02 Paris, A Walking Tour of Selected Buildings [CD-ROM]

Oculus Visualization (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 1999

The Architecture Reference Collection's (ARC), 02 Paris offers a walking tour of 18 contemporary building sites and 6 historical sites. The CD-ROM includes more than 300 images, 100 video clips and 40 IPIX - images (vitual reality images). Each building is explained through written descriptions and the use of photos, video and interactive virtual reality cells. The ARC also provides the viewer with information regarding the architects and bibliographies specific to the research on each project. Projects include: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Grand Arch, the Pyramid of the Louvre, Parc de la Villette, and others. Viewers will see the works of notable architects such as, I.M. Pei, Jean Nouvel, Bernard Tschumi, and others.

The ARC (Architecture Reference Collection) is an ongoing series of CD-ROMs dedicated to providing digital documentation of prominent works of architecture from around the world.

Take a spin around the world with Oculus Visualization. Look for additional products in the ARC series: 01 London, 03 Berlin and others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The staff of Oculus Visualization is a cooperative of architects and technical specialists that produce multimedia products for architecture and travel enthusiasts.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE, Place Charles de Gaulle

Located at Place Charles de Gaulle, the Arc de Triomphe sits at the termination of the Champs Elysees. Originally planned to commemorate the many military victories of the Grande Armee, this monument became a significant cultural site for the French. Since its construction the arch has been witness to many significant moments in French history. In 1885, the coffin of Victor Hugo was placed under the arch for Parisians to pay tribute. In 1920 the victorious French soldiers marched through the arch to celebrate the end of World War I. Twenty years later the Nazis marched through the monument during their four year occupation of France.

The triumphal arch dates back to roman times where it was used as a symbolic threshold for soldiers returning from military campaigns. These ancient warriors were said to pass under the arch to cleanse their destructive tendencies as they returned to civilian life.

The Arc de Triomphe is much larger than its Roman predecessors. Construction of the Arc de Triomphe was commisioned in 1806 under the reign of French emperor Napoleon. It was completed in 1836, fifteen years after his death. At the time of construction, the value was estimated at nearly 9.3 million French Francs. As the largest triumphal arch in the world, this monument stands 49.7m high by 44.8m wide by 22 meters deep. Several architects were involved with this project during its thirty years of construction. The original architect was Chalgrin who designed the monument and followed its construction from 1806-1811. He was followed by Joust (1811-1814), and finally by Blouet (1833-1836). The primary sculptors were Cortot, Rude, Etex, Pradier, and Lemaire.

The arch has served as a French war memorial since the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest here in 1920 following World War I. In 1929 a flame was lit to commemorate all those who died in the war.

Product Details

• CD-ROM: 1 pages
• Publisher: Oculus Visualization LLC (November 3, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0967738202
• ISBN-13: 978-0967738208
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,641,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good educational resource., February 17, 2000

By 

Catherine Beigand (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 02 Paris, A Walking Tour of Selected Buildings (CD-ROM)

I am a French teacher at a local high school, and I brought the CD in to show my class some of the sights which we had discussed in lesson. They all enjoyed seeing the pictures and video of Paris, especially trying to decipher what the people in the background of the video are saying! This was a nice way to teach class and keep my students interested.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great City, Great CD!, December 15, 1999

By 

Randall Skiles (Chicago, Ill) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 02 Paris, A Walking Tour of Selected Buildings (CD-ROM)

I went to Europe over the summer and fell in love with Paris and its' architecture. This CD is great! The IPIX images are as close to 'being there' as you can get. The video on the elevator of the Eiffel Tower is amazing!

Can't wait for CD's of other cities!

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Architecture, get this CD!, December 10, 1999

By 

Brian Kilner (Miami, Fla.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 02 Paris, A Walking Tour of Selected Buildings (CD-ROM)

I stumbled across this companies' web site looking for photos of new architecture in Paris (doing a report for Contemporary Architecture Class). Not only did this CD provide me with the pictures i needed, but the IPIX virtual reality images were awesome! A definate benefit to my presentation. My professor was very impressed and was interested in getting the cd to use in class! Bottom line- if you want a very cool, very innovative way to look at architecture, buy this cd!