Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand - Representation as Instrument

Supervisor: Denis Derycke
Submitted on September 2015

Original Title: Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand et la représentation comme instrument

Abstract:
The mater thesis takes a contemporary look at the means of representation used by the architect-teacher Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand (1760-1834) at the École Polytechnique. It is an in-depth study of the architectural drawings of the Parisian master as a vehicle and instrument for the implementation of his theories. Durand's entire research aimed to develop and teach the step-by-step process in the composition of any project, which is a mechanism of composition involving a series of graphic operations to create a building based on a given program. Our approach was that Durand's work remains a source of relevant paradigms, and his exploration contributes to a reflection on parametric practice in architecture. According to our hypothesis, Durand's composition mechanism can now be understood, from a certain perspective, as an archaic application of parametric operations. The first part of the research focuses on the study of Durand's overall contribution to the École Polytechnique, from the "Recueil et Parallèle" of 1801 to the "Nouveau Précis des Leçons d’Architecture" of 1813, supplemented by the "Partie Graphique des Cours d’Architecture" in 1821. The examination of the instrumentalization carried out by Durand involves analyzing texts and, particularly, the plates to understand how the means of representation could transform the perception of architectural objects and ultimately activate his composition mechanism. By drawing on theoretical and historical references in the study of the graphic characteristics of the plates, it was possible to identify the use of drawing to rationalize, standardize, specify, manipulate, and intensify the architectural mechanism. The second part of the research involves an experimental implementation of the step-by-step process taught by Durand since 1821 using contemporary computer methods. The digital procedural model developed to implement the composition mechanism is based on encoding a series of precise operations applied to variables using the Python programming language. By calling graphic primitives, the resulting script generates visible results in Blender, a 3D modelling software. The goal is twofold: to explore the method itself, pushing it to extremes that Durand may not have dared to imagine, and to provide a historical reference that can question certain implications of current parametric applications in architecture. One significant implication raised by this research concerns the direct consequence of the instrumentalization of representation, which is described as essential to the parametric approach. Where drawing once held philosophical, mythical, and belief-based significance, a self-referential, scientific, and exclusively operational framework has now been established. The development of digital architecture, especially algorithmic approaches, has further emphasized this trend.