Parisian Building – Watercolour and Inktense
After my recent post, which has contributed towards a lively discussion, I include a further “building”. Its from a photo, taken in 2006, of one of the building visible from the cruise barges on the Seine. I was going to comment on its structure but will leave that to others but, perhaps, someone might recognise it and allow me to put a label on it. Its near Notre Dame Cathedral and is on the same side of the river. Can anyone tell me why the buildings have such high pointed roofs? Is this the same principal as building a cupola for cooling the insides? Surely its not for aesthetic purposes only?
renefijten 2:14 pm on June 3, 2011 | #
It´s Quai des Orfèvres, Paris on the Ile de la Cité. If I am not mistaken it´s the police headquarters of Paris. Commissaire Maigret was looking out of these windows to his favourite Brasserie Dauphine, to order sandwiches or drink some glasses of beer.
The high roofs in Paris have nothing to do with cooling, but with the cost of building materials. Paris had rules to the maximum height of the masonry facades, but most builders wanted to maximize the building volume. So they made high roofs with 2 extra floors, called mansarde roofs (Francois Mansart was an architect living in AD1600). Roofs are cheaper as stone walls.
As it was terribly hot under the zinc roofs, these were for the poor tenants or lowest class servants.
BTW this story does not apply to this specific tower, this was meant to impress, as watchtower.
Uncle Bob 3:20 pm on June 3, 2011 | #
Brilliant Rene. Thanks for this and the additional information. By a strange coincidence, John Stremikis suggested I try Google Street view and I found the place about ten minutes ago but not with the information you have given. Must go back there some day.