François Romain
Encyclopedia
François Romain was an engineer-architect who had taken minor orders as a Dominican friar. By commission of the States of Holland
, in 1683 he reconstructed the ancient bridge at Maastricht
, crossing the river and the Liège Canal in nine arches. Successful in this undertaking, for which dredging was required, he was requested to come to Paris
, where he resided in the monastery of Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, and oversaw the completion of the Pont Royal
, which had been designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, with a central arch having a span of 23.5 meters. Record of payments to him beginning 1 April 1685, three weeks after the contract was awarded, showed that, contrary to the traditional account that he was not brought in until trouble had been encountered, he was the specialist in the project from the beginning. Dredging the Seine
's riverbed was required in order to establish sound footings, and caisson
s were employed for the deep foundation
s here for the first time, half a century before Charles Labélye
's use of them at Westminster Bridge
, London. Construction proceeded without incident and was completed and the bridge formally opened, 13–14 June 1689. This further success procured him the office of inspector of bridges and embankments in Paris.
States of Holland
The States of Holland and West Frisia were the representation of the two Estates to the court of the Count of Holland...
, in 1683 he reconstructed the ancient bridge at Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, crossing the river and the Liège Canal in nine arches. Successful in this undertaking, for which dredging was required, he was requested to come to 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...
, where he resided in the monastery of Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, and oversaw the completion of the Pont Royal
Pont Royal
The Pont Royal is a bridge crossing the river Seine in Paris. It is the third oldest bridge in Paris, after the Pont Neuf and the Pont Marie.-Location:...
, which had been designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, with a central arch having a span of 23.5 meters. Record of payments to him beginning 1 April 1685, three weeks after the contract was awarded, showed that, contrary to the traditional account that he was not brought in until trouble had been encountered, he was the specialist in the project from the beginning. Dredging the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
's riverbed was required in order to establish sound footings, and caisson
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
s were employed for the deep foundation
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
s here for the first time, half a century before Charles Labélye
Charles Labelye
Charles Labelye was a Swiss bridge engineer and mathematician. Moving to England in the 1720s and receiving patronage from the Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, he is best known there for his work on the original Westminster Bridge and his invention on that project of caissons as a method of...
's use of them at Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
, London. Construction proceeded without incident and was completed and the bridge formally opened, 13–14 June 1689. This further success procured him the office of inspector of bridges and embankments in Paris.