The Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris is considered the oldest science museum in Europe, housing the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, founded in 1794 as a repository for scientific instruments and inventions. Located in the historic priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs in the 3rd arrondissement, the 25,000 sqm institution presents seven collections spanning Scientific Instruments, Materials, Energy, Mechanics, Construction, Communication, and Transportation. Among its 80,000 objects and 15,000 drawings, over 2,400 items are on permanent display across 6,000 sqm of exhibition space, including landmark objects such as the original Foucault pendulum, Auguste Bartholdi’s 1878 plaster model for the Statue of Liberty, and Blaise Pascal’s Pascaline, the first mechanical calculator.
Avesta Group was engaged by CNAM during the museum’s significant renovation and expansion. Working on a turnkey design-build basis alongside architects Andrea Bruno and François Deslaugiers, Avesta Group contributed to delivering this complex project within the constraints of a historic abbey, enabling the institution to welcome visitors in a substantially enlarged and modernised facility.
