GEFYRA: New donation to the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Patras

• Strengthening knowledge in the field of bridge and reinforced concrete construction
• Tribute to the memory of Jean-Paul Teyssandier, former Chairman of the concessionaire company and pioneering engineer

On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, the renewal of the donation contract between GΕFYRA and the Department of Civil Engineering was signed in memory of Jean-Paul Teyssandier, founder and historic President of the concessionaire company of the Rio-Antirrio Bridge and technical inspirer of the bridge type built, who passed away in 2019.

For another year, GEFYRA renews its support to the education of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Civil Engineering in the knowledge area "Design of Bridges and Reinforced Concrete Structures".

The contract was signed at the exhibition area of the Rio - Antirrio Bridge, where the management of the University of Patras and Gefyra S.A. met.

The University of Patras was represented at the meeting by the Rector Mr. Christos Bouras, who emphasized the symbolism of the cooperation between the most important scientific institution of Western Greece and the company that was responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the outstanding technical project, the Vice-Rector Mr. Panayiotis Dimopoulos and the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering Mr. Thanasis Triantafyllou. The representatives of the University were welcomed by the CEO of GEFYRA Mr. Panos Loukas, the Chief Technical Officer Aris Stathopoulos-Vlamis and the Director of Corporate Communications & Sustainable Development Mr. Yannis Freris.

GEFYRA’s CEO Mr. Loukas stated: "This donation to the Department of Civil Engineering to support the teaching of courses such as "Bridge Design" and "Composition & Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures" pays tribute to the memory of the pioneering engineer Jean-Paul Teyssandier, who led the construction of a landmark project that contributed greatly to the development of Western Greece and at the same time contributed to the deepening and progress of bridge construction in Greece”.

Jean-Paul Teyssandier

Jean-Paul Teyssandier was born in 1944 and studied civil engineering at the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris. His involvement with major concession projects brought him to Greece in 1986, when he was invited to tender for the Rio-Antirrio Link, proposing the offshore link as the most feasible (based on the geophysical and geodynamic data of the region) among all the methods proposed. He led the team that submitted the relevant proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Public Works and Transport in 1993. With the establishment of GEFYRA S.A. in 1995, he took over (until 2005) the role of Managing Director of the company, which was invited to sign the concession contract for the construction and operation of the project. The contract became effective in 1997 with the Bridge being delivered on the eve of the opening of the "ATHENS 2004" Olympic Games, 4 months ahead of the contractual deadline, without exceeding the budget and without any notable accident. During the construction, Jean-Paul Teyssandier also took on the role of Chairman of the company, which he retained until 2014. Jean-Paul Teyssandier passed away on 16.10.2019 in Paris.