Editing Auguste Perret (section)

==Early life and experiments (1874–1912)==
Auguste Perret was born in [[Ixelles]], Belgium, where his father, a stonemason, had taken refuge after the [[Paris Commune]].  He received his early education in architecture in the family firm.  He was accepted in the architecture course of the [[École des Beaux-Arts]] in Paris, along with his two brothers, Gustave (1876–1952) and Claude (1880–1960). where he studied under [[Julien Guadet]], a [[Fine art|Beaux Arts]] neoclassicist who had collaborated with [[Charles Garnier (architect)|Charles Garnier]] on the construction of the [[Palais Garnier|Paris Opera]].  Beyond the neoclassical rationalism he learned from Gaudet, Perret's particular interest was the structure of buildings and the use of new materials, such as concrete. Though he was considered a brilliant student,  he left school without obtaining a diploma and went to work for the family firm. 
<ref name = "Robert1988">''Petit Robert Dictionnaire Universel des Noms Propres'' (1988)</ref>

Perret immediately began experimenting with concrete.  His first important project was an apartment building on rue Franklin in Paris (1903), where the concrete structure, instead of being concealed, was clearly visible and was a part of the exterior design.  He made an even more radical experiment with the construction of a garage on rue de Ponthieu (1906)  (now destroyed) with a simplified cubic structure expressing the interior, large bays of windows and a lack of decoration, which resembled the later [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]].<ref name = "Robert1988"/>