Learning by doing. Arts&English for young students

 

NEWTON’S CENOTAPH

It was a project made by Étienne-Louis Boullée in 1784, to honour Isaac Newton’s discoveries.

It’s a neoclassical building, similar to Greek and Roman mausoleums.

ARCHITECT

 Étienne-Louis Boullée was born in Paris, in 1728 and died in 1799. He was a visionary architect, theorist and teacher. He wanted to be a painter, but, following the wishes of his father, he turned to

architecture. He opened his own studio with 19 years old. He designed several mansions in Paris in the 1760s and ‘70s, like the Hôtel de Brunoy. He teached in the Ecole Nationele des Ponts et Chaussées and in the Académie Royale d’Architecture in Paris. His works were innovative, from the Neoclassicism.

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

Although it has never been built the drawings were engraved and circulated between some of the most important architects of the era. They said he was a megalomaniac and until the twentieth century its work wasn’t published. Nowadays the drawings and plans are in the National Library of Paris.

STRUCTURE AND MATERIALS

The cenotaph (a monument dedicated to the memory of someone, but with no body preserved inside) is a large sphere of 150 meters high on a circular base and covered by cypresses. From the outside, you can only see half the sphere, supported by two cylinders.

The building represents the land and Newton’s discoveries. Its access is in the base and, no matter the size, only a small area in the base can be occupied. Its surface is perforated, so that sunlight can enter during the day and create a picture of the night sky. During the day a great artificial light in the centre of the sphere represents the daytime. Light represents Newton, lighting the knowledge of mankind.

IMPRESSIONS

It is a huge and very simple building. It hasn´t got any unnecessary decoration and it expresses its function. For me it’s gorgeous and well balanced.

Marta de Sevilla 3ºC

LA GEODE

La Geode is a mirror-finished geodesic dome that holds an Omnimax theatre in Parc de la Villette at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (City of Science and Industry) in the 19th arrondissement of Paris,

La Géode was designed by architect Adrien Fainsilber and engineer Gérard Chamayou. The geodesic dome is 36 metres (118 ft) in diameter, composed of 6,433 polished stainless steel equilateral triangles that form the sphere that reflects the sky. It stands on a reinforced concrete based, which is attached to Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, the largest science museum in Europe. La Géode officially opened on May 6, 1985. After a similar venue located in La Défense closed in 2001, La Géode became the only spherical building in the Île-de-France region of France. It cost 130 million French francs to build.

Before the name "Géode" was selected, other names were proposed, including humorous suggestions such as "Bouboule", "Irma", "Minouchette", "Double Zéro", and "Zézette".

Theatre

Movies are projected in IMAX format on a giant hemispherical screen that covers 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft). The auditorium is fitted with a 12 point sound system with four large subwoofers that deliver 210,000 watts in surround sound designed by Cabasse. The IMAX films, presented in high definition and Géode 3D-relief, feature science, nature, and travel documentaries, short and long feature-length films, and high definition animated subjects. It also presents satellite concert events, including live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera from New York City.

See also

·Parc de la Villette

·Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, City of Science and Industry, the largest science museum in Europe

·Cité de la musique, City of Music, an interactive museum of historical musical instruments and a concert hall

·Le Zénith, a concert arena in Parc de la Villette

 

ADRIEN FAINSILBER

Adrien Fainsilber born in 1932 in Nouvion in Thiérache is an architect and urban planner Frence

Biography 

Graduated in 1960 at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris , Adrien Fainsilber worked at the agency landscape architect Hideo Sasaki , atCambridge , in Massachusetts .

Back in France, he is responsible for studies at the Institute of development and urban planning in the Paris Region (IAURP) and he participates in the first implementation of the Master Plan for the Île-de-France region .

He founded his agency in 1970 after winning the competition for the university town Villetaneuse (competition won in association with Hogna Sigurdardottir-Anspach).

He won the National Grand Prize for Architecture in 1986 .

In 1992 , he founded a limited liability company with seven partners, AFA architecture firm (Adrien Fainsilber and Associates), now "AFA Workshops" whose offices are located rue Barrault in Paris .

Achievements 

·1970 Paris-Nord University , literary and legal center, Villetaneuse - 42 805 m 2

·1974 442 HLM housing / ILM - Salvador-Allende City, Villetaneuse - 39 669 m 2

·1975 University of Technology of Compiègne - 17,000 m 2 to 1975

·1975 Deutsches Institut Polytechnique of the University of Paris Nord , Villetaneuse - 41 000 m 2

·1975 Medical House, Magnanville - 230 m 2

·LIMHP 1977 CNRS - Laboratory of molecular interactions and high pressures, Villetaneuse - 2500 m 2

·1978 Youth Club workers - 120 rooms Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - 2363 m 2

·1980 Edouard Manet Nursery School, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - 1066 m 2

·1980 274 public housing units, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines

·1981 Centre EDF / GDF, Paris La Défense - 33000 m 2

·1981 Hospital of Evry - 37 156 m 2

·1983 72 PLA housing - ZAC du Canal, Evry - 6732 m 2

·1985-1986 Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie and La Geode in Paris - 165 000 m 2

·1987 Administration Center, CSI La Villette - 8627 m 2

·1990 Lycée Philibert Delorme, L'Isle-d'Abeau - 13 000 m 2

·1991 Wastewater Treatment Plant Valenton (Phase 1) SIAAP - 18,000 m 2

·1991 Persons Aged Visitor Centre - CHU Kremlin Bicetre - 15 377 m 2

·1992 Business Center Pont de Bercy, Paris - 12 000 m 2

·1992 Block Medical and Surgical - Hospital of Vichy - 4000 m 2

·1992 Museum of Art Roger-Quilliot of Clermont-Ferrand - 6698 m 2

·1994 New City Hall of La Flèche - Restructured: 959 m 2 - New: 1825 m 2

·1994-1996 Headquarters UNEDIC , Paris - 17 524 m 2

·1995 129 homes in Bagneux - PC and PLA - 27 812 m 2

·1995 163 student housing, Montpellier - 9793 m 2

·63 apartments in 1996, the Academy Park, Montpellier - 6721 m 2

·1996 85 public housing units, block G Faluche, Montpellier - 6355 m 2

·1996 incineration plant for household waste at Rennes - 5088 m 2

·1997 National School of application of territorial frameworks, Montpellier - 4043 m 2

·1998 Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Strasbourg - 14 000 m 2.

·1996-1999 The mutual Institute Montsouris - Paris 16th.

·1998 CHU Purpan Children Hospital of the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse - 23 200 m 2 to 1,998

·2000 60 apartments, terraces Marianne, Montpellier - 6000 m 2

·2001 Courthouse of Avignon - 11 000 m 2.

·2001 Office building, Altadis, Paris 75013-15 500m 2-2001

·2002 Municipal Library of the Alcazar in Marseille - 21 000 m 2.

·2002 Richter Etoile, Place Ernest Granier, Montpellier - 12 700 m 2 of office

·2003-2007 Woman-Mother-Child Hospital in Bron , HFME - 64 000 m 2

·2003 Faculty Medicine-Pharmacy in Besançon - 6000 m 2

·2004 Expansion of the wastewater treatment plant of Valenton ( SIAAP ) - 30 876 m 2

·2004-2007 Juvenile Prison Establishment , 4 institutions: in Toulouse, Mantes-la-Jolie, Nantes and Marseille - 5400 m 2 per site

MATERIALS

It is 36 metres of diameter, it’s made up of 6.433 equilateral triangles made up of steel that reflects light like a mirror.

OPINION

I like this building because is very big and modern, it’s very cool, and I wish I could have it near here. It’s very beautiful too, I like it because it reflects light like a mirror.

IT IS USED TO

Watch films. Films are projected in a 1.000m2 screen. Films projected there, last less than a hour.

Saúl Casta and Ariane Álvarez