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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Île de France
  4. Hauts-de-Seine
  5. 92270 Bois-Colombes

  6. Hispano-Suiza blower from Bois-Colombes

 Hispano-Suiza blower from Bois-Colombes dans les Hauts-de-Seine

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine industriel
Soufflerie
Hauts-de-Seine

Hispano-Suiza blower from Bois-Colombes

    Rue du Capitaine-Guynemer
    92270 Bois-Colombes
Soufflerie Hispano-Suiza de Bois-Colombes
Soufflerie Hispano-Suiza de Bois-Colombes
Soufflerie Hispano-Suiza de Bois-Colombes
Soufflerie Hispano-Suiza de Bois-Colombes
Crédit photo : Laurent Pelecq - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1904
Hispano-Suiza Foundation
1913-1914
Factory construction
1937
Construction of wind tunnel
1953
End of activities
19 avril 2000
Historical monument classification
2005
School conversion
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

For the outside: all the facades, roof of the old experienced bedroom; for the interior: the ground floor, the remaining part of the central diffuser (cf. U 91): registration by order of 19 April 2000

Key figures

Marc Birkigt - Engineer and co-founder Created Hispano-Suiza in 1904.
Damian Mateu - Banker and co-founder Associated with the foundation of Hispano-Suiza.
Haour Frères - Entrepreneurs manufacturers Built the wind tunnel in 1937.
Georges Lebon - Factory architect Designed the original site in 1913-1914.
Patrice Novarina et Alain Béraud - Architects of conversion The site was transformed into a school (2005).

Origin and history

The Hispano-Suiza wind tunnel, located on Rue du Moulin-Bailly in Bois-Colombes (Hautes-de-Seine), was built in 1937 by the Haour brothers for Hispano-Suiza. Designed in reinforced concrete, it was 55 metres long and housed a giant fan of 8 metres in diameter, capable of generating winds up to 325 km/h. Inspired by Gustave Eiffel's principles, this device was used to simulate flight conditions in the vicinity of the ground. At its peak, it was the largest wind tunnel in the world, marked by its characteristic anti-vortex filter, still visible today.

The wind tunnel ceased operations in 1953, putting an end to the noise nuisances for the neighbourhood. After a period of partial conversion into offices, the Snecma Group (owner since 1968) finally closed the site in 1995. Classified as a historical monument inventory in 2000 for its facades and roof, it was purchased by the city of Bois-Colombes in 2003. Reconverted in 2005 to a nursery school La Cigogne by architects Patrice Novarina and Alain Béraud, it retains its historic emblem: the stork of Guynemer, symbol of Hispano-Suiza after 1918.

The building reflects a functional architecture, with a front air collector and an experienced room with vertical bays. Its external vortex filter, designed to avoid turbulence, occupies almost the entire rear façade. The wind tunnel was part of a vast industrial complex created in 1913 for the manufacture of aircraft engines, gradually extended until the 1940s. Today, it also houses a recreation centre and administrative offices, while being labeled 20th Century Heritage.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum