The creation of the Croismare professional training center was instigated by glassmaker Paul Daum and carried out by the Glassmakers’ Union in order to ensure the future of the industry by training a quality workforce. The center was designed to house young apprentices in training at the former Muller factory, located nearby.
The size of the building, the quality of its architectural treatment and the skills of the Atelier Jean Prouvé captured visitors’ attention as soon as it opened. During a visit to Croismare in June 1949, the Minister of Reconstruction and Urbanism, Eugène Claudius-Petit, declared, “This is it, the modern school”. This building is the most imposing central portal frame realization ever produced by the Ateliers Jean Prouvé and unites in a single project all the fundamental principles of his buildings.
The 255m² (2.744 sq ft) construction numbers seven central portal frames, over 3 meters high, and two external walkways that derive their elegance from the slenderness of the tubular portal frames. The facade panels, solid or glazed, give rhythm and contrast. The monumental entrance canopy in folded sheet steel is an autonomous module supported by two struts, key elements in JEAN PROUVÉ’s work. The spatial quality of the classrooms allows for generous light levels and broad views over the surrounding landscape.
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