Robert Auzelle had an understanding of architecture whose pertinence isn't always realised: it was for him the place and instrument of communication. It is these same convictions which inspired his urbanist œuvre. He dedicated a portion of his life to the rehabilitation of funerary architecture, a humanist conviction which valued a civilisation and the respect with which it held to the memory of death. A man of study, his slogan was "Always learn". Fundamentally, due to his educative background, each of his realisations was conceived with underlying educational value and constituting it within oneself. It is also by his teaching, public interventions and publications that he was highly influential in France and considerably abroad. More than two hundred articles and conferences are listed under his name, as well as nine projects.

Robert Auzelle was born in Coulommiers June 8, 1913. In June 1931, he was admitted to the l'Ècole Nationale SupÈrieur des Beaux-Arts and was inscribed in the Bigot atelier.

His educational history was brilliant: in 1934 he took the MÝller-SoehnÈe prize assigned to the second year pupil who took the highest merit with in the year; June 17, 1936, he received high mention for his architectural diploma; at the Salon des Artistes franÃais in 1938, he exhibited one of his school projects; and 1939, he took the Chenavard prize for " A cemetery in the Rezt desert. "

In 1936, Robert Auzelle inscribed himself within l'Institut d'Urbanisme de l'universitÈ de Paris (The Paris Institute of Urbanism) graduating in 1942.

However, preparations for the international exhibition of 1937, were given place of importance over public competitions of architecture and urbanism. These preparations offered a new centre of interest for the young generation of architects who formed Auzelles party, and who recognised that the institute did not bring them the necessary education to tackle the questions of urbanism which they judged to be fundamental.

He chose a public role, during the reconstruction of country that followed the liberation of France.

This decision was followed by a forward vision with mission of re-establishing the role of architects in France after the war. In France, where since for thirty years construction was almost paralysed, they were active in promoting a rebirth of architecture, allied with an urbanism specific to our time.

During 1945, at 32 years of age , Robert Auzelle was named professor at l'Institut d'Urbanisme de Paris. From 1961, AndrÈ Gutton called on him to participate in urban education at l'Ecole des Beaux-arts. Founders of the Seminar in 1961 Tony Garnier, AndrÈ Gutton and Robert Auzelle, were convinced by the necessity of an education focussed on the practical. As such they proposed programs anchored in the real, with an aim of simulating conditions that would meet future urbanists within their profession. Within this seminar, Auzelle familiarised students with methods that he himself had applied the length of his career.

From 1947 Robert Auzelle undertook the publishing of the " Encyclopaedia of the urbanism " with Ivan Jankovic. He assured the diffusion of urban planning models, and endeavoured to promote a method of work applying itself to a precise documentary base. Those here created by students , albums of similar boards based on urban elements, expressive of all Èpoques but represented by the same scale; makes themselves feel the necessity to be aware of the variety of forms and inventions and to keep within the present spirit a developmental process of their own studies.

Representative at Brittany in 1945, he encouraged and directed architects and elected local representatives to establish plans of reconstruction and planning for cities ravaged by war. It is within this Èpoque which he defined the notion of 'deficient habitat'. He put in place a method of evaluating the degree of building degradation, to better comprehend the style and standard of living of inhabitants in general, and to evaluate preliminary information to thus form decisions of whether to conserve, improve or demolish the existing habitat.

Henceforth, an essential part of his research activities, the diffusion of principals and methods, was consecrated to serve an urbanism which was defined as "an organisation conscious of the space".

" Auzelle tried to give
some serious
methodological
rules in the survey
of urbanism plans
and not of simple
administrative rules. "

Robert JOLY

Urbanist and architect his plan for NeufchÁtel-in-Bray offers a plan style of construction : public buildings were regrouped around a planted, landscaped place.

The realisation of the Plain to Clamart district (1947-1953) is the most eloquent counterproposal to the 'grand ensemble' politics. Of interest in this realisation is that it illustrates the elaborate theories of Robert Auzelle to this Èpoque by the research which it derived from 'Centre d'etudes' , concerning implantation of buildings for the use of habitation:

The disassociation of the structure from the framework, thus leaving a logic of building implantation according to the alignment of streets; complete range of dwellings.

Vice-president of the 'Centre d'etudes' (study centre) under the Direction General of Urbanism, his objective was to devise a method and a set of regulations of intervention in the field of urbanism, thus to provide a more homogeneous integration of posts within the different departments, to assure their formation.

" The fundamental
principle of his
method consistently
argued that the
architect-urbanist
was not a " deus ex machina ",
that the profession was not
omniscient. It was imperative
that it apply the knowledge
of other disciplines other
than those strictly architectural. "

Charles DELFANTE, Urbanist, (formed by Robert Auzelle in the setting of the study centre under the Direction General of the Urbanism)

When the project of La Defense planning took a decisive shape in 1958, with the creation of the EPAD. Mr AndrÈ Prothin, the then director, noting the anachronism of the plan-mass initially raised in 1956, asked Robert Auzelle for a new study which was achieved in collaboration with Ivan Jankovic. In presenting the project of La Defense, Auzelle undertook to apply the principle of differentiation between the automotive and pedestrian circulation . Auzelle, convinced of the necessity to install in La Defense a prestigious cultural centre, composed with Hector Patriotis, between 1969 and 1972 a project for the head of La Defense, which entirely detached the view from the capital.

The role of which Robert Auzelle had upon La Defense appears considerable by the influence with which he had on the policy makers of the project.

He worked on many plans of urbanism notably those of Papeete (Oceania) and of Porto (Portugal, 1951-1956).

One could pose the question why an urbanist would be concerned for the cemetery planning. But Robert Auzelle made the place of death an object of focus which occupied him all his life. He contributed considerably in introducing in France the notion and the practice of landscape cemetery. Of note are the three large inter-communal cemeteries of Clamart (1951), of Valenton (1971-1973) and Villetanneuse (1972-1976), in the Paris region.

Robert Auzelle was president of l'AcadÈmie d'Architecture between 1976 to 1979. Re-elected for a second term, he died in exercising his role in December 22, 1983.

This architect and urbanist not only established numerous ways of research and study, but he also gave as an example the personal gain one could attain through this level of quality.