Victor Louis
Victor Louis (10 May 1731, Paris – 2 July 1800, Paris) was a French architect.
He designed the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux of 1780. He also designed other theatres, including the Théâtre-Français (now the Comédie-Française) on the rue de Richelieu (1790) and the Théâtre National de la rue de la Loi (1793, demolished). Other buildings include the Intendance in Besançon (completed 1776), the garden galleries of the Palais-Royal in Paris (1781–1784), the Salle de Beaujolais (1782/83), and the Château du Bouilh near Bordeaux (1786–1789, unfinished).[1]
Victor Louis's involvement in the 1780s reconstruction of the Théâtre du Palais-Royal is of particular interest because of its fire-resistant roof construction, which combined wrought iron trusses and hollow ceramic pots embedded in plaster.
The following information is drawn from 'Early Iron in Theatre Construction: the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris' by Katerina Maria Chalvatzi, which includes excellent illustrations [2]
Each 11.9m span roof truss has a tie bar of 70 x 70mm section, two rafters (110 x 35 m) extending from the ends of the tie beam to the apex of the roof, a king post (75 x 75), and an arch (75 x 75). The arch is made in two pieces, connected at the middle with a joint which also embraces the king post. Six bars extend radially from the top of the arch to connect it with the rafters. Eight bars descend from the arch and connect with the tie bar. These bars are connected to the arch and tie bar by riveted 'stirrups'. The roof trusses are tied together by longitudinal wrought iron bars and purlins.
The rafters are partly embedded in the roof membrane, which is comprised of plaster and ceramic pots, original laid on wooden shuttering. The pots have a square top and a cylindrical body, 105mm long.
Louis had carried out experiments with this form of construction c.1786, before the erection of the Théâtre-Français in 1789. This was destroyed by fire in 1900.
Some sources suggest that the iron roof of the Théâtre du Palais-Royal was erected by Guerchy during the refurbishment works of 1830. However, these are thought to be incorrect, and that the roof does in fact date from about 1786.
Louis was presumably influenced by the trussed iron floors invented by Ango. See Ango: Trussed Floors.
Note: It appears that William Strutt had read about Louis's roof construction, or aspects of it, in 1792, when he was planning his fireproof buildings [3]. Strutt did incorporate hollow pots in the arched floor above the waterwheel pit at North Mill, Belper.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Information is condensed from the Wikipedia entry
- ↑ [1] 'Early iron in Theatre Construction: the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris' by Katerina Maria Chalvatzi, ETH Zürich, Institute of Conservation and Building Archaeology (IDB)
- ↑ 'The First "Fire Proof" buildings in England - a Contribution on the Early History of Cast Iron in Building Construction' by Akos Paulinyi