ABSTRACT
The French “constructeur” Jean Prouvé (1901–84) has left a legacy of over 90 school buildings in France that were produced and assembled between 1932 and 1972. The article presents an excerpt of a research project providing the first overall analysis of these buildings. This perspective on Jean Prouvés work allows to trace relations of the structural development with overall discussion on industrialisation and architecture. The article focuses on important examples that examine the interrelationship between architectural projects and the development of educational and technical standards. Prouvés strategy of developing prefabricated school buildings will be challenged by the development of the so called “open prefabrication” in the 1960s.
