ATLANTA, GA– Lafarge North America announced at the 2005 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo the launch of NewCem® brand slag cement to the Atlanta construction market for the 2006 construction season. NewCem is a finely ground, hydraulic cement produced from blast furnace slag, a by-product of the iron-making process. NewCem’s unique properties offer environmental benefits and enhanced concrete performance.

“Lafarge will have its latest NewCem facility on-line in time for the 2006 construction season in Atlanta,” said Joe Goss, Lafarge Cement Southeast Region President. “The Atlanta facility will reduce CO2 emissions by replacing more than 100,000 tons of portland cement in concrete production with NewCem.”

NewCem provides a significant contribution to sustainable construction. The use of NewCem in concrete production consumes less energy and offers improved efficiency in building performance. NewCem can be used to achieve points in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

NewCem helps achieve low permeability, resistance to chlorides, high sulfate resistance, resistance to alkali silica reaction, greater strength potential, lower temperatures for mass concrete, and improved workability. Concrete containing NewCem can be expected to be lighter in color, offering improved aesthetics and visibility at night.

Lafarge is one of the Platinum Sponsors of the Sustainable Condo. The Sustainable Condo is an EcoSmart project designed by Busby & Associates Architects, to address the challenges of urban sustainability. The Sustainable Condo is on display at Greenbuild, occurring November 9-10 in Atlanta. Greenbuild is the annual meeting place for the green building industry. For two days in Atlanta, thousands of green building industry professionals meet to learn about the latest advancements in green building design, construction, project financing and building management.

Lafarge North America (TSX & NYSE: LAF) is the U.S. and Canada’s largest diversified supplier of construction materials such as cement, ready-mixed concrete, gypsum wallboard, aggregates, asphalt and concrete products. The company’s materials are used in residential, commercial, institutional and public works construction across the U.S. and Canada. In 2004, net sales exceeded $3.7 billion.