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Article: Restoring a piece of history.(restoration of the 17th-century Parliament building in Rennes, Brittany, France)
- Article from:
- Mechanical Engineering-CIME
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Modern materials recapture the splendor of a 17th-century French landmark
In February 1994, a fire tore through the 17th-century Parliament building in Rennes, the capital of the French province of Brittany. The tragedy presented a golden opportunity for officials at Monuments Historiques, the landmarks department of the French Ministry of Culture, to use advanced materials in traditional architectural decoration to repair the edifice. This represents a shift in French policy for preserving monuments from the ravages of time or accident.
The French have traditionally maintained the appearance of their historic buildings by using the same materials and ...