ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Jean Prouvé 1901-1984. Jean Prouve was born in Paris. Though never formally educated, he used his training as a blacksmith and engineering knowledge to push the boundries of prefabricated building during the early part of the twentieth century.

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Jean and his Father Victor Prouvé 02 Blacksmith apprentice with Émile Robert Jean Prouvé grew up amongst his father Victor’s Ecole de Nancy, an eclectic group of artists whose concern was to make art accessible to all, seeking to bring together art and industry, combining social consciousness with the artistic determination. In 1916, Jean apprenticed at the blacksmith shop of Emile Robert, then at the Paris workshop of Szabo. The craftsman approach he learned there would last his lifetime.

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Aluminum Panel Drawings 02 Panels as curtain wall Huber, Benedikt and Steinegger, Jean-Claude. Jean Prouve. Prefabrication: Structures and Elements. Praeger Publishers, New York. 1971. Navarra, Enrico and Seguin, Jousse. Jean Prouve. A.D.A.G.P., Paris. 1998 Sulzer, Peter. Jean Prouve: Complete Works. Birkhauser, Basel. 2000.

For me, there is no architecture without structure. Jean Prouvé ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 The Alphabet of Structures 02 The Alphabet of Structures For me, there is no architecture without structure. Jean Prouvé Prouve created basic structrual types, The Alphabet of Structures, in order to facilitate is use of preconstructed panels and parts.

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Section-Tropical House 02 Aluminum Shutter-Sahara House Prouve was concerned with access to natural ventilation and shading. He also used injected polyurethane insulation between folded steel panels, sometimes preassembled but often injected on site. 03 Exterior Shutter-Tropical House

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Interior: Prouve House 02 Interchangeable Panels: solid, glazed, opening Note to self The individual dwelling must be light and dynamic which is an expression of large-scale production and therefore characteristic of industry. Jean Prouvé Prouve was interested in manipulation light and air through the incorporation of interchangeable panels: solid, glazed and opening. He also used exterior shutters and perforated panels, like the port-hole doors, to regulate light and air. 03 Port-hole doors-Prouve House

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Structure assembled by two men 02 Stool structure assembled from four parts Kit of Parts: Since all parts are prefabricated, construction costs are minimized. Prouve tried to create structures to minimize manpower or material. Some could be erected by two men and simple lifting devices, others were reduced to the minimum of parts. 03 Kit of parts

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Extruded Aluminum Structure 02 Steel folder to create structure 03 Folded steel Aluminum and glass fit into folded steel structure or extruded aluminum. 04 Aluminum and glass panels

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Applied skin 02 Minimum workforce required Manufacturing and installing the secondary skin was also designed to minimize time and materials. 03 Aluminum port-hole door

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 01 Column vent diagram 02 Exterior view of column In addition to the “opening” panels, Prouve experimented with other vetilation systems. In this case, the vent opening is integrated into the column system, negating the need for operable windows. Prouve also used prebuilt modules for interior use, such as bathroom and kitchen 03 Kitchen module

ARCHITECT I PLACE+PROGRAM I SPACE+ORDER I CONSTRUCTION+EXPRESSION biography regional context urban context primary structural system influence building typology building diagrams secondary structural system bibliography environmental context interior conditions mechanical systems materials 02 Text block Image 01 Vitra Petrol Station Prouve may have been ahead of his time in attempting an industrialized building process. However, we must also take note that his Tropical House, designed to fit into French cargo planes for delivery, was more expensive than a traditional dwelling made from local materials and very few were sold for that reason. Scales of economy are not the only factors.