Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand
Jean -Nicolas- Louis Durand ( born September 18, 1760 Paris, † December 31, 1834 in Thiais ) was a neoclassical French architect, architectural theorist and professor of architecture.
Life and work
Durand was born in Paris as the son of a shoemaker. He studied at the Académie Royale d'Architecture and has worked from 1776 at the Revolution architect Étienne -Louis Boullée as a draftsman. 1779 and 1780 Durand won the Prix de Rome the second prize in the years after the French Revolution was followed by several prizes in architectural competitions, but this resulted in no structural implementation. About his competition successes, he succeeded, however, recommended for a teaching position. In 1794 he was first signatories of the newly founded École Polytechnique ( School of Engineering ) in Paris, where he received a 1795 Department of Architecture. With a modular system, which is based on a square grid, Durand developed an egalitarian design methodology for all major building types. His schematic type designs, which he put together in a kind of Baukatalog, he always over floor plan, elevation and section dar. In Durand's presentation should he developed new architecture for all construction on a same grid to be built. As a purely rational embossed system that has freed itself from artistic whims and architectural decoration, this architecture should be for all people, to be valid at all times. Durand saw the main objective of the architecture in a high degree of economy and convenience, offered for every project is the right solution to. His special interest was paid to public buildings. He developed, for example, for the building type Museum, the motif of the rotunda as the central element. An approach that especially in Schinkel's Altes Museum in Berlin ( 1830) found a direct structural implementation.
At the École Polytechnique Durand trained engineers to 1830 and taught them to be typologically ordered, strict geometric design. With his teaching Durand became one of the most important theorists of his time.
Already 1802-1805 Durand published its architectural typology as a textbook under the title " Précis of leçons d'architectures données à l' École Polytechnique " ( outline of lectures on architecture, held at the Royal Polytechnic School at Paris ). This publication has been the major architectural treatises that time through reprints and translations. Durand is to provide the theoretical basis of standardized, modular architecture, which is assembled from series-produced parts succeeded.
An important follow-up project of this new approach is the built of prefabricated modular parts for Crystal Palace Great Exhibition in London in 1851 by Joseph Paxton.
In Germany especially neoclassical architects such as Friedrich Weinbrenner, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Gustav of domination and Leo were strongly influenced by Klenze of Durand's design methodology. Gustav of domination traveled as well as its successor, Leo von Klenze, to Paris, to attend as a guest student at the École Polytechnique Durand's lectures.
Aftereffect
The developed on a geometric grid, perfectly rational embossed design was an important reference for the architecture of the functionalism of the 1920s in the 20th century. In addition, in 1936 by Ernst Neufert ( 1900-1986 ) was designed " building code theory " of the theories Durand affected. Even architects like Oswald Mathias Ungers (1926-2007) and his " rational architecture " refer to Durand's doctrine.
Criticism
The architect Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) called Durand as "checkerboard Chancellor for lack of ideas."
The target of Durand " objectification of the design process " displayed an examination of a specific location as well as the "human world of experience " from.
Quotes
- " The arrangement is the only purpose of architecture. "
- "Above all, must be a building to Being useful, durable, clean and comfortable Being. "
Publications
- Recueil et parallèle of Edifices de tout genre, Paris 1800
- Précis of leçons d'architectures données à l' École Polytechnique, Paris 1802-1805
- Game graphique the cours d'architecture faits a l' École Royale Polytechnique, Paris 1821