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M+, Hong Kong, © Jean Prouvé / ADAGP, Paris - SACK, Seoul, 2021
Jean Prouvé 讓．普魯維
Sun shutter, residential and commercial complex, Conakry 科納克里商住綜合大樓遮陽窗
1953
The French industrial designer and fabricator Jean Prouvé created this aluminium sun shutter in the early 1950s for a mixed-use complex in Conakry, Guinea. The eight-storey high-rise was realised by Atelier LWD, a French architecture firm that frequently worked in colonial Africa; the panels block sunlight and provide ventilation for the building’s apartments. Prouvé also collaborated with Atelier LWD on the Hôtel de France, a high-end hotel that opened in Conakry in 1954 with a facade marked by similar adjustable panels.
The shutter, which Prouvé produced in his factory in Maxéville, France, emerges from a line of investigation into efficient, standardised building components for export to tropical climates. Each of its four horizontal, gently tapered blades moves independently around a central axle spanning the panel’s width. The shade second from the top is taller than the others, creating a window-like opening when rotated.
Guinea remains an important producer of bauxite, a key source of aluminium, establishing a symbolic connection between Prouvé’s panels and the context where they appeared. In its materiality and detailing, the shade is evidence of the transmission of resources and building knowledge during the colonial era.
The shutter, which Prouvé produced in his factory in Maxéville, France, emerges from a line of investigation into efficient, standardised building components for export to tropical climates. Each of its four horizontal, gently tapered blades moves independently around a central axle spanning the panel’s width. The shade second from the top is taller than the others, creating a window-like opening when rotated.
Guinea remains an important producer of bauxite, a key source of aluminium, establishing a symbolic connection between Prouvé’s panels and the context where they appeared. In its materiality and detailing, the shade is evidence of the transmission of resources and building knowledge during the colonial era.
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