Auguste Perret

by Karla Britton

French architect Auguste Perret (1874-1954) was highly influential in the development of 20th-century architecture. He was one of the first architects to exploit the architectural potential of concrete, a material that previously had been perceived as common and industrial. Works such as the apartment building in Rue Franklin, Paris, and the Church of Notre Dame de Raincy made an impact on Le Corbusier and a generation of Modernist architects, although Perret himself never abandoned a Classical vocabulary. This monograph offers a study of the architect and provides an insight into his many buildings and projects - from small-scale buildings such as houses and artists' studios, to larger-scale civic works such as the Musee des Travaux in Paris, and the urban planning projects undertaken during World War II. It also features an appendix of Perret's writings, including his published work of aphorisms, "Contribution to a Theory of Architecture", plus essays on "Concrete" and "Architecture", which provide an insight into the forces behind his craft and its artistic and social principles.

Genres: Architecture

Paperback

First published October 22, 2001

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were a betting man, I would say this covers all you will ever wish to know about Perret. Obviously exhaustively researched, nice images, well written, I would recommend to anyone who, well, wants to curl up to a good/long book about Perret. [disclaimer: I’m an enthusiastic acquaintance with the author – “Hello Karla! How’s the fam.?”] If one aspect is lacking, I would say a comparison to that coeval concrete innovator Irving Gill might have been interesting. But alas, that will be some even longer doctoral thesis any day now, heavily utilizing this most comprehensive production.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

!S!S