Are decisions regarding the place made jointly and transparently?

The land on which Holcim’s Aigle gravel pit is located is owned by the municipality, various private individuals and Holcim. The building materials manufacturer has divided the large area into plots from which it extracts the material in stages. Once a plot has been exploited, it is backfilled with excavated material, covered with earth and put to a new use. The owners’ association decides what that is.

Is the place safe for its users?

The gravel pit is fenced off and accessible only to employees. At the entrance there is a small office building and a plant where the gravel is processed into concrete. Much of the work is automated. Almost the only traffic on the site consists of lorries travelling on designated routes.

Does the place promote biodiversity?

It is amazing that conservation and industry coexist here. In particular, the endangered little ringed plover nests here every spring. Together with the environmental organisation Pro Natura and an ornithologist, for about ten years Holcim has been designating areas on the site that are prepared for this bird species and then closed to quarrying. These protective measures also help gravel pit workers to identify and avoid the nests. Two plots that have already been exploited are now nature reserves that are home to local birds, migratory birds and various amphibians.

Have public and private resources been used responsibly?

Nature conservation issues have been addressed at this Holcim site for around 20 years. The collaboration with Pro Natura began around 2010, and since then the topic has gained in importance and commitment. For example, the municipality exchanged a piece of land on the site with a private individual in order to designate it as a nature reserve.

Does the place foster community?

Here, the coexistence of people and nature is based on a clear set of rules. As neither people nor dogs are allowed to roam, animals that prefer wetlands and like to live along the banks can settle here undisturbed. The little ringed plover arrives from North Africa in April each year, lays its eggs, broods to hatch its young and then migrates back as soon as the young are able to fly. During these two to three months, the areas designated for the species are fenced off and left undisturbed.

Do the green spaces enhance the quality of the place?

Two ponds with reeds and gravel areas offer animals a substitute for the banks of the Rhône. Since the canalisation of the river, many of these riparian zones have disappeared. The near-natural areas in the gravel pit replace them to a small extent. The nesting areas of the little ringed plover, however, are not green but gravelly and unrecognisable to us humans at first glance. So the grey, stony areas also enhance the quality of the site.

Is the use compatible with ecological principles?

The gravel extraction site at the Aigle motorway exit on the Rhône plain covers 35 hectares. Gravel quarrying has been going on here since 1960 and is expected to continue for decades to come, and since the 1960s there has been a growing general debate about the loss of natural habitats for flora and fauna. This project shows that it is possible to reconcile human and economic activities with bird and nature conservation.

Does the place have an atmospheric impact on the beholder?

The property is an industrial site with gravel heaps, conveyor belts, excavation pits and a concrete plant. Since the majority of the work is automated, there are only a few lorries on the site. It is therefore surprisingly quiet and empty. The presence of birds and amphibians in the designated areas of the otherwise barren site amazes and delights.