Précis of the lectures on architecture

"In 1795, in the midst of the revolutionary turmoil in France, Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand was named professor of architecture at the newly created Ecole Polytechnique. Durand seized the occasion to propose far-reaching changes for the teaching of architecture. Not only do his lectures emphasize utilitarian and economic values in the practice of architecture, but they also assail the rationale behind the bulwarks of classical architectural training: beauty, proportionality, and symbolism - in short, the entire Vitruvian tradition."--BOOK JACKET.