Involvement in post-War reconstruction and research into the axial portal frame construction system lead Ateliers Jean Prouvé to design, and then patent in 1939, a process of “demountable metal-frame construction”. This was based on an 8m-wide module dictated by the capacity of the large brake press in the Maxéville workshops, which machined 4m sheets of steel. This technical specification determined a minimum surface area of 64m2 per module.
Between 1944 and 1945, following very specific studies focussed on transposing these construction systems to family homes, a few examples of 8×8 houses were produced with improvements to make comfortable housing.
