Palais Des Machines (Architecture in Detail)

Stuart Durant

ISBN 10: 0714829307 / ISBN 13: 9780714829302

Published by Phaidon Press, London, 1994

About this Item

First edition. trade softcover. Published London: Phaidon Press, 1994, first printing. Folio wrappers with French flaps, 11 7/8" x 11 7/8", 60pp., illustrated throughout with color and b/w reproductions. Fine. Seller Inventory # 007605

Bibliographic Details

Title: Palais Des Machines (Architecture in Detail)

Publisher: Phaidon Press, London

Publication Date: 1994

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket, As Issued

Edition: 1st

About this title

Synopsis:

The most important metal-and-glass structure of the 19th century, the Palais des Machines dominated the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition, whose complex of structures included Eiffel's famous tower. Designed to proclaim the modernity and industrial strength of France, the gallery occupied almost the entire width of the Champ de Mars. Its elegant span exceeded that of any previous building and its curtain walls, while anticipated in the great railway sheds of the era, were the largest of the 19th century. In this monograph Stuart Durant examines the Palais des Machines in the light of its precedents and the career of its designer, and Angus Low concludes with a structural appraisal of this powerful symbol of industrialization. The book re-establishes the true significance of the building, demonstrating its interaction between the thinking of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and technological innovations of the period.

About the Author:

Stuart Durant lectures in architecture and design history at Kingston University.