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Origin and history

The "Direction-dessins" pavilion was designed in 1939 by architects Jean Prouvé and Pierre Jeanneret for the Central Society of Light Alloys (SCAL) in Issoire, as part of a rapid construction programme to house engineers and workers. He was commissioned on December 12, 1939, using a reverse V-axis portal patented by Prouvé, a structural innovation in prefabricated metal. Mounted in March 1940, it incorporates wooden partitions and a steel frame, with a ground floor dedicated to technical drawings and a floor for offices. This pavilion, the first of a series of 16 similar buildings, responded to the industrial emergency of the Second World War, in particular to support French aeronautical production.

In 1941, the floor was modified to enlarge the surface, removing the original double height of the drawing room. After its demolition in 1958, the pavilion was bought by an employee of the SCAL, which dates back to 1962 in its garden west of Issoire. Transformed into a home, it is wrapped in an aluminum cladding and its windows are replaced, but the original elements (such as carpentry) are preserved. These modifications, designed to be reversible, preserve its architectural integrity. The building thus illustrates the adaptability of prefabricated buildings, while remaining an exceptional testimony of modern architecture and industrial techniques of the period.

The pavilion is part of a historical context marked by the 1939 French rearmament policy, led by Minister Raoul Dautry. The SCAL factory in Issoire, designed to double the production of light alloys for the aeronautical industry, was entrusted to the brothers Auguste and Gustave Perret for its overall design. The Jean Prouvé Workshops, chosen for the pavilions, applied two patented systems: the axial portal (1939) and an external structure (1940). Charlotte Perriand briefly collaborated in interior design before leaving for Japan in 1940. Ranked a historic monument in December 2024, the pavilion today embodies the alliance between industrial emergency, technical innovation and architectural heritage.

Originally located at the entrance to the factory, the pavilion measured 8x8 meters and combined functionality and modularity. Its ground floor housed a drawing room, a vestibule and reserves, while the floor, accessible by a central metal staircase, housed the director's office and a typing room open to the main volume. After 1962, its aluminium envelope and new windows partially masked its original appearance, but the structural elements (portal, frame) and the carpentry preserved in the shelter allowed partial preservation. Its dismantling and reassembly by a private individual also underscores its pioneering character in the history of demountable and transportable architecture.

The "Direction-dessins" pavilion is part of a set of 16 buildings built between 1940 and 1941 on the SCAL site, including workers' housing, a club, and an infirmary. These achievements, the result of the collaboration between Prouvé, Jeanneret and Perriand, marked a turning point in the use of light materials and prefabrication methods in France. Today located 259 Chemin de Peyrolles in Issoire, the pavilion has been fully protected (excluding a later extension) since 2024, recognizing its heritage value and its role in the history of 20th century industry and design.

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