ABSTRACT
The building must be designed so as to separate putrid exhalations from currents of fresh air, in the same way that currents of fresh water had to be divided from used water. The idea was that the shape of the building itself would ensure satisfactory ventilation, thus rendering traditional methods redundant. Cupola and dome were transformed into machines to draw up miasmas: experts climbed onto rooftops to breathe the invisible, evilsmelling spirals they created. … The degree of stench was a measure of the architect’s efficiency.
