Petrol Station
Jean Prouvé, ca. 1953 / 2003
The petrol station designed in 1953 by Jean Prouvé and his brother Henri is one of the first serially manufactured petrol stations. It was built about 1953 for Mobiloil Socony-Vacuum and stood at “Relais des Sangliers” in the Département Haute-Loire. Created modularly of individual pieces, this one of only three remaining stations was installed on the Vitra Campus in 2003.
The building consists of angular aluminium components and sheeting perforated with bull’s eye cut-outs. The load-bearing structure and wall construction are clearly differentiated from one another, a distinction reinforced by the colour scheme. Many of the buildings by Prouvé constructed out of prefabricated metal components have structural and formal qualities almost identical to his table designs and demonstrate his consistent adherence to tectonic principles in the design process.
The building consists of angular aluminium components and sheeting perforated with bull’s eye cut-outs. The load-bearing structure and wall construction are clearly differentiated from one another, a distinction reinforced by the colour scheme. Many of the buildings by Prouvé constructed out of prefabricated metal components have structural and formal qualities almost identical to his table designs and demonstrate his consistent adherence to tectonic principles in the design process.
