SCAL 8×8 Demountable pavilion, 1940

In the context of prewar rearmament, in 1939 Minister Raoul Dautry ordered the construction of a light alloys factory in Issoire, central France, to support the war effort. The Société centrale d’alliages légers (SCAL), founded that same year, commissioned Auguste Perret to design the concrete building.

When war broke out, the SCAL commissioned prefabricated houses from Ateliers Jean Prouvé to provide hasty accommodation for the staff. This project saw the first use of JEAN PROUVÉ’s axial portal frame construction system, marking the start of a significant collaboration with the architect PIERRE JEANNERET, in particularly in the area of self-contained housing.

Designed by Prouvé and Jeanneret, these constructions exemplified industrialized architecture, produced in the factory and assembled “dry” on site. Their simple constructive language was adaptable to different uses and to wartime supply restrictions, while encouraging technical experimentation and maintaining standards of quality and comfort.

Between 1940 and 1941, sixteen pavilions were made. The “management and design” office, designed in December 1939, was the first to be built and embodied the principles of this innovative project.

The 8 x 8m grid is a precursor to the factory-made houses developed by Prouvé for mass use, heralding the use of his axial portal frame for the domestic market, which came to fruition the following year with houses for the Saint Auban engineers, in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret and the Bureau Central de Constructions.