Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand (1760 – 1834) was a French author, teacher and architect. Durand’s lectures, originally published in 1802 and 1805 as ‘Précis des leçons d’architecture données à l’Ecole polytechnique’, were a watershed in the history of architectural theory. Durand fostered a new perspective on architecture - directed to functional needs rather than aesthetic concerns - that revolutionized architectural training across Europe.
