[1] He was an architect in chief of many French civil buildings and national palaces, and a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

Tournon became famous for the design and construction of many religious buildings in France and Morocco using reinforced concrete, including the Église Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus in Élisabethville (Yvelines), the Église du Saint-Esprit in Paris, and the Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur in Casablanca.

He often collaborated with sculptor Carlo Sarrabezolles, featuring his extensive sculptural work in his buildings.

He also collabored with various artists involved in the revival of religious art: glassmakers Marguerite Huré, Louis Barillet, Jacques Le Chevallier, ironworker Raymond Subes, painters Marcel Imbs and Maurice Denis.

As an experienced architect, he had several students including Georges-Henri Pingusson and André Remondet.