Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The factory of the Hellemmes Cotton Company, specializing in fibranne, was designed by architect Charles Vollery and inaugurated in 1953. It marked a break with traditional mills thanks to its horizontal plan, organized according to the production process, and its prestressed concrete structure. Symetric, the building incorporated a double-orientated shelving roof for optimal natural lighting, as well as trapeze-shaped air conditioning ducts. Considered one of the most modern factories in Europe in its time, it illustrates the pioneering application of functional industrial aesthetics.

The site embodied a technical and architectural innovation: its central axis grouped transformers and central packaging, while its one-storey organization optimized logistics. Unique in the region, it ceased production in 1991. Repurchased in 1999 by SETEB, it now houses ventilation, refrigeration and heating activities. Its inscription in the Historic Monuments in 2001 protects facades, roofs, fence walls and entrance pavilions, highlighting its heritage value.

The building reflects the golden age of the French textile industry in the 20th century, when Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the historical centre of wool and cotton production, experimented with avant-garde production models. Douai's spinning, with its bold architectural bias, symbolizes this transition to industrial modernity, while remaining anchored in the local economic landscape. Its legacy also materializes the gradual decline of this sector in France from the 1980s.

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