Education is an integral part of the activities of PL-LCH . Training of the next generation of engineers is of paramount importance to deal with the complex challenges regarding water resources in the upcoming decades. The laboratory contributes to EPFL ‘s core mission and cutting-edge programs with Bachelor and Master courses in hydraulics. Many projects are additionally offered to enrich the training.
Courses
Bachelor and Master courses Hydraulic structures and schemes (french) Hydraulic structures and schemes are vital for ensuring supply of clean and renewable energy as well as water in enough quantity and sufficient good quality in order to fight against famine, poverty and deceases in the world. Fluvial hydraulics and river training works (french) The course provides the students with a solid theoretical background in fluvial hydraulics, as well as the basic concepts in river engineering that aim at conciliating hazard protection and environmental protection. Real-world examples illustrate the course. Dam engineering (english) Dams are paramount for human development around the world. The course is an introduction to the fascinating domain of dam engineering, from design to construction, for water storage and regulated supply, including for renewable energy generation (hydropower), flood protection and drought prevention. Urban hydraulic systems (english) Sustainable freshwater and urban drainage system are considered.
For fresh water, the capture, reservoir and net are discussed.
For the drainage, hydrology as well as the individual conduit and manhole hydraulics are included.
The integral rain water management and the legal frame are key element Water resources management (english) Water is one of the fundamental earth resources that sustains all life forms. Despite being abundant as chemical compound, its accessibility and use depend on its physical status and quality. The analysis of resources availability, user needs and optimal allocation will be taught and discussed. Hydropower schemes and pumped-storage (english) The course deals with the conception and design of hydraulic structures used for production and/or storage of electric energy, including those of pumped storage. We present and discuss their technical, socio-economical and environmental feasability in the Swiss/European/Global energy transition. Construction law for engineers I (french) The course gives a general vision of some legal aspects which the civil engineer will face with in his career. Many examples from the practice will be presented.
This course is essential for the engineer who seeks a better understanding of his rights and his duties. River eco-morphology (french) The course deals with the interactions between hydraulics, solid transport by hauling and the watercourse space at the origin of the morphology and richness of habitats. Regime theory is presented and the quality of a stream’s habitat is assessed. Irrigation and drainage engineering (english) The course aims at teaching the fundamentals of both irrigation and drainage techniques with particular attention to the soil water balance and related management, the materials, the construction methods as well as the environmental impacts and sustainability criteria of both practices. Hidden rivers (english) Hidden Rivers aims at fulfilling the need for an interdisciplinary understanding of the problematics surrounding urban streams, through ecological, hydrological, and spatial relationships found in riverscapes. Rhonescape (english) RHONEscape aims at realizing the necessary interdisciplinary educational background of the problematics affecting highly-corrected large rivers, by examining riverine ecological, hydrological and morphological spatial features with new methods of conceiving the space in and around rivers. Urban neighborhoods, infrastructures and sustainable development (french) This ENAC Teaching Unit aims to present and implement new concepts of sustainable urban neighbourhood planning.