François Cointeraux (1740–1830) was a French architect. He "discovered" pisé de terre (rammed earth) architecture in the Lyon region and promulgated its use in Paris.
Born in
Lyon, he was the nephew of a master mason, with whom he learned drawing, architecture and perspective. He started working in his city of birth and in
Grenoble as a construction entrepreneur and a land surveyor for Lyon until 1786, when he entered an examination of the
Academy of Amiens. He was accepted in 1787, and moved to Paris the following year. There, he established several schools of rural architecture. His work at that time was mainly oriented towards the construction of incombustible rammed earth buildings built for agricultural purposes. In 1789, he was distinguished by the
Royal Society of Agriculture of Paris. In year III of the revolutionary calendar, he was part of the ''Société des inventions et découvertes''.
He was the inventor of the ''crécise'' a mechanical device allowing the production of rammed earth bricks. He derived from this device another invention, ''l'épurateur de légumes'', allowing to dry vegetables. He also invented the ''pierre carton'' and studies concrete.
He was a productive author, producing 72 booklets relating to rammed earth construction, and these writings were translated and widely spread, helping this construction style to flourish. He was also interested in agriculture, being the first author, with
Léon de Perthuis de Laillevault in 1805 and 1810, to study rural construction in the French
agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...
, in an apology of rammed earth and its use.
He was also interested in manufactures built in an
industrial style.
He was the architect of dozens of rammed earth buildings in Lyon and its vicinity, in Grenoble,
Amiens and
Napoléon-Vendée, a town he was tasked to rebuild in 1807 by
Emmanuel Crétet
Emmanuel Crétet, Comte de Champmol (10 February 1747 – 28 November 1809) was a French merchant, financier and politician.
He was the first governor of the Banque de France.
Early years
Emmanuel Crétet was born in the village of Le Pont-de-Bea ...
, Minister of the Interior and director of the
Corps of Bridges, Waters and Forests
The ''Corps des ponts, des eaux et des forêts'' (in English "Corps of Bridges, Waters and Forests") is a technical Grand Corps of the French State ( grand corps de l'Etat). Its members are senior officials, mainly employed by the French Ministry o ...
of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. The town, destroyed during the
French Revolution, was rebuilt by Cointeraux. His use of rammed earth was criticized by the Emperor, who described his work as a "city of mud", and he was accused of having wasted the means available to him.
Published works
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cointeraux
1740 births
1830 deaths
18th-century French architects
19th-century French architects
Architects from Lyon