Bernard Louis Zehrfuss (October 20, 1911 in
AngersAngers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in north-western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
– July 3, 1996 in
Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine is a commune bordering the western limit of the city of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
) was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
.
Life
From a family that had fled from the
AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
in 1870 after the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
, Zehrfuss's father was killed in the
First Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between the 5th and 12th of September 1914. It resulted in a Franco-British victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger...
in 1914. He attended the
École des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-Arts ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement...
in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from the age of 18 and won its most prestigious award, the
Prix de RomeThe Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists who proved their talents by completing a...
in 1939 (also the year of his first major design, for the
Sébastien Charléty StadiumStade Sebastien Charléty, known simply as Stade Charléty or even sometimes just Charléty, is a multi-use stadium in Paris, France. It is now used primarily for rugby league matches. Officially, the current capacity of the stadium is 20,000 people. The stadium opened in 1938 and was designed by...
in Paris), though the outbreak of the Second World War prevented him from taking up his stay at the
Villa MediciThe Villa Medici is an architectural complex centred on the villa whose gardens are contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, has housed the French Academy in Rome...
in Rome. After a short stay in
NiceNice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 347 060 inhabitants in the 2006 estimate...
, he became an assistant in Eugene Beaudouin's Marseilles workshop, obtained a visa for
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and joined the
Free French ForcesThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
.
In French-controlled
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
and
TunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast. Tunisia is located southwest of the island of Sicily and south of Sardinia. Its size is almost 165,000 km² with an estimated population of just...
from 1943 through 1953, Zehrfuss was appointed to office in the Directorate of Public Works and built many well-received housing projects, schools and hospitals.
On return to France he was made Chief Architect of Public Buildings and National Palaces and participated in two high-profile projects: the 1953 European headquarters of
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
, a collaboration with
Marcel BreuerMarcel Lajos Breuer , architect and furniture designer, was an influential Hungarian-born modernist of Jewish descent...
and
Pier Luigi NerviPier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer and architect. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
, and the 1958
Center of New Industries and TechnologiesThe Center of New Industries and Technologies , located in Puteaux, France, is one of the first buildings built in La Défense in Paris, France...
, one of the first buildings of
La DéfenseLa Défense is a major business district for the city of Paris. With a population of 20,844, it is centered in an oval freeway loop straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
. These stand among many French housing projects and embassies through the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1975 he designed the new building for the
Gallo-Roman Museum of LyonThe Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is a museum on the Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon , previously located in the heart of the Roman city and now sited near the city's Roman theatre on the Fourvière hill, half-buried into the hillside on the edge of the archaeological site. The new building was...
. In 1983, Zehrfuss was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts, where he became the perpetual secretary in 1994, succeeding
Marcel LandowskiMarcel Landowski was a French composer, biographer and arts administrator.Born at Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère, Brittany, he was the son of French sculptor Paul Landowski and great-grandson of the composer Henri Vieuxtemps....
.
Main works
- 1939
The year 1939 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC designed by John Russell Pope is begun.* St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia is officially completed....
: Stade Charlety in ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(rebuilt in 1994 by Henri and Bruno Gaudin)
- 1950
The year 1950 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Eames House in Santa Monica, California, designed by Charles and Ray Eames is completed.* Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is completed....
-1953The year 1953 in architecture involved some significant events.-Awards:* AIA Gold Medal - William Adams Delano.* Royal Gold Medal - Le Corbusier.* Grand Prix de Rome, architecture: .-Deaths:* May 31 - Vladimir Tatlin...
: Mame printworks in ToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
in collaboration with Jean ProuvéJean Prouvé was a French engineer and designer. His main achievement was transferring manufacturing technology from industry to architecture, without losing aesthetic qualities.-Early years:...
- 1950
The year 1950 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Eames House in Santa Monica, California, designed by Charles and Ray Eames is completed.* Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is completed....
-1958The year 1958 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Atomium in Brussels, designed by André Waterkeyn is opened.* Seagram Building in New York, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is completed....
: Flins Renault FactoryFlins Renault Factory is a car factory in France, straddling the towns of Flins and Aubergenville in Yvelines, around 40km downstream of Paris. It is the largest Renault Group factory in mainland France...
and the "cité FlinsFlins-sur-Seine is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
" nearby
- 1952
The year 1952 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Saynatsalo Town Hall in Finland, designed by Alvar Aalto is completed.* The Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, designed by Le Corbusier is completed.-Awards:...
-1958The year 1958 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Atomium in Brussels, designed by André Waterkeyn is opened.* Seagram Building in New York, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is completed....
: UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
HQ in ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in association with Marcel BreuerMarcel Lajos Breuer , architect and furniture designer, was an influential Hungarian-born modernist of Jewish descent...
and Pier Luigi NerviPier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer and architect. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
, then its extension (1965-1978)
- 1954
The year 1954 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*Le Corbusier completes the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France-Events:*Buckminster Fuller patents his geodesic dome design, later expressed in his Dymaxion House...
-1958The year 1958 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Atomium in Brussels, designed by André Waterkeyn is opened.* Seagram Building in New York, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is completed....
: the CNITThe Center of New Industries and Technologies , located in Puteaux, France, is one of the first buildings built in La Défense in Paris, France...
at la DéfenseLa Défense is a major business district for the city of Paris. With a population of 20,844, it is centered in an oval freeway loop straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
in association with Robert Camelot and Jean de Mailly
- 1959
The year 1959 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is completed.* The Birmingham Museum of Art by Warren, Knight & Davis is opened....
-1963The year 1963 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Bankside Power Station in London, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott is completed.* Millbank Tower in London is completed....
: Haut-du-Lièvre overlooking NancyNancy is a city in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France, and formerly the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, and then the French province of the same name.The city is the head of the department...
- 1960
The year 1960 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Cairo Tower in Cairo, Egypt is completed.* Cobo Hall convention center and arena in Detroit, Michigan, United States, are opened....
: Clichy-sous-BoisClichy-sous-Bois is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France.The vast majority of its population is made up of Arab Muslims of Algerian,Tunisian and Moroccan heritage. It is located . from the center of Paris.-Geography:The commune has an area of with of woods...
-MontfermeilMontfermeil is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the center of Paris.Montfermeil is famous as the location of Thénardier's inn in Les Misérables. It has made the headlines due to troubles in its social estate called "les Bosquets".-Transport:Montfermeil is...
- 1960
The year 1960 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Cairo Tower in Cairo, Egypt is completed.* Cobo Hall convention center and arena in Detroit, Michigan, United States, are opened....
-1963The year 1963 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Bankside Power Station in London, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott is completed.* Millbank Tower in London is completed....
: Faculty of Sciences of the University of Tunis
- 1962
The year 1962 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Coventry Cathedral in England, designed by Basil Spence is completed.* Maracaibo Lake Bridge in Venezuela, designed by Riccardo Morandi is opened....
-1967The year 1967 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada designed by Moshe Safdie as part of Expo 67.* Marina City in Chicago, designed by Bertrand Goldberg is opened....
: flats (5 towers with 15 floors - 370 housing units) 120-126 avenue Jean-Jaurès in PantinPantin is a commune in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Its post code is 93500....
- 1962
The year 1962 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Coventry Cathedral in England, designed by Basil Spence is completed.* Maracaibo Lake Bridge in Venezuela, designed by Riccardo Morandi is opened....
-1970The year 1970 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* December 23 - The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world....
: French embassy in WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
in collaboration with Henry Bernard and Guillaume Gillet (fully renovated by Jean-Philippe Pargade in 2004)
- 1967
The year 1967 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada designed by Moshe Safdie as part of Expo 67.* Marina City in Chicago, designed by Bertrand Goldberg is opened....
: Garonor in Aulnay-sous-BoisAulnay-sous-Bois is a commune in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 13.9 km from the centre of Paris....
- 1968
The year 1968 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Lake Point Tower in Chicago, designed by Schippereit-Heinrich Associates is completed.* The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, designed by Mies van der Rohe, is opened....
: SandozSandoz is the generic drug subsidiary of Novartis, a multinational pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and markets off-patent medicines as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active ingredients....
-France's HQ at Rueil-MalmaisonRueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located . from the center of Paris.-Name:...
- 1970
The year 1970 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* December 23 - The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world....
: Danish Embassy in ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- 1972
The year 1972 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Brunswick Centre in London, designed by Patrick Hodgkinson is completed.* Munich Olympic Arena, designed by Gunter Behnisch for the 1972 Summer Olympics is completed....
: SiemensSiemens AG is Europe's largest engineering conglomerate. Siemens' international headquarters are located in Berlin and Munich, Germany. The company is a conglomerate of three main business sectors: Industry, Energy and Healthcare with a total of 15 Divisions.Worldwide, Siemens and its subsidiaries...
-France's HQ in Plaine-Saint-Denis
- 1972
The year 1972 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Brunswick Centre in London, designed by Patrick Hodgkinson is completed.* Munich Olympic Arena, designed by Gunter Behnisch for the 1972 Summer Olympics is completed....
-1975The year 1975 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Frank House, also known as House VI, designed by Peter Eisenman* U.N...
: Gallo-Roman Museum of LyonThe Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is a museum on the Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon , previously located in the heart of the Roman city and now sited near the city's Roman theatre on the Fourvière hill, half-buried into the hillside on the edge of the archaeological site. The new building was...
- 1973
The year 1973 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, United States, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, becomes the tallest building in the world....
: Tour Anjou at la DéfenseLa Défense is a major business district for the city of Paris. With a population of 20,844, it is centered in an oval freeway loop straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
, commune of PuteauxPuteaux is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine département, at from the center of Paris...
- 1976
The year 1976 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed.* John Hancock Tower in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by I. M...
: Jeumont-Schneider-Various:* Schneider , a German family name* Point counts in the card games Sheepshead and Skat* Schneider , an Argentinian brand of beer* Schneider CA1, a French World War I tank* Schneider Trophy, a prize for seaplanes...
's HQ in PuteauxPuteaux is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine département, at from the center of Paris...
- 1976
The year 1976 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed.* John Hancock Tower in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by I. M...
: flats on the "Procession" and "Falguière" islets in the 15th arrondissement of Paris (12000 and 387 housing units)