100 A-, well ahead of the average of 81 B for French companies. VINCI leads the pack in the industrial sector.

In 2014, Spiecapag, the specialised subsidiary of Entrepose Contracting (VINCI Construction), completed the construction of 450 km of pipelines over a distance of 300 km in Papua New Guinea for ExxonMobil - an exceptional project in an exceptional country.

The civilian use of drones has been increasing exponentially. For the time being, drones are primarily employed in video and photography applications, but the unmanned aerial vehicles are gradually being put to work as tools across VINCI's various business activities.

The Louis Vuitton Foundation building, which has been compared to a cloud, a chrysalis and a sailing ship, will open to the public in Paris in the autumn of 2014. The Foundation's building, a centre of art and culture designed by architect Frank Gehry, was a one-of-a-kind technological challenge. VINCI was selected to build it with the help of its many partners and to coordinate the project.

Initially selected by the electricity grid operator in the Gulf countries to install security systems for eight 400 kV substations spread over five countries, VINCI Energies has since taken on a large number of additional jobs for which it builds on synergies between its local entities and teams from Omexom, the Vinci Energies brand specialising in generation, transmission and transformation projects.

“A combination of French élan and British pragmatism”: Elizabeth II, Queen of England, 6 May 1994.

In the United States, where public authorities are stepping up investment in infrastructure, VINCI recently won major contracts to expand or upgrade transport infrastructure in California, Indiana and Georgia.

The 25^th MIPIM – the leading real estate event for property professionals – is on from 11 to 14 March 2014 in Cannes and provides an opportunity for VINCI to present a few of its Grand Paris projects and to help generate new ideas for Cities.