One of the signature prefabricated houses designed by renowned French architect Jean Prouvé will be auctioned at Paris Design on May 3, 2018. Commissioned by the Minister of Reconstruction, Raoul Dautry, the house was designed following the Second World War to house the victims of Lorraine and Franche-Comté. Architect and designer Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) explored the multi-faceted relationship between design, architecture, and industry throughout his career. He commenced his career as a blacksmith’s apprentice and a fascination with metals underpinned his work. In 1931, he founded the Ateliers Jean Prouvé, eschewing the era’s elaborately crafted Art Deco forms in favor of a more rational, stripped back aesthetic. He also started creating furniture designs and his studio became closely involved in standardization and mass production. During this time, he also developed building systems for schools, housing, and hospitals throughout the 1930s.Prefabrication had obvious and essential applications during the Second World War. Prouvé worked for the Resistance when hostilities started and ensured he was well placed to help with the huge demand for new housing after 1945. Raoul Dautry, General Charles de Gaulle’s Minister of Reconstruction and Urban Development commissioned him to address the country’s most pressing housing shortages.The Demountable House with its 6m by 6m module combined the practicality of the production line with readily available materials like timber for the wall panels. It was an exceptionally simple, designed structure to be easily transportable and erected by two people in a single day. The house featured metal grid that forms the floor structure, while a central structural metal spine forms the backbone that supports the curtain wall of timber panels. According to Sotheby’s: "Two large angled supporting columns are the only intrusion into the interior space, creating a hugely flexible interior that was suitable for a wider number of applications as well as living configurations. The roof spine of seven triangular rib trusses is supported by these columns. The structure is expressed externally, illustrating Prouvé’s belief in portability, simplicity, and practicality.” Prouvé’s relationship with his craft continued to evolve, most notably in his preference for bent metal rather than relying on welded joints. He also incorporated standardized fixings that allowed many of his buildings to be taken down and recycled rather than simply discarded.
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