Eugène Belgrand

Eugène Belgrand
Born 23 April 1810
Ervy-le-Châtel
Died 8 April 1878
Paris
Nationality French
Occupation Civil Engineer

Eugène Belgrand (23 April 1810 – 8 April 1878) was a French engineer who made significant contributions to the modernization of the Parisian sewer system during the 19th century rebuilding of Paris. Much of Belgrand's work remains in use today.[1]

Civil engineering

Prior to 1850, the water system in Paris was inadequate for its growing population. Waste water was discharged into the Seine, a primary source of the critically limited supply of drinking water.[2] Baron Haussmann, tasked by Napoléon III to modernize the city, appointed Belgrand as Director of Water and Sewers of Paris in March 1855.[3] Hausmann had been impressed by the École Polytechnique graduate's application of geology to water engineering during the design of a fountain in Avallon.

Belgrand embarked on an ambitious project. The tunnels he designed were intended to be clean, easily accessible, and substantially larger than the previous Parisian underground.[4] Under his guidance, Paris's sewer system expanded fourfold between 1852 and 1869.[5] He also addressed the city's fresh water needs, constructing a system of aqueducts that nearly doubled the amount of water available per person per day and quadrupled the number of homes with running water.[6]

Public reaction to the improvements was overwhelmingly favorable, supported by tours of the newly constructed sewer system and a series of photographs taken by Nadar,[7] pioneering the use of artificial lighting for photography.[8] Belgrand shared his insights with others, writing "monumental publications"[9] detailing his work and the science behind it.[10]

Belgrand's projects remain "one of the most extensive urban sewer systems in the world"[1] and served as a "transitional phase" leading to modern wastewater processing.[11]

Commemoration

To commemorate his work in Parisian civil engineering, Belgrand's name is one of 72 names engraved on the Eiffel Tower, opposite the École Militaire.[12] The main gallery of the Paris Sewer Museum[13] is also named in his honor, as is a street in Paris.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 Riding, Alan (1992-07-12). "The Sights Beneath the Sidewalks". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. ↑ "Hausmann". France Monthly. Dec 2002. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  3. ↑ Goodman, David C. (1999). The European Cities and Technology Reader: Industrial to Post-industrial City. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-20079-2.
  4. ↑ Goldman, Joanne Abel (1997). Building New York's Sewers: Developing Mechanisms of Urban Management. Purdue University Press. ISBN 1-55753-095-5.
  5. ↑ Perrot, Michelle (1990). A History of Private Life. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-40003-8.
  6. ↑ Pitt, Leonard (2006). Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Hear of Historic Paris. Shoemaker & Hoard Publishers. ISBN 1-59376-103-1.
  7. ↑ Krupa, Frederique. "Sewerage from 1789-1900". Paris: Urban Sanitation Before the 20th Century. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  8. ↑ Bossy, Michel-André; Thomas Brothers (2001). Artists, Writers, and Musicians: An Encyclopedia of People Who Changed the World. Oryx Press. ISBN 1-57356-154-1.
  9. ↑ Saalman, Howard (1971). Haussmann: Paris Transformed. George Braziller. ISBN 0-8076-0583-2.
  10. ↑ Meinzer, Oscar E., ed. (1949). "Hydrology". Dover Publications.
  11. ↑ Gandy, Matthew (1999). "The Paris sewers and the rationalization of urban space". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 24 (1): 23–44. doi:10.1111/j.0020-2754.1999.00023.x.
  12. ↑ "The 72 scientists". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  13. ↑ Kahn, Laura H. (2007-10-18). "The sewer: Guardian against disease". The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  14. ↑ Higonnet, Patrice (2002). Paris: Capital of the World. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00887-1.

Related

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eugène Belgrand.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, October 08, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.