«if planes were
assembled like buildings they would never fly». This simple excerpt repeated and referenced over and
over, positions one of modern architecture’s most proficient designer’s
attitude on construction’s archaic production methods. Jean Prouvé helped
establish and directed a factory for six years (circa 1944-1950) exploring and
prototyping industrial building systems. The Factory at Maxéville (a commune in
France) produced a plethora of experimental architectures. Trained in the
art of metal- working, Prouvé brought his passion for making to the factory
floor. His conceptualization of building construction is inextricably linked to
metal work as metal components are mass-produced and their ingenuous assembly
is an overture to multiple interpretations based on simple pieces and parts.
The Maxéville experiment united architects, designers, industrialists and
tradesmen under one united banner giving each an equal stake in streamlining architectural
design with production. This hands-on collaborative process was central to
Prouvé’s work and conveyed a materiality rooted in moulding, folding,
assembling: each part informed the whole.
Within his extensive creative research, the use of discernible
components was posited as the leitmotif of architecture’s potential
industrialization. A small but emblematic project, La Maison Alba, was commanded by an infamous French solidarity
movement founder, Abbé Pierre as a house
for better days to relieve the country’s housing crisis. Designed by one of
Prouvé’s young apprentices Maurice Sylvie, Alba sandwiched a service core
between an aluminum (AL) stressed skin roof and a reinforced concrete (béton
armé BA) base. The envelope employed timber veneered heat-formed panels
waterproofed with a bakelite polymer.
Touted as the house built in seven hours, the service
core was completely integrated in the factory to incorporate cooking and
hygiene functions. The core also supported the house’s main beam, which carried
the roof’s stressed skin panels. Anchored by the circular core, the small 6.5 x
8.77 m plan divided two zones (night and day) including two bedrooms and an
open living space. The reinforced concrete base was cast with perimeter seating
and low shelving creating an architectural device from a structural element. This
simple built-in furniture elucidates how Prouvé’s work transcends disciplines
and embraces an overall coherent architectural strategy.
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| maison Alba's utility core |
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