Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 507: Establishing the Standards for Civilized Life in the Next Hundred Years!
Charles Garnier stood by the table, his finger lightly tapping the southwest corner of the drawing.

"Mr. Sorel, as you requested, I have oriented the main building 15 degrees south of east."

This way, the morning sun can be the first to shine into the bedroom, while the afternoon afternoon sun won't be too intense.

The villa in the drawings is typical of southern France, but incorporates features of Alpine architecture.

The pitched roof has a greater angle of inclination, and the eaves extend nearly one meter beyond the wall, a design feature intended to cope with heavy snowfall in the mountainous region.

However, Vernev doesn't get much snow in winter, so Garnier made some adjustments.

Garnier continued, “The roof is covered with slate tiles. The color is dark gray, to match the surrounding woods.”

The walls are made of locally sourced limestone, cut into large blocks, with the gaps filled with white mortar. The exterior looks heavy and rustic, but the interior…”

He flipped to another drawing, which was a cross-sectional view of the villa.

Lionel's eyes lit up. The villa in the picture was only two stories high, but the ceilings were much taller than before.

Moreover, the windows are large and numerous, almost filling the entire south-facing wall.

"Ventilation is key! I designed double windows in each room, one at a higher position and the other at a lower position."

Hot air rises from higher altitudes, and cold air enters from lower altitudes, creating a natural circulation that keeps the air cool even in summer.

Lionel nodded: "That's a great idea!"

Garnier pointed to the details on the drawings: "And this. I left a gap between the roof and the walls and filled it with cork shavings."

Cork provides excellent insulation and is also moisture-proof. Parisian winters are damp and cold, and this helps maintain a stable indoor temperature.

Lionel smiled: "Mr. Garnier, you understand my 'comfort' requirements very well."

Garnier raised his head and said earnestly, "Mr. Sorel, I have designed villas for many people, bankers, nobles, generals, ministers..."

They all demanded that it be as magnificent and imposing as possible, ideally something that would make people look up in awe. But your needs are different—

What you want is a house that makes people 'forget the existence of architecture,' which is even more difficult.

In this era, wealthy people build villas to show off: marble colonnades, gilded decorations, and intricate reliefs—the more ostentatious, the better.

But that's not what Lionel wanted.

What he wants is clean water when he turns on the tap, lights when he presses the switch, a bathroom that's neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer, and no unpleasant odors.

These are the most common demands in the 21st century, but in 1882 they were almost luxuries.

"Let's take a look inside," Lionel said.

Charles Garnier then turned to the floor plan.

The villa is not large; the first floor has a living room, dining room, kitchen, a maid's room, and a public restroom.

There are four bedrooms on the second floor, each with its own bathroom; there is also a study, which is quite spacious.

Besides having far fewer bedrooms than a typical villa, this floor plan is particularly unique in that it includes the villa's plumbing and electrical systems.

Garnier's tone became excited: "This is the most special and complex drawing I have ever made in my life, Mr. Sorel!"
Some of your ideas I'd never heard of before, some I thought were impossible... but now they've all come true!

He first pointed to the southeast corner of the villa garden on the blueprint, which was very close to the Seine River.

There were three pools side by side, and several large barrels and jars next to them, with intricate lines and dense markings.

"This is the filtration system you wanted," Garnier said. "I consulted the best water engineers in Paris, and they all said the design was 'crazy but might work.'"

He pointed to the first pool: "This is a first-stage slow sand filter pool, two meters long, one meter wide, and one and a half meters deep. It is made of bricks and lined with asphalt and mortar for seepage prevention."

The bottom is a false bottom—arched with bricks, leaving a four-centimeter gap. On top, lay five centimeters of coarse gravel, then five centimeters of medium gravel, and then five centimeters of small gravel.

The top layer is fine sand, about 60 to 80 centimeters thick.

Lionel looked at the blueprints carefully; the thickness of the sand layer, the size of the gravel, the speed of the water flow... every parameter was clearly marked.

“If the sand is too fine, it will clog easily; if it is too coarse, it won’t filter cleanly. I have contacted a sand quarry in Normandy, and they can provide quartz sand that meets the requirements.”

Lionel asked, "And the speed of the water flow?"

"Controlling it to 0.1 meters per hour, so that each square meter of filtration area can process 100 liters of water per hour."

It's slow, but only in this way can most of the bacteria be eliminated—I specifically consulted Mr. Pasteur.

He was also very interested in the filtration system and said he would like to meet with you sometime to discuss this topic.

Lionel's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "You can tell Mr. Pasteur that I am available at any time."

Slow sand filtration is a technology that existed in the 19th century, but it is usually used in urban water supply systems. It is indeed a luxury to use it in private villas.

Garnier pointed to the second pool: "Then comes the second stage, a double-layered filter pool made of iron filings and gravel, separated by wooden planks within the same pool..."

"Finally, there's the third-stage fine ceramic filter, which is the most expensive part. I made twelve 'candle'-shaped filter cartridges out of pewter..."

He hesitated for a moment as he explained, "To be honest, I'm not sure if this step is necessary. After the first two steps, the water should be quite clean."

Lionel shook his head: "It's necessary. Some microorganisms are so small that sand filters can't stop them. Ceramic filters can block most of them."

Moreover, this is the last line of defense; if something goes wrong up ahead, there's still this layer.

Garnier nodded: "Okay, but this kind of filter needs to be taken out and washed every two days. I will design a convenient opening device."

Garnier then pointed to two large wooden barrels: "The Seine water will be pumped into the first barrel and left to stand for twelve to twenty-four hours."

Coarse silt and floating debris will settle, and the bucket will be covered with a wooden lid to block light and reduce algae growth. Then, water will be poured into a second open bucket using a showerhead, falling from a height of more than half a meter to complete aeration and remove some of the odor…

Lionel examined every detail carefully.

If this system is built, the water it produces will be even cleaner than most of the tap water in Paris.

It's important to know that at this stage, tap water is often simply allowed to settle before being sent directly into the pipes.

The drawing also shows the villa's piping system, with the main line being a copper pipe that runs from the water tank in the basement and branches into several lines.

One route leads to the kitchen, another to the various restrooms, and yet another to a dedicated drinking water station, one each in the dining room and the study.

The water was brought up to the second floor using electricity. Tesla designed a pressurizer for the villa, consisting of a motor, pump, pressure tank, rubber rings, and valves, and the stability of the water pressure has been verified.

The drainage system is also very well-developed, with each bathroom and kitchen having its own independent sewage pipe, which eventually flows into a main pipe leading to a septic tank outside the villa and is regularly discharged into the Paris sewer system.

Garnier became more and more excited as he spoke—this thorough and systematic drainage design was almost never seen in private residences.

It's worth noting that European architectural designs have always downplayed the importance of toilets; even the Palace of Versailles didn't have enough toilets back then.

After indulging in gluttony, nobles would often find a small palace to fly freely, wipe themselves with the corner of a letter they had already opened, pull up their pants, and leave.

Only when there is no room left to step in the entire palace will the servants clean up the filth and bury it.

So much so that French historians often study historical events and social conditions through those scraps of paper they've used to wipe their bottoms.

Lionel's villa has only four rooms, but it has five toilets, which is more than some large estates of this era with hundreds of rooms!

After Ganiye explained the plumbing design, it was time to talk about the villa's electrical system.

The power system drawings were much more complex, with so many symbols that they were overwhelming. They were completed by Nicolas Tess and Garnier together.

In terms of lighting, nearly a hundred lights were installed throughout the house, with several in each room.

The living room, in particular, features a large chandelier composed of sixteen electric lights, a truly extravagant design.

Eight additional lamps are placed at the four corners of the ceiling and above the fireplace to ensure that light is evenly distributed to every corner.

Even places like gardens and porches need to have electric lights installed.

It's worth noting that the most fashionable homes in Paris today have no more than ten electric lights.

According to Lionel's requirements, all electrical wires were pre-buried, using galvanized iron pipes as conduits, and concealed inside the walls or under the floor.

The switch wiring is also pre-embedded in the same way, but it is still a pull-cord type instead of a push-button type.

This was Lionel's special request; he couldn't stand the absence of the homophonic pun "拉灯（登）" in Chinese!

In addition, Tesla tinkered with transformers, voltage regulators, fuses, grounding wires, etc. in the laboratory.

All the most advanced electrical equipment will be installed in this villa to ensure that the residents can safely enjoy electricity.

Then there were the world's first "electric water heater", the first "electric fan", the first "electric washing machine"...

There is even a power storage device consisting of ten sets of lead-acid batteries, which will be installed in different areas of the villa.

However, some of these "home appliances" are still on paper, while others have just been produced as prototypes.

Charles Garnier was somewhat worried: "All these appliances, plus the lighting, would be a huge load."

The power plant near your home owned by the Edison Electric Light Company may not be able to provide a stable electrical current.

Lionel laughed: "Who said my villa would use electricity from the Edison Electric Light Company?"

Charles Garnier was taken aback: "If we don't use theirs, then we'll use..."

Then he looked like he suddenly realized something: "At last year's power expo, the 'AC power plant' you showcased?"

Lionel nodded: "Next month, construction will begin on the world's first 'alternating current power plant' in the outskirts of Paris, 20 kilometers from here."

Its completion date is expected to be close to that of this villa. At that time, its first surge of electricity will enter the house, turning on every light and starting every machine!

Charles Garnier trembled at the thought of his villa with all its lights on, sensing that the villa would bring him a reputation no less than that of a magnificent opera house.

However, a very real problem brought him to his senses: "However, Mr. Sorel, because it's all a completely new design, both the material processing costs and the construction costs will be much higher..."

Lionel nodded, indicating his understanding: "How much do you estimate it will cost?"

Charles Garnier considered for a moment before speaking: "Not counting wires, lights, appliances, and furniture, the cost of the building itself might exceed 8 francs..."

Your initial budget was 4 francs, and you later added another 2, but there is still a shortfall of 2 francs.

Also, my design fee is not included here; for villa projects, it's generally 6% of the construction cost…

Upon hearing this, Lionel flashed a bright smile: "Ha, yes, and your design fee too..."

But Mr. Garnier, have you heard about the 'theater electrification renovation' that has been going on for the past two years?

Charles Garnier was taken aback: "I've heard of it. Isn't that a collaborative project between your electrical company and the comedy theater?"

He immediately realized something and his eyes widened.

Lionel nodded: "Mr. Garnier, you are not designing a villa now, but creating with me the standard of civilized life for the next hundred years!"
Are you interested?

Charles Garnier, the architect who designed the Paris Opera, experienced for the first time in his life that his heart was beating so violently in his chest...

(First update complete, thank you everyone)

(End of this chapter)