自從法國的美術學院（Ecole des Beaux-Arts，或譯布雜學院）中的建築部門成立以來，與繪畫及雕塑在美術學院中呈三足鼎立的局面，共同負起法國建築藝術上的新血培育的搖籃。路易十四在其任內推動了美術、考古、文學及科學研究院等的成立，意在建立法國在上述領域的主體性，在其任內最後帶動了歐洲各國對法國建築與藝術的景仰與學習。美術學院的歷史演變，也體現在法國建築的演變上。法國的建築師的建築觀念與作品影響了十九世紀歐洲的風貌，其影響力甚至持續到第二次世界大戰之前。美術學院自1863年起，因其工作室（atelier）制度、其教師聘任方式以及國家對美術學院養成教育的認可，美術學院成為一個正式的教育養成機構。在此之前，美術學院是一個為了保存藝術的傳統、延續學院派藝術規則所建立起來的技術學習場所，而到了十九世紀初期才擺脫了藝術的表現而專注於養成的角色。美術學院中的建築部門在其養成訓練的教育之中，以「工作室」（atelier）的制度作為其養成教育的單位，課程的傳授以實作為主，工作室的教師們常使用特定出版的建築手冊（traité d'architecture）或是教科書（cours）作為教材，內容多為在歷史上出現的、被認定為傑出的建築師作品合集，或是由某些皇室御用的名建築師所撰寫的權威性建築課程教材，這些手冊或教科書藉由美術學院的教育系統建立起一個建築師教學的論述，也是十九世紀的法國建築開展的基礎。

Since the foundation of the Sections of Architecture, Painting and Sculpture in Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the Ecole had been the cradle of prestigious artists in France. Architects trained in Ecole des Beaux-Arts had great influence upon European architecture throughout the nineteenth Century, and even till the dawn of World War II. Having transformed into a system of ateliers with its own ways of regulating and teaching, Ecole des Beaux-Arts was recognized by the French government and became a formal academic institution in 1863. Before that, Ecole des Beaux-Arts had been an art school that preserved and continued art traditions and skills. Not until the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, did Ecole des Beaux-Arts focus on the cultivation of artists. In the Section of Architecture in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the ＂atelier＂ was the basic teaching unit, and practical know-how was passed on here. Teachers in ＂ateliers＂ applied certain ＂traités＂ or ＂cours＂ as their teaching materials. The contents of these ＂traités＂ or ＂cours＂ could be a collection of eminent architectural projects, or the textbooks compiled by dignitary architects who possessed authority by serving the royal families. Through the teaching materials and the architectural education in Ecole des Beaux-Arts, a discourse was established and became the foundation for the development of French Architecture in the Nineteenth Century.