| Title |
A Study on Jean Prouve as a “Constructor” |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.2.327 |
| Keywords |
Jean Prouve; Mies van der Rohe; Constructor; Industrial fabrication; Modular system; Prefabrication; Technology and design |
| Abstract |
This study examines Jean Prouve’s notion of the constructor through a comparison with Mies van der Rohe’s position as an architect. Both
valued industrial technology and regarded construction as central to architecture, yet their positions diverged: Mies operated within a
hierarchical, architect-centered system aimed at preserving conceptual control, whereas Prouve pursued a horizontal model integrating design
and fabrication from the outset. Regarding form and material, Mies developed abstract conceptual structures that were later materialized,
treating industrial components as elements of a rationalized architectural language, while Prouve began from the material properties of sheet
metal and industrial processes, generating forms through bending, folding, transport, and assembly. For Prouve, form emerged from fabrication
rather than being imposed. In expressing technology, Mies sought an emblematic language for the technological spirit of his time, employing
standardized components and what later scholarship has termed “universal space”. Prouve instead articulated technology through aeronautical
modes of assembly, interdependent systems, and legible joints, drawing inspiration from aviation engineering and experimenting with emerging
technologies. His constructive systems?such as the portal frame and the strut?inspired varied spatial layouts. These contrasts suggest that
Prouve’s approach foregrounds fabrication-based reasoning and personal constructive systems as strategies for contemporary architectural
practice, while also offering insights into more integrative modes of collaboration. |