Iconic Collaborations
In this series, we will look at an early root of contemporary architecture and planning: the Palace of Versailles. The differences with projects today vary greatly, but many of the problems and requirements the architects and administrators faced at the time remain concerns we deal with today. To understand where we are today, we have to look back at the history of architecture and planning.
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Part 3
The construction of Versailles took decades. The ambition of great kings is rarely satisfied and more housing, entertainment, and other amenities needed to be added on as the inhabitants grew.
Now, all of these factors are usually laid out ahead of time, and with software, we can plan appropriately for growth and for changes in budget, materials, and surroundings.
Last time we covered the work on the structure of Versailles itself and the many characters who worked together (or against one another) to complete it.
This time we will look at some of the surrounding structures that allowed Versailles to function and the work that has been done to preserve the structure in the two centuries since its primary completion.
Planning the Royal Town
In Part 1 we talked about the skepticism about the location of Versaille because of the lack of a town around to provide essential goods and services. However, after French king Louis XIV moved himself, his family, and the whole of the French court and government to Versailles, a town began to grow around it.
Many of the auxiliary buildings such as the kitchen and stables spread out from the main palace and the town at Versailles grew out from these.
In 1971, Louis XIV made a proclamation inviting people to settle in the area around Versailles. Three major avenues converged on Versailles and the primary inhabitants sprung up around this.
The resulting village grew into a town. The only provision the king made was that any building there “respected the state and symmetry of the buildings” at Versailles. This led to the town appearing as almost an extension of the architecture at Versaille, though much less grand, without the gilded statues or immaculate fountains.
Some grand buildings such as churches were built on the premises of the town. Much of the primary architecture of the town was designed by the architects of Versailles—Louis Le Vau, François d'Orbay, and Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
In this way, the town of Versailles represents the organic growth that accompanied the palace’s growth. The symmetrical façades and sloped roofs would come to define suburban French architecture in the period.
After the French Revolution in 1789 caused the aristocracy to vacate Versailles, the town lost much of its population.
Architects and planners rarely account for such massive social change as a full-scale revolution!
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Factories of Furniture
The scale of Versailles required an unthinkable amount of furniture and decoration. Some of the most famous were the armchairs with open arms and upholstered backs known as fauteuils, rendered in all silver for the king’s quarters in the palace. These silver chairs were eventually melted down to fund the War of Spanish Succession.
In terms of the overall decor, the First Painter to the King Charles Le Brun took charge until his death in 1690. At the time, art and design were considered together closely, as most of the furniture pieces were made mostly by hand, as were the massive tapestries. Le Brun personally painted many of the sculptural interior architectural elements, such as the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors.
However, Le Brun was also in charge of the famous Gobelins Manufacture, a decor factory in Paris, for decades. At times, much of the operations of the factory were oriented toward the creation of tapestries and furniture for the palace.
This centralized manufacturing system was bolstered by the specific need for a massive amount of furniture for Versailles and is an early example of the systems of mass production we use to this day.
Because Le Brun was so intimately involved with Versailles, he could commission the works from Paris at scale. Of course, this was all done by written and direct communication, and the orders would grow as the needs of the palace changed.
Another important figure in the furniture production for the palace was André Charles Boulle. He was known for creating one-of-a-kind pieces for the royalty there. He deployed a nuanced form of marquetry, an art where wood pieces are placed together to form a patterned surface.
His furniture and cabinetry featured elaborate, luxurious marquetry using copper and tortoise shells. He also pioneered using metal in furniture to protect parts and to exude grandeur.
The After-Life of Versailles
Versailles was left largely untouched by the descendants of Louis XIV. They used the palace throughout the 18th century until the royal family was executed during the French Revolution.
The grand palace survived the revolution and was used for different purposes in the ensuing century. Directly after the revolution, it became a public building.
French emperor Napoleon I considered using it, as did the French kings who ruled after the restoration of the monarchy when Napoleon was exiled for the final time and royalty returned to the head of the French state. But no royalty ever again occupied Versailles full time.
The palace became a museum in 1833 and was also used for ceremonies by the various rulers of France throughout the 1800s.
In the late 1800s, scholar Pierre de Nolhac began a decades-long renovation project.
After the palace was used for the signing of the treaty that ended WWI, American industrialist John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated millions of dollars to restore aspects of the palace.
In the early 2000s, the museum at Versailles received a new round of funding for renovations, and today millions of people still visit the grounds.
Planners and politicians were able to use the original scheme to create a house for French art and culture that endures today under very similar conditions as when it was originally built.
A Legacy of Planning
We’ve now seen the many people and elements that came together to make Versailles the icon that it is today. While some of the methods and organization seem primitive by today's standards, the project stands as an early example of a massive organization project.
The planners and architects of Versailles had to work with difficult, demanding clients (who also directly ruled them). Today, meeting the demands of a client only seems like a life-or-death situation.
Using just paper and in-person meetings, the architects were able to build a structure that would house thousands and be essential for the performing of tasks. They coordinated grand works of engineering to bring water to the grounds and furnished the building with art and furniture, all while working with the budget of a tumultuous political system.
It must have been frustrating working for the royal family, but today many more points of authority dictate the outcomes of a project.
Today, we can anticipate the scale necessary to house thousands, the amount of room each person will need, and align these needs with a pre-determined budget or with housing regulations.
If you want to learn more about how Arcol to tackle the challenges of Icnonic projects like Versailles — get in touch with our team!