Vauban, le style de l’intelligence

The book has great ambitions to contribute, in «the midst of the multitude of articles and books, of exhibitions and retrospectives» motivated by the tricentennial of the great builder, with a « different point of view». The iconography (the sites as well as a map of Vauban’s travels or planimetries of works put on the same scale) is interesting. One learns a lot, from the angle of the embankment(40°) to Vauban’s choice of a true graphic charter(projects in yellow, elements in red). But can not say this is a revolutionary rediscovery, even if the last part is quite original, in dealing with the influence Vauban has on today’s architecture, an analysis carried out in the author’s agency, the AAPP. And the extremely light print is an additional obstacle, making the book as difficult to read as was the taking over of the bastion of Neuf-Brisach. One can hardly tell the difference between the print and the white page. Vauban would have appreciated this succesful example of defensive mimetism.

• Vauban, le style de l’intelligence by Philippe Prost, Archibooks+Sautereau éditeur, 2007, 100 p., 21 €, ISBN : 978-2-9156-3974-2