Architectural Features of Major Urban Monuments in Paris - Essay Example

?Architectural Designs Place Des Victoires is a circular place found in Paris and is in the confluence of six streets. At the centre is an equestrianmonument. It came into place after the demolition of an older building in order to come up with a complex of buildings which took the format of the rings of a private house. Its main purpose was to accommodate the statute of the king. It adopted the mansart’s design of 1685 where the squares would be unified by the facades a formula that had been initially utilized by Parisian individuals. Its design was based on the renaissance principles with mansard roofs that were punctuated by dormer windows. Initially the monument was incomplete when the monument was unveiled. With time, the envisioned facades were painted and appeared canvas in color. The monument was pierced by six streets and a circular pan built on it served the role of a flexible joint that would join and harmonize the various axes present on the monument. The underfoot for both the monuments was made of gilt bronze and had bas relief panels that appeared to be flattering in inscriptions. At the corners of the monuments, there were dejected bronze figures that were seated. The Desjardins sculptures were adopted to make the monuments more beautiful. Wooden pyramid were also a common feature among the monuments and this were just some of the features that were being added with time to ensure that the monuments would be aesthetic. Given the fact that these monuments were built in a period during which people had great respect for the authorities, there was need to ensure aesthetic beauty accompanied every building so that the royal family would be respected. 1 Place Des Vegas is the oldest planned square in Paris and was originally known as the place royale. It is a true square measuring 140m ? 140m and in it was the first program responsible for city planning. It was built at a tournament at the Tournelles which is a royal residence. Before building it, demolition was undertaken by Catherine de Medicis of the gothic pile and later on constructed there the building. It was inaugurated in 1612 and at the same time celebration of the wedding by Louis xiii was done. What made this building unique was the fact that all the house fronts were built in the same design of red brick that had stripes of stone quoins. There were also designs like over vaulted arcades that would be made to stand on the square pillars. The roofs were steeply pitched blue slate and were pierced with discreet small paned dormers that were above the pedimented dormers. The design was so architectural such that it would attract the passers by and it indicated a sign of supremacy in the society for those who inhabited the building. The pavilions would rise higher than the unified roofline which was located at the centre of the north and south faces. These face offered accessibility to the triple arches in the building. Place dauphine also on the other hand is a public square that is triangular in shape that can be accessed by use of a bridge from both sides. It was constructed on the site of three islets that were mud banks at that time. The French royal court later on established a permanent settlement in the monument. 2 It also adopted a triangular shape that had two canted ends as had been instructed by Achille du Harlay. He saw the need for the monument to be a thirty two house that had a single plan. This was considered as being among the earliest and oldest designs that had been adopted by the monument. It is also surrounded by big red bricks that have a faded grey cobblestone walks. The gracing centre is the loveliest park that has trees around it to offer a cool breeze. The benches in the gracing centre offer a place to seat for those who stay in the area and those who visit the premises. At the end of the construction, it appeared to be a quadrangle that had a gateway centered at the downstream and also had paired pavilions. The houses here are built of brick that has limestone quoins and the floors are arcaded. All the buildings surrounding the monument are raised in height and have few facades so as to distinguish them from the monuments. The roofs have been capped in order to appear to be having a steep slate that has dormers. The surrounding buildings have also been rebuilt while others have been replaced by imitating the architectural designs that were initially owned by the original buildings. From the discussion above, it is clear that these three monuments all had the same r rather similar designs that were adopted when they were being constructed. This has been depicted in the pyramids, roofs, walls, pavements and the fences they all had. The aesthetic beauty is no difference from each other making them to be homes for the royal families.3 King Louis XIV This was the king who stayed in these monuments when he was in charge of the territory. This was a period when people respected the royalty very much and found it as an obligation for them to ensure that their leaders had the best accommodation in terms of housing. He was the longest serving king in France monarch. The prolonged wars in the country were what he took advantage of and took control of the monarch. Domestic civil strife was also common at the time and had made the central political authority to become weaker. As a result, he saw the need for the leader to be located in his own house from where he could be able to handle different issues. This lead to the construction of these monuments from where he would handle administrative issues. In order to make the leadership a success there was need for reforms to be undertaken in the various sectors that had been noted for corruption. This could be seen in the treasury which was full of bankruptcy and there was need to rectify the situation. Feudal aristocracy had become the order of the day in this country and Louis saw the need for the establishment of the rule of law that would seek to treat every citizen as an equal partner. His mission was to encourage men of talent to go ahead and expand their know how by ensuring that they were able to become more innovative in future. Given the fact that these monuments were located in different parts of the country, it was easier for the king to diversify his services. 4 He supported the royal court and was a great protector for the human rights5. He encouraged the French literature to flourish by ensuring that the writers were well protected. Visual arts were also patronized by him and encouraged various artists to develop their talents. More royal courts and houses were built in his respect as he had supported most of them. It can be learnt that the arts employ high level of techniques which were recently developed and are cultural in their setting. The setting elucidates architectural drawings and contemporary engravings that bring with them a sense of aesthetic beauty. Good looking was the main aim of this king during his reign and wanted France to expand to greater heights. The three monuments have4 been grouped among the oldest and beautiful squares in Paris. They were among the first programs for royal city planning that were advocated for in Paris so that they could be used by the royal families and courts. Despite the shouting aesthetic beauty, most of the royal families rarely stayed in the houses but would just undertake administrative duties in them. The residential architecture also suited the agricultural conditions that were being practiced. Group architecture was what was adopted for most of the buildings and this referred to architectural designs in which more that one design was adopted in the construction of the buildings. Land values were to high to even allow the rich to own anything designed and this meant that only the royal families could live in such royal buildings. This also explains why during this period most of the buildings were located around squares and were constructed as aristocratic mansions. The development of these three buildings along the squares was the beginning of the advanced architectural designs in Paris. Given the fact that the place had less land, the houses were mostly built in a row little houses that had been projected on. Shops would be built below and the residential houses above the shops in order to utilize the limited space. This was not the case for these three buildings as they were situated in areas where they ensured that there was enough space to be used by the royal family. On constructing the buildings, they would place the monument of one of the kings in front of the house. In a nutshell development of housing was a step that was undertaken with reference to who was to accommodate the building when completed. This also helped to determine where the buildings would be allocated and the architectural design that would be adopted. Therefore, the success of Paris can be attributed to the fact that the leaders in the country were able to promote the talents that were slowly developing in the country. They ensured that their subjects were able to advance themselves by encouraging innovation of skills. This led to the creation of such aesthetic buildings where the royal families would stay. This has over they years served as a tourist attraction centre. This has therefore brought with it the generation of revenue long after the kings who used the buildings left. Therefore, the success of this country in architecture can be attributed to the efforts that were undertaken by the kings during their tenure. 6 References Dubois, I. Gady, A. & Ziegler H. Place des Victoires: Histoire, Architecture, Societe Editions MSH: Paris. 2003. Read More