Chancel's Construction professor was Emmanuel Brune. Brune himself was a student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and a contemporary of Postolle and Benard. Brune was renowned as most avant garde in the use of new construction materials and the engineering possibilities that they made possible. The role of iron in French construction was enhanced during this period because modest technical innovation was combined with clear and practical design. This was to have a great influence on Chancel's later career in terms of his ability to build huge and functionally successful complexes.
An example of Chancel's progeny are the numerous iron and glass market structures in France of the latter part of the 19th century.