Jean Dimitrijevic
Encyclopedia
Jean Dimitrijevic was a French
architect who worked with Guy Lagneau
and Michel Weill in the Atelier LWD
on many projects.
Among these projects was the Musée-Maison de la culture du Havre, an innovative museum built between 1955 and 1960.
(1939-1945).
After the war, he began working as an apprentice architect in 1947, and became a junior partner at the Atelier LWD
, an architectural firm created by Guy Lagneau and Michel Weill in 1952.
He studied under Guy Lagneau
at the École des Beaux-Arts
in Paris
, graduating as an architect planner in 1957.
In 1959 he studied for a year at the Department of Architecture at MIT in the United States
.
During the thirty years of activity at LWD, the studio won many awards, serving private firms and the state with a complete process of design and implementation of architecture and overall urban planning. The studio was recognized as highly innovative.
, Guinea
. In this building the architects created a frame building with concrete walls lined with precast granite, with rooms designed to promote natural ventilation.
Other projects including planning the mineral port of Boké
in Guinea (1955), the city of Taïba Mbaye in Senegal
(1957), the Sandgarejdi mine in Guinea (1957), the development plan for Abidjan
in Côte d'Ivoire
(1959) and a program for industrial expansion in Cameroon
(1964).
Dimitrijevic was in charge of design, planning and construction of the mining town of Cansado
in Mauritania
between 1959 and 1963, with 750 furnished houses.
For the sake of economy, there were few French workers, mostly Moors, Canary Islanders and Senegalese.
The project was logistically and technically demanding.
Construction used precast lightweight concrete blocks imported from Senegal, and other concrete forms such as joists and railings that were manufactured on the site. Import of manufactured goods was kept to the minimum.
The city, built quickly, gave an impression of strength and architectural cohesion.
, a box of glass, steel and aluminum with light, flexible spaces.
The building was awarded the Prix Reynolds in 1962.
It marked the start of a long collaboration with Jean Prouvé
and Charlotte Perriand
.
Lagneau, Weill, Dimitrijevic, Prouvé and Perriand collaborated on the Maison de Sahara in 1958, a prototype developed in Paris in 1958 showing an innovative approach to solving the problem of extreme heat. The prototype building included cabins that were air-conditioned in the daytime and open to the desert at night, contained within a tent that provided the central living space.
Later work included the Prefecture and the Palace of Justice of Évry, Essonne, with Weill and Lagneau in 1975.
He designed the Marinas of Cogolin
in the Var department, a new departure for Dimitrijevic, and collaboration on the 120,000 square metres (1,300,000 sq ft) Quatre-Temps shopping center in La Défense
, a business district of Paris, which opened in 1981.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
architect who worked with Guy Lagneau
Guy Lagneau
Guy Lagneau was a French architect, one of the founders of Atelier LWD, who was involved in many major projects in France and Africa.-Early years:Guy Lagneau was born in 1915....
and Michel Weill in the Atelier LWD
Atelier LWD
Atelier LWD was an architecture studio led by Guy Lagneau, Jean Dimitrijevic and Michel Weill that was active from 1952 to 1985.It later took the name of "Atelier d'Etudes Architecturales" with the addition of Paul Cordoliani, Henri Coulomb , Renzo Moro and Ivan Seifert .The studio originated...
on many projects.
Among these projects was the Musée-Maison de la culture du Havre, an innovative museum built between 1955 and 1960.
Career outline
Born in 1926, Dimitrijevic joined the French army during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939-1945).
After the war, he began working as an apprentice architect in 1947, and became a junior partner at the Atelier LWD
Atelier LWD
Atelier LWD was an architecture studio led by Guy Lagneau, Jean Dimitrijevic and Michel Weill that was active from 1952 to 1985.It later took the name of "Atelier d'Etudes Architecturales" with the addition of Paul Cordoliani, Henri Coulomb , Renzo Moro and Ivan Seifert .The studio originated...
, an architectural firm created by Guy Lagneau and Michel Weill in 1952.
He studied under Guy Lagneau
Guy Lagneau
Guy Lagneau was a French architect, one of the founders of Atelier LWD, who was involved in many major projects in France and Africa.-Early years:Guy Lagneau was born in 1915....
at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École 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. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, graduating as an architect planner in 1957.
In 1959 he studied for a year at the Department of Architecture at MIT in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
During the thirty years of activity at LWD, the studio won many awards, serving private firms and the state with a complete process of design and implementation of architecture and overall urban planning. The studio was recognized as highly innovative.
Work in Africa
Dimitrijevic was involved in several projects in Africa, including the LWD's first project, the 1953 design of the Hôtel de France in ConakryConakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. In this building the architects created a frame building with concrete walls lined with precast granite, with rooms designed to promote natural ventilation.
Other projects including planning the mineral port of Boké
Boké
Boké is the capital city of Boké Prefecture within the Boké Region of Lower Guinea near the border with Guinea-Bissau. It is also a sub-prefecture of Guinea. Located along the Rio Nuñez which flows to its not-too-distant mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, Boké is a port. It is known for the Fortin de...
in Guinea (1955), the city of Taïba Mbaye in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
(1957), the Sandgarejdi mine in Guinea (1957), the development plan for Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
(1959) and a program for industrial expansion in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
(1964).
Dimitrijevic was in charge of design, planning and construction of the mining town of Cansado
Cansado
Cansado is a coastal town in north-western Mauritania on the Ras Nouadhibou peninsular. It is located in the Nouadhibou Department in the Dakhlet Nouadhibou region....
in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
between 1959 and 1963, with 750 furnished houses.
For the sake of economy, there were few French workers, mostly Moors, Canary Islanders and Senegalese.
The project was logistically and technically demanding.
Construction used precast lightweight concrete blocks imported from Senegal, and other concrete forms such as joists and railings that were manufactured on the site. Import of manufactured goods was kept to the minimum.
The city, built quickly, gave an impression of strength and architectural cohesion.
Work in France
Dimitrijevic worked with Lagneau, Weill and Raymond Audigler on the design of the Museum of Modern Art at Le HavreLe Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, a box of glass, steel and aluminum with light, flexible spaces.
The building was awarded the Prix Reynolds in 1962.
It marked the start of a long collaboration with Jean Prouvé
Jean Prouvé
-Images:**- External links :***...
and Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand , was a French architect and designer. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society...
.
Lagneau, Weill, Dimitrijevic, Prouvé and Perriand collaborated on the Maison de Sahara in 1958, a prototype developed in Paris in 1958 showing an innovative approach to solving the problem of extreme heat. The prototype building included cabins that were air-conditioned in the daytime and open to the desert at night, contained within a tent that provided the central living space.
Later work included the Prefecture and the Palace of Justice of Évry, Essonne, with Weill and Lagneau in 1975.
He designed the Marinas of Cogolin
Cogolin
Cogolin is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
in the Var department, a new departure for Dimitrijevic, and collaboration on the 120,000 square metres (1,300,000 sq ft) Quatre-Temps shopping center in La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
, a business district of Paris, which opened in 1981.