Book of the day > Jean Prouvé Architecture. Edition Galerie Patrick Seguin. “This limited-edition boxed set compiles all five of Galerie Patrick Seguin's volumes on the "demontable" architecture of Jean Prouvé: the revised editions of 6x6 and 8x8, plus three new monographs on the BCC Demountable House, Ferembal Demountable House (adapted by Jean Nouvel), and the Filling Station. Each is illustrated with both archival and contemporary documentation. Though lacking any formal education in architecture, Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) became one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century, boldly experimenting with new building designs, materials and methods. Prouvé was raised in an environment of artistic, socially motivated innovation: his father belonged to "l'École de Nancy," a collective that sought to unite art, industry and social awareness. He continued this practice throughout his adulthood, opening the Ateliers Jean Prouvé to manufacture standardized, economical goods on a mass scale--which, during World War II, included creating portable and demountable barracks. After the war, the French government commissioned Prouvé to design inexpensive, effective housing for the newly homeless, prompting him to perfect his patented axial portal frame to build easily constructed demountable houses. Despite their advantages, though, few of these architectural triumphs were built, and even fewer survive. In order to preserve Prouvé's architectural and engineering legacy, the Galerie Patrick Seguin has worked tirelessly to promote Prouvé's "constructional philosophy," exhibiting his designs and showcasing his ecologically responsible methodologies. ”