170 years
of major accomplishments

Since 1844, Eiffage’s know-how has proved to be the basis for some of the most important engineering achievements of recent history, including the Millau Viaduct, Tancarville Bridge, Bercy Stadium (Palais Omnisports), Futuroscope, Maison de la Radio (Broadcasting House, Paris) and Gotthard Tunnel. Below are the key dates and major players at the origin of Eiffage Construction.
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  • Creation of Fougerolle
    The forerunners

    Creation of Fougerolle

    Philippe Fougerolle, a mason born in the Creuse region of central France, founds the family business, which takes part in building the Nivernais Canal. Boasting a length of 174 km, the canal requires the construction of 116 locks and two aqueducts between Saint-Léger-des-Vignes and Auxerre.

  • Establishment of Quillery
    The forerunners

    Establishment of Quillery

    An extensive construction project driven by Baron Haussmann transforms Paris. Émile Quillery, a mason and native of the Berry region, creates a family business in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, Val-de-Marne, close to this vast building endeavour.

  • Fougerolle takes part in the project to build the first segment of the Gotthard rail tunnel
    The forerunners

    Fougerolle takes part in the project to build the first segment of the Gotthard rail tunnel

    This first section of the Swiss tunnel, the longest until 1906 (15 km), is today part of the Basel-Milan train route.

  • Fougerolle actively supports the war effort
    The forerunners

    Fougerolle actively supports the war effort

    In the space of 75 days, Fougerolle doubles the width of the Marseille-en-Beauvaisis rail tunnel (362 metres long) in the Oise region to supply British troops and hold off the German advance towards the Amiens-Paris railway line.

  • Establishment of SAE
    The forerunners

    Establishment of SAE

    Gino Valatelli, a Milanese graduate of Ecole Polytechnique, and his business associates, brothers Albert and Ernest de Marchena, establish Paris-based company Société Auxiliaire d'Entreprises Electriques et de Travaux Publics, better known as SAE. Gino Valatelli, an emblematic figure, leaves his position as Chairman and CEO in 1965, after 40 years of service.

  • Fougerolle works on the Maginot Line
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Fougerolle works on the Maginot Line

    The company erects two 24-km long concrete structures at Bitche in the Moselle region, which require the excavation of 16 km of tunnels.

  • SAE delivers the first segment of the A13 motorway
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    SAE delivers the first segment of the A13 motorway

    The A13 motorway is France’s first modern motorway, improving the flow of traffic on the western outskirts of Paris. SAE assigns most of its 500 workers to the prestigious project for four years. The new section of road links Saint-Cloud to Orgeval/Bois d’Arcy by means of the 800-metre Saint-Cloud tunnel. The motorway is initially scheduled to open in 1940 but the inauguration does not take place until after the war.

  • Reconstruction of the port at Boulogne-sur-Mer
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Reconstruction of the port at Boulogne-sur-Mer

    Fougerolle undertakes the reconstruction of nearly all structures destroyed during the war, as well as a new deep-water inner harbour. The building project takes more than 30 years to complete. 

  • Fougerolle builds the Tancarville Bridge
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Fougerolle builds the Tancarville Bridge

    Fougerolle begins work to build the Tancarville Bridge in the Seine-Maritime region. At 1,360 metres in length, the new structure is the longest suspension bridge in Europe when it opens, in 1959.

  • Construction of Maison de la Radio (Broadcasting House, Paris)
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Construction of Maison de la Radio (Broadcasting House, Paris)

    Future Fougerolle subsidiary SNCT handles structural work for a new Paris building, designed by the architect Henry Bernard. The edifice comprises a 68-metre central tower surrounded by a circular building with a circumference of 500 metres.

  • Delivery of the French section of the Mont Blanc Tunnel
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Delivery of the French section of the Mont Blanc Tunnel

    André Borie leads the consortium tasked with building the French section of the tunnel for Autoroutes et Tunnels du Mont-Blanc (ATMB). The company becomes part of SAE in 1980.

  • Delivery of Terminal 1 for Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport.
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Delivery of Terminal 1 for Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport.

    Paul Andreu’s groundbreaking design for Terminal 1 comprises a central cylindrical structure to which 7 satellite buildings are attached in the shape of an octopus. Fougerolle-Limousin heads the consortium tasked with creating the framework of the building.

  • Bercy Stadium opens in Paris
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Bercy Stadium opens in Paris

    It takes four years for Fougerolles and Borie SAE to finish the construction of this covered venue offering a capacity of 17,000 seats.

  • Construction of the particle accelerator for CERN
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Construction of the particle accelerator for CERN

    On behalf of the European organisation for nuclear research (CERN), Fougerolle handles construction of all underground structures for the 27-km ring below the Franco-Swiss border in the Jura region.

  • Construction of the Futuroscope in the Vienne region
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    Construction of the Futuroscope in the Vienne region

    After two and half years of work, SAE delivers the Kinémax, one of the first two pavilions for the new theme park.

  • The establishment of Eiffage
    Major projects and the birth of a group

    The establishment of Eiffage

    Fougerolle and SAE merge to create the Eiffage Group.

  • The creation of Eiffage Construction
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    The creation of Eiffage Construction

    The construction and public works divisions of the Eiffage Group — Fougerolle, Quillery and SAE — join to form Eiffage Construction, which becomes a key player in the construction industry. A new entity called Eiffage Construction Travaux Publics — now known as Eiffage Infrastructures — is created soon afterwards to amalgamate the group’s road building and civil engineering activities.

  • Inauguration of the Millau Viaduct
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Inauguration of the Millau Viaduct

    Eiffage completes construction of the world’s highest cable-stayed bridge, with a clearance of 270 metres beneath the deck. The colossal project creates a 2,460-metre span across the Tarn Valley and takes three years to complete.

  • Completion of structural work for the CHSF hospital complex
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Completion of structural work for the CHSF hospital complex

    Work begins to assemble the facade structures for Centre Hospitalier du Sud Francilien (CHSF), a hospital complex for the southern Ile-de-France region in Corbeil-Essonnes. CHSF is one of the largest hospital complexes to be built in the first decade of the new millennium, with a surface area of over 110,000 m2 and a total capacity of 1,000 beds. It is the first hospital to secure HQE Tertiary Building certification and receives a Victoire de la Modernisation de l’Etat award from the French government.

  • Inauguration of the first European secondary school to be certified “zero fossil fuel”
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Inauguration of the first European secondary school to be certified “zero fossil fuel”

    Kyoto secondary school in Poitiers bears witness to Eiffage Construction’s expertise in the field of sustainable development and energy efficiency.

  • The renaissance of the Grand Hotel-Dieu in Lyon
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    The renaissance of the Grand Hotel-Dieu in Lyon

    Hospices Civils de Lyon contracts Eiffage Immobilier to refurbish the 54,000 m² Grand Hotel-Dieu building in the centre of Lyon, the largest private conversion project in France for a listed historical monument.

  • Eiffage celebrates its 20th anniversary
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Eiffage celebrates its 20th anniversary

    Eiffage employees mark the anniversary with same-day celebrations around the world.

  • Delivery of the Majunga Tower in the Paris business district
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Delivery of the Majunga Tower in the Paris business district

    In partnership with architect Jean-Paul Viguier, Eiffage Construction once again demonstrates its expertise in the construction of high-rise buildings with a tower reaching a height of 194 metres.

  • The launch of the Smartseille eco-district project
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    The launch of the Smartseille eco-district project

    Eiffage Immobilier lays the foundations for Smartseille, a working example of a sustainable city. The initiative is part of the Euromediterranean economic development and planning campaign headed by public authorities.

  • Delivery of the Pierre-Berger Campus
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Delivery of the Pierre-Berger Campus

    The 1,600 staff at the head offices of Eiffage’s different business lines work together on the Eiffage Campus in Vélizy-Villacoublay, on the southwest outskirts of Paris. The new site is subsequently renamed the Pierre-Berger Campus in memory of Eiffage’s former CEO, who initiated the project.

  • 140 wooden residential units
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    140 wooden residential units

    Timber is a traditional building material that was for a time overlooked in favour of other alternatives but is now making a comeback. With the construction of 140 residential units in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, in 2016, Eiffage Construction launches France’s largest wooden housing project. This project was also the first to be awarded the Low Carbon Building (BBCA) label.

  • The largest lock in the world
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    The largest lock in the world

    Eiffage Benelux undertakes a huge construction project for the port of Anvers in Belgium. The Kieldrecht Lock (Kieldrechtsluis) is 500 m long and 68 m wide, requiring 22,000 tonnes of steel and 795,000 m3 of concrete.

  • Hypérion, the first timber-framed high-rise in France
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Hypérion, the first timber-framed high-rise in France

    The Bordeaux Euratlantique public development agency (EPA) signs with Eiffage Immobilier and its partners for the Hypérion project: an 18-storey timber-framed high-rise building standing 57 metres tall. Eiffage achieves the feat of engineering thanks to its expertise in building information modelling (BIM) and the green transition.

  • Renovation of the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Renovation of the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris

    26 years after it was first built, the Grande Arche shows signs of ageing. An initial phase of the renovation project, designed by Eiffage and Valode & Pistre and completed in 27 months, gives the public access to the roof to enjoy the extraordinary panorama.

  • Creation of Eiffage Construction Bois
    The development of Eiffage Construction

    Creation of Eiffage Construction Bois

    Eiffage Construction launches a subsidiary specialising in smart modular construction to sustain the growth of timber-based construction projects.

  • 1844
  • 1863
  • 1880
  • 1915
  • 1924
  • 1924
  • 1931
  • 1938
  • 1944
  • 1955
  • 1958
  • 1965
  • 1974
  • 1984
  • 1987
  • 1993
  • 1993
  • 1999
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2009
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017