In response to an order from the state, at the end of the War, Jean Prouvé began designing temporary houses for the homeless in Lorraine and Franche-Comté. Fine-tuning his already patented axial portal frame, he saw a quick, economical and adaptable solution as an urgent priority. The area of 6×6 meters laid down by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning, and later enlarged to 6×9 meters, was partitioned into three rooms immediately habitable on the day of assemblage. This meant that these country families did not have to move while building was going on. Designed to be rapidly assembled on the sites of destroyed homes and, if need be, demounted and moved elsewhere, these veritable ʺarchitectural featsʺ were made up of light, prefabricated components of metal and wood. Steel, subject to strict quotas at the time, was reserved for the bent steel skeleton, into which were inserted simple, standardized wood panels. Jean Prouvé would later develop and reapply this constructive principle to durable and lasting reconstruction.
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