CLAUDE NICOLAS LEDOUX aishwarya balaji
RESEARCH PAPER ON CLAUDE NICOLAS LEDOUX AISHWARYA BALAJI RAJALAKSHMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, RAJALAKSHMI NAGAR, THANDALAM, CHENNAI-602105.
Abstract: Claude Nicolas Ledoux is one of the famous French architect from the 18th century. He had also some very modern ideas about industrial production, urban planning, and “territorial intelligence”. The project of the royal salt works (1775-79) was an opportunity to apply several very innovating ideas about economical organisation and social living. After the French Revolution, Ledoux planned an “ideal city” which fascinate by its revolutionary vision of the future Keywords: Ledoux, royal saline, architecture, Arc-et-senans. This prominent architect from the Age of Enlightenment, sometimes called “cursed”, has generally been neglected until his rediscovery, first in the United States and in Japan, afterwards in France, mainly since the 80s. The king’s architect, even if converted to the Republic, Ledoux will however meet the prison. Most of his buildings will be demolished during the 19th century, because they fitted very little the current romantic tastes. His treaty of architecture, never entirely published, has ruined him and has not found too many readers, so neither his sentences nor even the shape of his writing will be decrypted.
INTRODUCTION
CLAUDE – NICOLAS LEDOUX (1736-1806) The architect native to France, he was considered as the advocate of French neo classical architecture. In 1789 during the revolution Claude Nicolas Ledoux started the project for “Ideal city of chaux”.
THEOLOGY The saline royale is a historic building at Arc-et-senans in eastern France. The works was based on enlightment and philosophy that favoured the arrangement of buildings according to the rational geometry.
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUILDINGS At the time of revolution as the salt was an essential commodity at that time and it was subjected to an heavy taxation. Hence the construction of the saline royale was essentially proposed.
ERA The construction began in 1775 during the region of Louis XVI. It was the first major achievements of the Industrial revolution. The initial restoration of salt was carried out between 1930-1946.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT LEAD TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUILDING The great salt works of saline – les – bains was active for atleast 1200 years until the stopping activity in 1962. From 1780 to 1895 the salt water travelled to 21 kilometres of wood pipes to the royale saline of arc – et – senans.
OUTCOMES OF PARTICULAR STYLE Royal salt work of arc-et -senans bears the witness of a fundamental cultural change in Europe at the end of the 18th century. It was the interpretation of classical combined with the elements to suit the industrial nature of the building.
STYLE OF OVERALL BUILDING Main entrance of the site at the axis of semi-circular in plan with massive doric column entrance (massive rusticated columns) and rusticated roof are the decorative solutions which play allusions of elements. “The ideal city of chaux” from semi circular to circular plan. This building concept is based on the romantic and classical neo classicium. It is a semi circular open airplane.
(intohistroy.com)
PRESENT DAY CONDITION OF THE BUILDING The city of chaux from the semi circular plan to the circular plan, the disappearing of surrounding wall leaving just the former entrance gate standing by itself.
(into history.com)
CRITICAL APPRAISAL ‘Claude Nicolas Ledoux’ works are either tempted to reduce it literally to a concept to reveal its concentration universe, whether we refer to the panoptic plan of royal salt works. Royal salt is the territorial intelligence held in 15 th to 18th October 2008, on the theme “Tools and methods of territorial intelligence”.
REFERENCES
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/203 Claude Nicolas Ledoux - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Nicolas_Ledoux -- shared by UC Mini Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Saltworks_at_Arc-et-Senans -shared by UC Mini