Jean Prouvé designed temporary school buildings in 1956-1957 in the town of Villejuif, on the outskirts of Paris. The school complex was composed of 3 buildings.  Each structure was 8.75m x 8.75m, subdivided into a 1.75m grid, with 5 bays for classroom and 1 bay for circulation.

Prouvé’s design expressed his principle that it was absolutely necessary to provide children the best and uncompromised qualities of modern architecture; joyful spaces thanks to material and color choices, and the feeling of freedom that comes with visual communication to the outdoors.

The design also intended to allow for each building to be easily and rapidly assembled, disassembled, and transported to other locations.  The assembly therefore had to adopt a simple and efficient construction system.  

The structure designed by Jean Prouvé is remarkable with the use of asymmetrical compression elements, the “bequilles” supporting a lightweight bent wood roof, held to the ground by innovative perimeter steel formed columns, which also served as ventilation elements, and stiffening supports for the glass façade.  

In 1960 the building complex was dismantled and relocated to different locations to be used for various functions.

In 2001 Catherine Prouvé, Jean’s daughter, saved one relocated section of the Villejuif School from demolition and destruction. With the support of Jean Mason, who had worked for Jean Prouvé at the time of the design of the school, and Phillipe Jousse, of the Galerie Jousse Entrepise, all the original elements of the school were dismounted and preserved from destruction. Serge Drouin, son of Catherine Prouvé, participated in the dismounting and storage of the elements, and was in charge of the architectural restoration of the structure.

Jean Prouvé’s Villjuif school can now be seen at the Galerie Patrick Seguin