Engineering with constraints: a new setting for the Bayeux Tapestry
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The Normandy town of Bayeux has begun renovation of the museum dedicated to its eponymous 11th-century tapestry. The project will combine technical excellence, heritage constraints and CSR commitments. Cegelec Normandie Projets (VINCI Energies Building Solutions) has been selected for part of the technical batch.
©Irina Schmidt- stock.adobe.com
Closed for two years for renovations: in autumn 2025, the Bayeux Tapestry Museum launched a major renovation and expansion project. This is a weighty decision by this town in Calvados, for which the famous medieval tapestry – a listed historic monument and UNESCO Memory of the World International Register document – is an powerful draw for tourism.
Visitor space extended by 3,000 sq. metres.
Having been housed for the past 40 years in the former Bayeux seminary, which dates from the 17th century, the museum will reopen in 2027 to mark 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, whose conquest of England the tapestry depicts.
Visitors will discover a new museum experience, designed by the British architects RSHP, appointed following a competitive bidding process.
Available visitor space will be increased with the construction of a new 3,000 sq. metre building.
“The economic challenge is paired with a weighty heritage dimension”
As project owner, the Town of Bayeux, in consultation with the Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate (DRAC), Calvados Departmental Council and Normandy Regional Council, awarded the project’s technical batches to Cegelec Normandie Projets.
This VINCI Energies business unit, which had previously worked with the local authority on the renovation of the Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History, was assigned a broad area of responsibility: high-voltage power-supply works; architectural lighting; implementation of a building automation system (BAS); security and fire-protection systems; and solar panel installations.
Ticking all the CSR boxes
“For those of us specialising in major projects, here, the economic challenge is paired with a weighty heritage dimension that makes the project far more demanding than usual,” says Mickaël Letscher, Business Unit General Manager at Cegelec Normandie Projets.
The Bayeux authorities also wanted their museum renovated to the highest possible CSR (corporate social responsibility) standards.
Cegelec Normandie Projets responded with a blend of technical expertise, environmental responsibility and social impact. “In agreement with the customer, we prioritised reuse in our approach to the project,” explains Mickaël Letscher. “Existing cable trays were therefore stored directly on site for future reuse, and electrical cables were sourced through a reuse loop established by Circable.” This environmental approach is complemented by a social component: “We are using selected disability-confident companies to prepare equipment ahead of its installation on the site.”
06/18/2026
