Definition
Henri Labrouste was a prominent French architect celebrated for his innovative use of iron in library design. 🏛️ He designed the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève and the reading room of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. His designs emphasized functionality and employed exposed iron structures, a radical departure from traditional library architecture. Labrouste's work is considered a major contribution to the rationalist movement in architecture. Think of him as the architect who brought the industrial revolution into library design.