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Building Beyond The Mediterranean

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Claudine Piaton
, 
Ezio Godoli
, 
David Peyceré

The architecture

The Hennebique agency and the figures of modernity in Algiers

L’agence Hennebique et les figures de la modernité algéroise

Boussad Aiche

Texte intégral

  • 1 “Le mouvement de la construction à Alger,” Journal général des Travaux publics et du bâtiment, 24 J (...)
  • 2 René Lespès et Paul Messerschmitt, “Alger 1935. La ville, le port, le tourisme”, Chantiers nord-afr (...)
  • 3 Celebrated in splendor, the Centenary, a symbol of colonial success, was supposed to promote Algier (...)
  • 4 Boussad Aiche, Architectures des années trente à Alger. Les figures de la modernité, doctoral disse (...)
  • 5 See the Hennebique archive collection (presented in the appendices) as well as the archives of buil (...)

1Towards the end of the 1920s, the Hennebique agency benefitted from the unprecedented expansion of the construction sector in Algeria. The exemption of land from tax, the end of the moratorium on rents, and a decrease in the value of securities allowed significant capital to be directed towards construction.1 According to René Lespès, this explains why “the construction of the largest and most expensive buildings was undertaken precisely between 1927 and 1930.”2 Moreover, the large number of building permits issued for the municipality of Algiers confirms this increase. It amounted to 543 for 1928 and reached the record number of 697 for 1929, on the eve of the Centenary of Colonization.3 Despite the Depression that year, ground was broken on many construction sites in Algiers.4 This context, favorable to the dissemination of the Hennebique construction system, encouraged Algiers property developers to create numerous projects in an expanding market. In view of the information in the printed sources and archives,5 these projects reveal close collaboration between the architects and Hennebique’s engineer-agents Charles Bonduelle and Henri Dop, both of whom were especially prolific. Highlighting technical references from Europe provides perspective on their combined knowledge. This inevitably leads to a reflection on the architectural culture and formalization of projects subject to the interplay of various influences, especially in the specific context of the interwar years.

Figure 1: Salama Building, rue Michelet and rue Beauséjour, Algiers (1929), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: Plan

Figure 1: Salama Building, rue Michelet and rue Beauséjour, Algiers (1929), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: Plan

Source: Chantiers nord-africains, July-August 1929, p.460

Figure 2: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: facade on rue Jean-Macé

Figure 2: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: facade on rue Jean-Macé

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 3: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: second floor plan

Figure 3: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: second floor plan

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 4: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Detail of bay decoration (photo by B. Aiche)

Figure 4: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Detail of bay decoration (photo by B. Aiche)

Source: Boussad Aiche

Modernity emerges

  • 6 The agency first opened at 12 boulevard Baudin (now rue Amirouche), before moving to the new buildi (...)
  • 7 Ch. Monfort, “Le premier immeuble en béton armé construit à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, March (...)
  • 8 This assertion is slightly exaggerated. Reinforced concrete had been used in construction well befo (...)

2In 1927, Bonduelle collaborated with the architect Charles Montaland on a building at 10 rue Berthezène (now the rue du Docteur-Saadane),6 to house the offices of the Algiers subsidiary of Hennebique. The journal Chantiers nord-africains7 presented it as the first building to be constructed entirely in reinforced concrete.8 Of course, it was a showcase for the promotion of the Hennebique system, and the reliability and capabilities of this new material.

  • 9 Building permit archives (Wilaya d’Alger): authorization to erect the building at 10 rue Berthezène (...)

3In the duplex apartment9 of the first and second floors, Montaland laid out offices and the apartment around a central lobby with a mezzanine level, lit by an impressive Art Deco stained glass window facing the rue Berthezène.

  • 10 Charles Montaland, “Immeuble moderne à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, Jul.-Aug. 1929, p. 459-460 (...)

4Attentive to site integration, Bonduelle again worked with Montaland on the construction of the Salama building.10 Confined to a steep terrain at the intersection of the rue Michelet (now rue Didouche-Mourad) and rue Beauséjour (now rue Rabah-Maïdat), the building is integrated thanks to a play of levels on the 8m height difference separating the two streets. The underground spaces thus open onto the rue Beauséjour, and on the lowest level accommodate the garage, with the concierge’s lodgings on the first level. From the rue Michelet, the ground level occupies the entire plot with two distinct entrances, maintaining direct access to the owner’s office. Bonduelle’s activity also extended to numerous projects by the architect Paul Guion, based in Algiers, for the calculation of his structures (the Garcia building, the stores of the University of Algiers and the Bon-Accueil housing complex). Named for its former owner, the Garcia building, located at 21 rue de Constantine (today rue Colonel-Colonna-d’Ornano and rue Abane-Ramdane) close to the Aletti hotel, acts as an urban landmark due to its treatment of angles. Guion was especially fond of this type of urban staging, also expressed in his careful attention to façade décor and details, a hybrid of traditional Algerian art and Art Deco.

Figure 5: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Under construction

Figure 5: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Under construction

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 6: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929-1931), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: Main facade on rue Sadi-Carnot

Figure 6: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929-1931), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: Main facade on rue Sadi-Carnot

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 7: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: The central shaft (photo by H. Eichacker)

Figure 7: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: The central shaft (photo by H. Eichacker)

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 8: Petit, Thiedey & Delorme Building, boulevard Victor-Hugo, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The corner rotunda

Figure 8: Petit, Thiedey & Delorme Building, boulevard Victor-Hugo, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The corner rotunda

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

5Designed by the artist Louis Fernez, the geometrical motifs used for the metalwork or the ceramics and mosaics were inspired by Berber art, while the arcades on the attic floor recall Neo-Moorish esthetics.

  • 11 Boussad Aiche, “Figures de l’architecture algéroise des années 1930: Paul Guion et Marcel Lathuilli (...)
  • 12 “Le nouveau garage des établissements J. Vinson à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1931, p. 48 (...)

6The wish to appropriate local models, specific to Guion’s career,11 is also noticeable in the treatment of the facade of the Vinson garage12 at 140 rue Sadi-Carnot (now rue Hassiba Ben Bouali), built in 1931. The building, a car dealership and parking lot, offers perfect symmetry and introduces arched openings at the top level in the Neo-Moorish manner, while the verticality of the lateral elements is emphasized by a treatment in mosaic by the Tossut workshops of Algiers. This building combines workshops, accessory stores, and tiered parking areas with a capacity of 700 vehicles. Although it does not make the means by which the structure functions visible, its frame in reinforced concrete, designed by the engineer-agents Courtot and Dop, facilitates the layout of internal spaces.

Modernity as assumed by René Lugan

  • 13 According to Françoise Choay, these ideas, appearing at the time of the consolidation and spread of (...)

7From a construction point of view, reinforced concrete also introduced significant changes in layouts and above all, allowed the expression of a new architectural language, referring to a modern and streamlined style. Free of the physical and structural constraints related to bearing walls, architects were now able to hollow out facades to suit projects, allowing them to create large windows as well as projecting volumes used as loggias or bow-windows. Space was uncoupled from structure, and the concepts of “open plan” and of “architectural space,” abundantly used in avant-garde literature, also encouraged the new language of modernism13 beginning to appear on the architectural scene in Algiers.

  • 14 “Deux immeubles à Alger. Architecte René Lugan,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1934, p. 388. Fonds (...)
  • 15 Fonds Hennebique, 76 IFA 102/34 and 3126/17.

8Excluding all forms of decoration, René Lugan focused on enhancing volumes, thus approximating the Parisian moderns. Both engineer and architect, he designed the apartment building on boulevard Victor-Hugo14 for Petit, Thiedey & Delorme,15 in 1932, in collaboration with Bonduelle. Characterized by its rounded corner and the simplification of the proportions and profile of the moldings, it is testimony to the spare language of the Modern Movement. The integration of balconies as compositional elements and living spaces, as well as the use of the color white and the starkness of the wrought iron balustrades, are also signs of modernism.

  • 16 “Immeuble à Alger, rue Denfert-Rochereau,” Chantiers nord-africains, Jan. 1935, p. 32.

9Commonly used in France during the 1930s, the cylindrical theme is also present in the apartment building erected in 1933 on the corner of the rue Denfert-Rochereau (now rue Khelifa-Boukhalfa) and rue Bourlon (now rue des Frères Boulahdour)16 on behalf of Beldodere et Loup, with the collaboration of Henri Dop.

  • 17 “Deux immeubles à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1934, p. 388.

10It is reinterpreted in larger proportions not far away, at the intersection of the rue Edgar-Quinet and rue Courbet17. Designed in collaboration with Charles Bonduelle, on behalf of Ms. Duhem, this apartment building adopts the principle of an open court, a new device derived from the hygienist movement. It is the reason for the gap between the cylindrical volume on the corner and the narrow lateral strip which accommodates lodgings on the landing. The upper stories were designed for apartments, while the ground and first floors are for shops and services.

11The deliberate plainness of René Lugan’s language is also visible at 1-17 rue Michelet, on the luxury apartments he designed close to the University Tunnel in 1932, on behalf of the company Michelet Immobilière. The modern lines are emphasized by the treatment of the balconies and the awning of the top story, as well as by the wrought iron made by the Établissements Robert et Cie.

12Pinned to three staircases, the six levels, to which two attic stories are added, contain in all 45 apartments of 2 to 10 rooms. Here again, the integration of the balconies as both compositional elements and living spaces, as well as the use of the color white, refer to the modernist esthetic.

Figure 9: Duhem Building, boulevard Edgar-Quinet, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The courtyard

Figure 9: Duhem Building, boulevard Edgar-Quinet, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The courtyard

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Figure 10: Beldodere & Loup Building, rues Denfert-Rochereau and Bourlon, Algiers (1933), René Lugan, arch.; Dop, eng.: The corner rotunda (photo by B. Aiche)

Figure 10: Beldodere & Loup Building, rues Denfert-Rochereau and Bourlon, Algiers (1933), René Lugan, arch.; Dop, eng.: The corner rotunda (photo by B. Aiche)

Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012

Architectural culture and technical culture

13This style, which also derives its references from numerous industrial buildings, set the stage for the appearance of new architectural technologies using reinforced concrete.

  • 18 L. Barré, “Considérations sur le béton armé,” Chantiers nord-africains, Feb. 1929, p. 193-196; L. D (...)

Because industrial buildings are usually designed by engineers, their construction obeys functional considerations. This gave architects perspective on a renewal that was esthetic as well as technical. Reinforced concrete made it possible to build structures with broad inner spans, a major technical innovation, so it was especially appropriate for industrial needs. Widely publicized by reports published in the Algiers trade journal Chantiers nord-africains,18 ,301 the structural and sculptural possibilities of the new material became issues in the legitimization of modernity. Architecture and civil engineering thus spawned a truly technical culture by generating new forms based on the rational use of materials.

  • 19 Fonds Hennebique, 76 IFA 1836/3.

14For example, the design of workshops for the PLM19 railway company of Algiers, in the Hamma area, moving away from from architectural or stylistic arguments, was essentially aimed at technical and economic efficiency.

15Technical innovation influenced construction systems and reinforced concrete. In these years, it integrated the intellectual pathway of the architectural planning of a scheme, preceding the actually drafting process. These technical solutions, combined with the knowledge and skill of Hennebique’s architects and engineers, fuelled architectural inventiveness, by emphasizing the importance of the structure as an element of architectural composition.

Notes

1 “Le mouvement de la construction à Alger,” Journal général des Travaux publics et du bâtiment, 24 July 1934, p. 1.

2 René Lespès et Paul Messerschmitt, “Alger 1935. La ville, le port, le tourisme”, Chantiers nord-africains, 1935, p. 214.

3 Celebrated in splendor, the Centenary, a symbol of colonial success, was supposed to promote Algiers as a great North African capital, but the event failed to eclipse certain policy lapses.

4 Boussad Aiche, Architectures des années trente à Alger. Les figures de la modernité, doctoral dissertation Sylviane Leprun (supervisor), Université Bordeaux 3, Oct. 2010, p. 71-72.

5 See the Hennebique archive collection (presented in the appendices) as well as the archives of building permits of the Wilaya of Algiers (formerly the Conseil populaire de la ville d’Alger (CPVA)).

6 The agency first opened at 12 boulevard Baudin (now rue Amirouche), before moving to the new building at 10 rue Berthezène (now rue Docteur Saadane).

7 Ch. Monfort, “Le premier immeuble en béton armé construit à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, March 1929, p. 201-202.

8 This assertion is slightly exaggerated. Reinforced concrete had been used in construction well before this date, such as the cathedral of Oran in 1913 with its reinforced concrete cupola made by the Frères Perret company (see David Peyceré’s contribution). It had also been used in public works in Algeria during the 1920s, especially for the construction of irrigation dams.

9 Building permit archives (Wilaya d’Alger): authorization to erect the building at 10 rue Berthezène in Algiers, Charles Montaland (arch.), Charles Bonduelle (eng.), Architect’s note. See also the Fonds Hennebique 76 IFA 1769/14.

10 Charles Montaland, “Immeuble moderne à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, Jul.-Aug. 1929, p. 459-460.

11 Boussad Aiche, “Figures de l’architecture algéroise des années 1930: Paul Guion et Marcel Lathuillière,” in Myriam Bacha (ed.), Architectures au Maghreb. Réinvention du patrimoine (XIXe-XXe siècles), Tours: Presses universitaires François-Rabelais, 2010, p. 270.

12 “Le nouveau garage des établissements J. Vinson à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1931, p. 483-490.

13 According to Françoise Choay, these ideas, appearing at the time of the consolidation and spread of modern architecture, became its principal characteristics (see Françoise Choay, “Espace et architecture,” in Encyclopaedia Universalis, vol. 8, Paris: Encyclopædia universalis, 1995, p. 688).

14 “Deux immeubles à Alger. Architecte René Lugan,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1934, p. 388. Fonds Hennebique, 76 IFA 102/32 and 3171/8.

15 Fonds Hennebique, 76 IFA 102/34 and 3126/17.

16 “Immeuble à Alger, rue Denfert-Rochereau,” Chantiers nord-africains, Jan. 1935, p. 32.

17 “Deux immeubles à Alger,” Chantiers nord-africains, May 1934, p. 388.

18 L. Barré, “Considérations sur le béton armé,” Chantiers nord-africains, Feb. 1929, p. 193-196; L. Decoufle, “La conception des ouvrages en béton armé,” Chantiers nord-africains, March 1929, p. 219-322; Fernand Puget “Les ciments ordinaires, leurs propriétés et leur fabrication en Algérie,” Chantiers nord-africains, Oct. 1929, p. 503-512.

19 Fonds Hennebique, 76 IFA 1836/3.

Table des illustrations

Titre Figure 1: Salama Building, rue Michelet and rue Beauséjour, Algiers (1929), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: Plan
Crédits Source: Chantiers nord-africains, July-August 1929, p.460
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-1.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 92k
Titre Figure 2: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: facade on rue Jean-Macé
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-2.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 195k
Titre Figure 3: Hennebique Building, 10 rue Berthezène, Algiers (1924-1927), Charles Montaland, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: second floor plan
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-3.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 227k
Titre Figure 4: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Detail of bay decoration (photo by B. Aiche)
Crédits Source: Boussad Aiche
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-4.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 138k
Titre Figure 5: Garcia Building, 21 rue de Constantine, Algiers (1928-1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.; Louis Fernez, art.: Under construction
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-5.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 273k
Titre Figure 6: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929-1931), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: Main facade on rue Sadi-Carnot
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-6.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 87k
Titre Figure 7: Garage Vinson, Algiers (1929), Paul Guion, arch.; Hennebique, eng.: The central shaft (photo by H. Eichacker)
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-7.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 123k
Titre Figure 8: Petit, Thiedey & Delorme Building, boulevard Victor-Hugo, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The corner rotunda
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-8.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 164k
Titre Figure 9: Duhem Building, boulevard Edgar-Quinet, Algiers (1932), René Lugan, arch.; Bonduelle, eng.: The courtyard
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-9.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 112k
Titre Figure 10: Beldodere & Loup Building, rues Denfert-Rochereau and Bourlon, Algiers (1933), René Lugan, arch.; Dop, eng.: The corner rotunda (photo by B. Aiche)
Crédits Source: Fonds Hennebique. CNAM/SIAF/CAPA/Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle/2012
URL http://books.openedition.org/inha/docannexe/image/12754/img-10.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 221k

Auteur

Senior lecturer at the university Mouloud Mammeri, Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria)

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