The project is about the renovation of the former Orys boiler workshops, a building that has been disused for more than 20 years, into a new-generation nuclear boiler works and piping workshop known as 4.0. Orys, a subsidiary of the Ortec Group, is a company with several sites in the town of Pierrelatte. It specializes in piping, boiler making and lifting equipment for the nuclear industry and wishes to group its production tools together on one site and equip it with new, state-of-the-art machines.
Among the various sites, the Ortec group owns a workshop of more than 4000 m2 at town entrance of Pierrelatte. The north gable of this imposing building was completely disused and the vegetation had reclaimed its rights after 20 years of vacancy. The main purpose of the operation is to renovate a hangar to create a pilot production workshop for boiler making and nuclear piping, steel and stainless steel, in view of the construction of the future new generation EPR in the town of Pierrelatte, a major site in the nuclear industry in France with, in particular, the nuclear power plant Tricastin and the Orano production site nearby.
The main renovation works have allowed to reinforce the thermal performances of the facade. For this, the thermal insulation was reinforced from the outside and the thickness of the walls was improved. The openings, set back from the alignment of the facade provide protection from the sun. The program favors the use of bio-sourced materials which were used in particular for the treatment of the insulation.
The program consists of creating separate workshops for steel (carbon) and stainless steel materials, which require different conditions and atmospheres, without pollution of steel dust towards the stainless steel workshop. The workshops are equipped with cutting machines, orbital TIG welding and QR code tracing. They respect a forward motion of the material transformation and meet the specifications requested by EDF.
Associated with these workshops, the program also includes a technical center for welding training, a finished spool storage warehouse and offices. The project also integrates the exterior facilities necessary for the operation with a storage area, containers and parking for trucks and light vehicles.
Beyond the architectural project, the establishment of this building in the city of Pierrelatte represents a major stake in the evolution of the company Orys France. Indeed, the nuclear power plant on the outskirts of the city is to be dismantled in the next 30 years. The reconstruction of a larger and more efficient plant is on the horizon, and Pierrelatte will become one of the leading cities for modern nuclear power in France. For the ORTEC Group, this new pilot building will be a key element in the development of the industry in the area.
