The work of Jean Prouvé and its
influence on contemporary
architecture of the late 20th century
Andrea Botti
MSc Advanced Sustainable Design, year 2011/2012
Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
University of Edinburgh
1 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Introduction
Jean Prouvé is considered one of the most innovative architectural and furniture designers of the
20th century. He has become a legendary figure since his death in 1984; many of his buildings are
national monuments and his design creations eagerly sought by collectors.
At once artist, designer, craftsman, architect and engineer, his life and work have been inspirational
to contemporary architects. As French architect Joseph Belmont stated, ”he was one of the great
pioneers of our time, the inventor of a new industrial architecture, a visionary little understood in
France, but known everywhere abroad” (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 1989).
At odds to most Modernists, Prouvé did not leave behind iconic buildings or bold architectural
manifestos; his exceptional contribution was rather his pioneering approach to industrialisation,
and to the use of technology in architecture and design. As his contemporary Le Corbusier ob-
served, “Jean Prouvé represents in a singularly eloquent manner, the type of the ‘constructor’ – a
social grade – not yet accepted by law but actively wanted by the era in which we live. I mean by this
that Jean Prouvé is, indissolubly, architect and engineer. Or rather, architect and constructor, for
everything he touches and conceives immediately assumes an elegant plastic form while offering
brilliant solutions with regard to strength and manufacture” (LeCorbusier, 1954).
The aim of this paper is to identify the main rationale behind his work and how his ideas and re-
markable achievements paved the way for the architects of the late 20th century.
The essay is divided into four sections: the first introduces Prouvé’s figure, by examining his early
influences and the development of his working approach. The second one considers the influence
Prouvé had on the late 20th century architecture, specifically the High Tech style, by pointing at
some of his most innovative and inspirational work. Finally the focus shifts to the theory and prac-
tice of Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano, whose link with Prouvé started with the milestone project
of the Centre George Pompidou, and followed legacy of Prouvé’s rationale and approach to the
profession of architecture.
2 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Jean Prouvé: poetics of technical
“My early meetings with his work were full of surprises. I expected to find a technologist; in fact, I
found a painter who was designing great aluminium panels by imagining the effects that light would
create on the metal sheets. He was as much artist as engineer”. Belmont’s anecdote (Musée des Arts
Décoratifs, 1989) eloquently describes Prouvé’s uniqueness. A restless creator, he was driven by a
thirst for knowledge throughout his life and professional career.
Growing up in Nancy, a well-known centre for crafts’ trade and steel industry, he practised as a
blacksmith and developed early a progressive attitude and a fervent interest for exploring new in-
dustrial developments. A passion that remained “undying and self-revitalising ever since” as Prouvé
himself admitted (Peters, 2006).
After establishing his own workshop in 1924 he focused his attention on the developments of new
materials and technologies and started experimenting with more challenging forms. A few years
later he actively participated in the foundation of the Union des Artistes Modernes (U.A.M.), a
group of prominent architects and designers who intended to connect the world of art with that of
industry. While designing and manufacturing his first pieces of furniture and architectural compo-
nents (for many of which he was registering patents), he was developing an approach that marked
the success of his whole career. His technical knowledge came from continuous intentions and
experimentations; he was discovering and testing available options for his design through practice.
He drew inspiration from observing in a technical sense, in the strong belief that every idea was
founded on technique (Vegesack et al., 2006). He opposed any form of utopian projects, which he
considered ephemeral and sterile; on the contrary, he believed that “one should design merely what
can be executed”, for “evolution can only result from practical experience” (ibid).
Only a complete assimilation of scientific knowledge and the comprehension of craft, or techné
would lead to an “honest” design, one that fully unveils the manufacturing process in every detail.
The actual construction is in fact the “all-defining” element in Prouvé’s design; it is construction
that determines, by necessity, his technical objects (Peters, 2006).
He envisioned every project as a collective initiative, based on continuous dialogue and share of
information between everyone involved. Under his charismatic leadership and manifold activity, his
workshop was conceived as one single space where scientific knowledge, technical skills and creativ-
ity were shared by every member of his team.
Every stage of production, from design to prototype up to the finished object, was meticulously
coordinated and orchestrated by Prouvé. As a consequence he achieved savings in time, cost and
manual labour; and more significantly, he managed to make the work of many individuals look like
one (Peters, 2006).
In his writings and during the famous lectures he held from 1957 to 1970 at the Paris CNAM (Con-
3 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
servatoire National des Arts et Métiers), he had the opportunity to express his critical stands to-
wards the state of affairs in the construction industry and architectural design.
The same principles of teamwork that were shaping his workshop, Prouvé insisted, had to be ap-
plied on a larger scale, within the domain of industrial production. He argued that the absence of
truly collective work, the communication breakdown between manufacture and design and eventu-
ally the separation of the latter from the other disciplines were nothing but detrimental to architec-
ture (Prouvé, 1971).
Consistently with his progressive mind-set, he envisioned the built environment as a flexible, dy-
namic and responsive entity. His views on the right lifetime for buildings - 25 to 30 years, so as to
leave space for following generations - contrasted with the quest for eternal and monumental that
was an unfortunate architectural habitus of his contemporaries (ibid).
Highly industrialized products - from aeroplane parts to building elements - he observed, were
necessarily in a state of continuous development. This was the reason the construction industry was
failing, as it was the only industry that could not keep up with technological progress (Levasseur,
1983).
Fig.01_ Jean Prouvé on a construction site (Briest et al., 2011)
4 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Industry in architecture: the work of Prouvé and the High-Tech
The importance of Jean Prouvé is testified by the influence he exercised on the architecture of the
late 20th century. He has been universally acknowledged for his milestone achievement of transfer-
ring manufacturing technology from industry to architecture, shaping a new architectural language.
He is remembered as a key figure in establishing the foundations of the Early High-Tech style.
Many famous High-Tech architects have credited Prouvé for his ground breaking work and his in-
novative force, both being inspirational for their early career. Richard Rogers recognised Prouvé’s
tremendous influence on his work and credited him for being “a pioneer in linking the process of
construction to the language of modern architecture” (Merlin, 2007).
Sir Norman Foster acknowledged that it would be impossible to categorise a man of such manifold
skills: “… technocrat / visionary … pioneer/teamworker … innovator/constructor … all the titles
are applicable”. Foster manifested particular interest in the relationship between “his creative pro-
cess, what I perceive as the quest for quality … and the resulting potential for a new aesthetic of the
age. Perhaps the ingredient of ‘loving care’ is the true bond with the past” (Levasseur, 1983).
It seems relevant for the scope of this paper to present a very short extract of his work, with regards
to its most innovative aspects. As a matter of fact, a comprehensive coverage of Prouvé’s work
would need a much more extensive treatise, and this paper does not have any such pretension.
The series of pre-fabricated buildings Prouvé designed, together with Pierre Jeanneret, between 1939
and 1940 for the S.G.A.L., at Issoire (Fig04) deserve some attention. Here it make its first appear-
ance the central structural spine with an internal cross frame, a structural form that would become
one of the main entries in Prouvé’s structural vocabulary.
As it has been observed by Foster (2011), after shaping each
new structural form, Prouvé played with scale. Central spine
and V-shaped cross-frame were then recalled down the scale
with Table Compas (Fig03), and up again with the Social
Security Building in Le Mans. Similarly, the desks’ undercar-
riage designed in 1945 for the in workshop in Nancy (Fig04),
Fig.02_ Works for S.G.A.L. (Sulzer 2002)
is matched, at a larger scale, by the tapered portal frame
structure of the demountable Meudon Houses (Fig05).
Particularly notable is also his design for the demountable
houses for refugees in 1944/1945, where the key criteria of
quick transportation and simple handling shaped the de-
sign, resulting in light-weight components perfectly sized
to fit into trucks. These buildings were part of the incredible
amount of work and investigation on pre-fabricated houses Fig.03_ Table Compas, (Sulzer 2002)
5 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Fig.04_ Standard Desk, 1942/1943 (Sulzer 2002) Fig.05_ Portal frame structure (Pedreschi, 2008)
that culminated with the design of the Maison Tropicale,
in The Republic of Congo (Fig06). UV-resistant porthole
windows, movable sun screens, verandas to optimise
shading and natural ventilation in the tropical climate
were part of a building that was designed to be both envi-
ronmentally responsive and easily shipped and assembled
(Sulzer, 2002).
Finally, it is worth mentioning Prouvé’s most famous Fig.06_ Maison Tropicale (Pedreschi, 2008)
work, the “Maison du Peuple” in Clichy (Fig07). Designed in 1935 to host multiple functions - a
market, union offices, a conference room and a theatre – the building had an open plan and it em-
ployed movable partitions to offer large flexibility of use. It was the first building in France to have
pre-fabricated curtain walls and it introduced some of the functional and aesthetic features that
became a central part of the High-Tech language (ibid).
Fig.07_ Maison du Peuple, Nancy (Sulzer 2002)
6 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
The Centre Pompidou has been broadly accepted as certainly one of the most incisive projects to
bring out the High-Tech style to the larger public.
Jean Prouvé was honoured to be selected to chair the jury of an international architectural competi-
tion launched in 1970, to select a project for a live centre of information, entertainment and culture
on the Plateau Beaubourg, right in the middle of historic Paris. Chosen from more than 600 entries,
the project was awarded to architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, assisted by Peter Rice of
Arup & Partners. They proposed a dynamic machine, highly serviced and made of prefabricated
and carefully crafted pieces, serving as a flexible container to overcome the traditional separation of
individual departments (Piano, 1989).
The high technology content of the project – achieved through a sapient use of the most advanced
construction techniques – was awarded by the jury for aiming not merely to create a signature style,
but rather to a positive celebration of progress and a break with the past. As Prouvé commented a
few years later: “the idea behind it was to give a boost to architectural creativity in these backward-
looking times…to get architects to react violently” (Vernes, 1983).
The project contained strong elements of provocation. Its deliberate emphasis on both the func-
tional and formal aspects of technology was the result of Piano and Rogers’s overt intention to
break free from the traditionally rigid frame of museums and the intimidating myth of culture, so
typical of Paris at the time. As noted by the jury who awarded the 2007 Pritzker Prize to Mr Rogers,
the Pompidou “revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into
popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city” (Pogrebin, 2007).
Fig.08_ Centre Georges Pompidou. ©Photos Philippe Migeat, Georges Méguerditchian
7 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano historically occupies a singular position as both an inheritor of craft tradition in archi-
tecture and a precursor of what has been referred to as ‘soft’ or ‘humanised’ High-Tech.
As critic Goldberger observed (1989), his projects are marked by a characteristic “light, tensile
quality and an obvious love of technology. But where the expression of technology at Beaubourg
was broad and more than a little satirical, in the buildings since Beaubourg, it has been straighter,
quieter, and vastly more inventive”.
Piano always referred to Prouvé as an exemplary figure, a master and his constant point of refer-
ence. Growing up in a family of builders, he inherited a passion for construction and a practical
culture of doing, typical of craftsmen. Just like his French master, Piano learned through practice
“the fundamental truth that one must not separate the head and the hand, the idea and the means of
realising it, that architecture is a matter of building, not drawing, and that it must be a deep under-
standing of materials that gives rise to its forms” (Piano, n.d.).
Piano echoes Prouvé in criticising what he considers a pernicious trend of modern and contempo-
rary architects: their progressive detachment and sense of supe-
riority towards other disciplines in the domain of construction.
The multi-disciplinary approach that presumes a deep knowl-
edge of the possibilities and limitations of building materials
and construction techniques is apparently lost, leaving space
for self-isolation confused with a ‘pure’ form of creativity
Fig.09_ RPBW_Bamboo node protoype (Meade & Piano, 1983).
Piano never intended to develop a style that merely resulted in
a design formula, a formal code to be distinguished from other
architects. Echoing his professional forefather, he perceives that
such an intention would halt exploration, and put an end to the
creative research. The true element of recognition, if there has
to be one, should rather be the architect’s personal method of
Fig.10_ Casting of Gerberette
(Nakamura, 1989) exploration (Nakamura, 1989). Fig.11_ Steel node protoype
(Nakamura, 1989)
The decision to name his practice “Renzo Piano Building Workshop”
(RPBW) clearly reveals Prouvé’s influence on his working approach:
architecture is a patient play, the result of teamwork rather than an
impulsive act of solitary creativity. The workshop is the place where
each project is carried out at the general level and in the details, con-
currently and from the very early stages. Workshops deliver work
methods, rather than styles (ibid).
8 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
A perfect prototype: the IBM travelling pavilion
Conceived for an IBM travelling exhibition of computer tech-
nology around Europe between 1982 and 1986, the pavilion
had to be easily disassembled, transported into a different city
and quickly set up again.
The pavilion was designed as a transparent vaulted structure,
48m, 12m wide and 6m high at the apex, made of polycarbon-
ate moulded pyramids. Functioning both as the glazing system
and part of the structural web, the pyramids were fixed togeth-
er to form 34 arched bays.
Fig.12_ IBM pavilion (Lisnovsky, 2007)
The elements the pavilion is composed of intentionally celebrate
the newest technologies not only technically but aesthetically:
the high-performing polycarbonate, for instance, was chosen for
its excellent transparency characteristics, essentials for transmit-
ting the feeling of contact with nature. Plywood, chosen for the
raised floor, is a high accuracy component that lends itself to
“the patient play of craft”, serving almost perfectly Piano’s inten-
tions (Piano, 1989). Fig.13_ IBM pavilion (Lisnovsky, 2007)
The pavilion represented a remarkable example in prototype craftsmanship. It marked, in the words
of its own author, a defining moment in his research of a form of self-expression: an elegant and
calm balance of high-tech details and natural techniques or, as it has been often defined, a “soft ma-
chine” (Nakamura, 1989).
While being one of Piano’s earliest projects, it is no surprise that the IBM pavilion still receives high
admirations. The quality of its detailing reveals and celebrates the passion in the design of individual
components, a main theme in Piano’s work. Individual elements are here carefully designed and
shaped. The complexity of functions and connections of the light-weight, transportable structure
achieves a rich architectural composition itself, throwback to the earliest and probably one of the
most famous buildings of the Modern Movement: John Paxton’s Crystal Palace (ibid).
Fig.14_ IBM pavilion_ details (Lisnovsky, 2007) Fig.15_ IBM pavilion_cross section (Lisnovsky, 2007)
9 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
Conclusions
As illustrated in this paper, Prouvé principles and works had a remarkable influence on the architec-
ture of the late 20th century, pioneering the industrialisation of building construction.
However, it is only recently that architectural critics and the wider public have recognised and ap-
preciated the prominence of his role within the past-century history of architecture. Prouvé has
been omitted from history of modern architecture for a long time, presumably because of the com-
plexity and diversity of his work (Peters, 2006).
His vision of the built environment as a dynamic and responsive entity and his enlightened view of
the profession of architecture are of staggering actuality and receive high consideration from critics.
By the same token he demonstrated remarkable foresight in his criticism of the construction indus-
try for its backwardness, addressing some endemic problems that still face the industry today.
His pragmatic and unpretentious approach, other than being profoundly inspirational, was capa-
ble of blowing away the detrimental dichotomy between architecture and engineering. “Architect?
Engineer? Why raise the question, why debate it? The important thing is to build…It immediately
makes one realise that the architect has to be an engineer otherwise there is no defendable idea”
(Prouvé, 1971).
Fig.16_ Brise Soleil Air France (Briest et al., 2011) Fig.17_ Fauteuil « Grand Repos » (Briest et al., 2011)
10 The work of Jean Prouvé and its influence on contemporary architecture of the late 20th century
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