Modernization in the former colony has been promoted by the diffusion of culture and technology along with colonial rule by Western powers. In the field of architecture as well, diffusion accompanying colonization has been studied so far. These studies mainly discussed from the viewpoint of style of colonial architecture. In 19th century, the covered market came into existence as a new type of modern architecture scene. Lemoine described that the covered market was constructed in rural areas and colonies based on the theory of the central market in Paris as prototype. However, he also described that despite of the influence of the prototype, there was the diversity in terms of form and material. Moreover, to clarify the detail of type of the covered market, inventory of the covered market in former colony was necessary.
French Indochina was one of the largest colony of France. French colonial policy was to assimilate the colonized countries in the same way as the mainland. Especially in French Indochina, Vietnam was the center of politics and economics and a lot of urban facilities were built. In the area called Tonkin, the northern part of Vietnam, the cement plant was built in 1899. It was inferred that the technology of reinforced concrete would have differed in early period. In terms of the viewpoint that showed by Lomoine, construction through the typical covered market and focusing on the diversity of its materials and form, it seemed reasonable to set the Tonkin as the model place that we would be able to find diversity of materials and forms.
Firstly, we examined the document about the covered market in Tonkin that was in National Archives Center I, Hanoi. We found the project of the covered market in the documents covers 24 provinces in 29 all provinces of Tonkin during the colonial period. Furthermore, the planned year of the projects showed in the range of 1896 to 1954. Compare to the colonial period of French Indochina (1896 to 1945), the documents covered the most part of the colonial period.
Secondly, the covered market was analyzed through the typification from the viewpoint of the form of the roof frame. As the result of typification, 48 projects were classified to 10 types. Three Basic types (A), (B, ) (C) depended on the way to support the ridge beam. Four derived type (D), (E), (F), (G) depended on the constitution of the web members. The rest of three types were common in terms of having the high-side lighting. By means of adding the analysis from the view point of the span of the section, we identified the type that has same span and same form of the roof frame. These types were mainly planed in 1910 to 1930. It was presumed that the type was planned as the prototype of the covered market in Tonkin. Accordingly, from the evidence that several prototypes were appeared, the diversity of the form that Lemoine showed has been verified. Likewise, from the evidence that there was the difference between the material of the roof frame, Wood, Steel and Reinforced concrete, the diversity of the material has been verified.
Finally, we examined the geographical distribution of obvious prototype (B), (I) and the similar type of (I). From the distribution of these prototypes, it proved that these prototypes of the covered market spread around the Hanoi in 1915 to 1923.
In conclusion, from the above, we have been verified diversity of the type of the covered market in Tonkin that Lemoine showed. Therefore, we showed the different approach to the colonial architecture that was not from style but prototype.
