Labrouste, Henri

Labrouste, Henri

(äNrē` läbro͞ost`), 1801–75, French architect. He was among the first to make effective architectural use of metal construction, as in his treatment of the reading room of the Bibliothèque Ste Geneviève (1843–50), Paris, in which the ceiling domes were supported upon an exposed iron framework. Labrouste also made extensive alterations on the Bibliothèque nationale.