Henri de Miffonis country of citizenship France
Henri de Miffonis (May 24, 1882 - 1955), born as Louis Fernand Henri de Miffonis, was a civil engineer. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France and died in Canada in 1955. Miffonis specialized in the construction of lighthouses. He studied in civil engineering at the University of Paris. In 1905, after obtaining his diploma, he accepted an offer of employment with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Canada for work with the Commission des phares (Commission of Lighthouses), newly created. Miffonis' work was supervised by the Chief Engineer of the Commission, William Patrick Anderson, a fervent promoter of reinforced concrete in the construction of lighthouses.
The recruitment of Miffonis, for his competence in the use of concrete, corresponded with an intense period of maritime infrastructure construction in Canada, and in particular, the construction of lighthouses. During the first three years of the Commission, Miffonis developed and patented in 1908 plans for the design of tapered reinforced concrete lighthouses with flying buttresses.
The importance of Miffonis' role in the construction of Canadian lighthouses between 1908 and 1913 was underestimated until the rediscovery of his correspondence with Anderson. In 1913, Miffonis published a work presenting calculations showing the use of reinforced concrete and its advantages in the construction of lighthouses.
At the end of the First World War, there was little construction of new lighthouses and Miffonis ended his career with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.Biography
Education and arrival in Canada
Henri de Miffonis was born in France in 1882. He received his education at the University of Paris during a time when reinforced concrete was revolutionizing the building industry in France and was considered the leading edge in its use as a new material. Miffonis was profoundly influenced by this assessment and the use of reinforced concrete was a key element of his career.In 1905, Henri de Miffonis joined the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans as an engineer for the Commission des phares (Commission of Lighthouses). This commission was created in February 1904 to respond to pressure from shipowners asking the Canadian authorities to aid in navigation along the Canadian coasts. The Chief Engineer of the Commission, William Patrick Anderson, was persuaded that reinforced concrete was the best choice for construction of future lighthouses in terms of solidity and costs.The construction of the new lighthouses using reinforced concrete begins after the recruitment of Miffonis. The Assistant Chief Engineer, B. H. Fraser, mentioned that Miffonis was an educated man, possessing a grand culture and a great knowledge of mathematics and mechanics and one of the best theorists of the Department. All of these qualities, as well as the needs of the Commission des phares, result in Miffonis being assigned to the head office of the commission in Ottawa rather than one of the regional offices. The hiring of the French engineer reassured the Department of Fisheries and Oceans about the use of reinforced concrete as a material for the construction of the new lighthouses erected at the beginning of the 20th century.
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