History of the laboratory

Our history

Sluice gates of the Rance tidal power station (1960) | Artelia Hydraulics — Sluice gates of the Rance tidal power station (1960)

This physical modelling centre first came into being in the early 20^th century within a Grenoble-based mechanical engineering firm called Neyret-Beylier.

From its humble beginnings as a small hydraulic turbine testing laboratory it underwent remarkable growth, gradually expanding first into hydropower plant and dam projects, and later into irrigation networks for rural development, river development schemes and maritime engineering.

The expertise it acquired later enabled it to address the fluid mechanics issues that are central to many industrial processes.

Barrage and diversion on the river Euphrates, Iraq | Artelia Hydraulics — Barrage and diversion on the river Euphrates, Iraq (1970)

Last but not least, water supply and sewerage infrastructure was lacking in many cities of industrialised nations and almost non-existent in those of developing countries at the end of the Second World War, and this went on to constitute another field of activity for the engineering company and its physical modelling laboratory. These histories intermingle to form the fertile ground in which Artelia Hydraulics Laboratory as it stands today, takes its roots.

Movable-bed sedimentology model of the Mont-Saint-Michel (1997) | Artelia Hydraulics — Movable-bed sedimentology model of the Mont-Saint-Michel (1997)

Model of a lock on the Seine-Nord Europe Canal (2007) | Artelia Hydraulics — Model of a lock on the Seine-Nord Europe Canal (2007)

History of the laboratory

Our history

Artelia's Laboratory in 2020