Biography

French architect. He was the son of a joiner and trained as a builder, becoming a mason and, by the age of 20, a building contractor. He received no formal education and did not undertake the conventional study tour abroad, preferring to pursue theoretical studies on his own, although he did eventually visit Italy in 1777-78.

His masterwork is the Hôtel de la Monnaie in Paris, which gained him entrance to the Académie d'architecture in 1776. He is also known for his work for private castle, like the Château of Buisson de May, in Normandy made from 1781 to 1783 just before the French Revolution. He worked in the Neoclassical style.