ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines the school of the Académie under the leadership of Nicolas-François Blondel, and then how it was radically overhauled by Jacques-François Blondel (probably no relation to Nicolas-François Blondel). Under Jacques-François Blondel’s professorship, the lecture room and atelier were united and a demanding curriculum devised. The ideological stance of the Académie was also altered to accept relative values that were dependent upon climate, materials and other factors in line with Enlightenment thinking. The Académie’s competitions, which were the most sought-after accolade in French architectural education for over 250 years, are also examined.
