Jean Prouvé, “Meridian Room” of the Observatory, 1951. In 1951, the Paris Observatory initiated the construction of a last extension at Port-Royal with architects André Rémondet and Jean Prouvé -a building comprising three units arranged as a cross and intended for measuring the passing of the stars at the Paris meridian- with a spectacular "Meridian Room" conceived by Prouvé. The building is at the present time no longer in use in the light of the development of the observation techniques. The room was designed to shelter the Meridian telescope, an instrument for the measurement of the altitudes and times of transit of the stars. The ingenious sliding curved covering enabled astronomical observation and represented a remarkable implementation of Prouvé’s roofing "shells" system. The conception of the room was based on the "sheds monoblocs" Jean Prouvé had created in 1950 for the buildings of the Mame printing house in Tours (France). One of its major invention, the system was made of a structure in reinforced concrete supporting a framework in sheet steel and a covering in aluminum plates at times associated with glass panels. The particular strengths of the process lied in its rigidity, lightness and the brightness it allowed. The prefabricated "shells" could give rise to a diversity of applications. A technique Jean Prouvé thus resorted to build houses in Meudon, schools, a metro platform and filling stations #jeanprouve #jeanprouvé #prouve #prouvé #facade #architecture #parisarchitecture #archive