Section 01
The Halls
The buildings that held the crowds — their spans, their materials and what became of them.
A coffered dome and its oculus, seen from directly beneath the drum.Photo: Roland Muselet / Pexels
The buildings that held the crowds — their spans, their materials and what became of them. 6 pages.
The Grand Palais, and the Palace It ReplacedThe Palais de l'Industrie stood for forty-four years. It was demolished in less than two. What replaced it has lasted more than a century, and the reason comes down to a roof.1149 words
One Shell, Three Supports: the CNIT at La DéfenseThe world's largest thin-shell concrete vault, built in 1958, rested on just three points — and turned a vacant western suburb into a credible address for a trade fair.663 words
The Porte de Versailles, Where the Fairs Went to GrowThe largest exhibition ground in France assembled itself gradually, driven by fairs that had nowhere else to fit.667 words
Villepinte: the Hall That Paris Built Outside ParisWhen the Porte de Versailles ran out of floor, the answer was not to rebuild it — it was to go north.387 words
111 Metres Clear: the Galerie des Machines and What It ProvedThe widest roof on earth stood for twenty-one years. Its demolition in 1910 was not an act of ignorance but of calculation — and that is what makes it instructive.676 words
The Halle Freyssinet: a Railway Shed That Became a Fair GroundA prestressed-concrete goods terminal from 1929 became one of Paris's most striking exhibition spaces — without losing the structure that makes it remarkable.345 words